JPS is ambling toward expansion. Arlington leaders want to be a bigger part of it
Arlington leaders, frustrated with the lack of clarity on the locations for JPS medical services promised in an $800 million bond voters approved in 2018, are calling for more medical services from the public health system.
The bond package included a mental health hospital, an outpatient surgery center and four regional medical centers in underserved areas of the county.
A JPS committee study recommended south Arlington as one of the four spots for a community health center, along with a site serving southwest Tarrant County, one near Saginaw or Eagle Mountain Lake, and one near White Settlement and Westover Hills.
However, JPS President Robert Earley told council members Oct. 6 that hospital officials have yet to finalize locations. Earley said JPS’ main hospital would continue to be the “hub” of public hospital operations, with “spokes” in cities including Arlington.
Council members and Mayor Jim Ross told Earley the city needs more services for its roughly 400,000 residents and millions of visitors annually.
“If you took Arlington and put it anywhere other than in the middle of Dallas and Fort Worth, we wouldn’t be a spoke, we’d be the hub,” Ross said during the meeting. “We’re suffering as a result of that. For me, it’s problematic.”
Arlington has five JPS facilities: a behavioral health clinic and eligibility center in central Arlington, the JPS Medical Home Southeast Tarrant near Pantego and a surgical center and specialty clinic along Interstate 20.
Earley told council members he recognized the need in Arlington, but must weigh needs from other parts of the county.
“What we’re trying to figure out is what our Arlington medical home might need in form of transportation to get people there, or to get to another place or to go to the ZIP code in Arlington that has the biggest challenges and make sure that’s the epicenter where we locate a clinic,” Earley said.
Barbara Odom-Wesley, District 8 council member, said in a phone interview Nov. 2 that data show south Arlington, especially the southeast region and ZIP code 76010, are among the highest-need areas in the county.
“I think the evidence points to the fact that Arlington is in need of some additional health care services,” she said. “I think when you look at our 400,000 residents and the taxes we pay to the hospital district, I think a little more attention is warranted here.”
JPS did not return requests for comment.
Earley told public officials Oct. 28 JPS is exploring ways to help offset expansion costs. Construction was delayed in 2019 as lawmakers debated a property tax law that did not ultimately affect hospital districts. The pandemic has also caused construction costs to spike.
Arlington’s Unity Council study recommended shoring disparities in Arlington by supporting mobile health care programs in affected neighborhoods and subsidizing VIA ride share trips for people who could not afford to get to medical care. Both the report and Earley said the region should also focus on increased mental health resources.
Earley announced Tuesday afternoon that he will retire in March 2022 to spend more time with his family.
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
