Travel Tuesday: Atlas World Navigator Inaugural Cruise
Atlas Ocean Voyages’ new ship set sail on it’s inaugural voyage from Athens, Greece, with Rhonda and Chad Young from Sulphur Springs being welcomed as the first guests to check in on the cruise line’s first ship for it’s first passenger cruise. Atlas President, Alberto Aliberti, greeted the Youngs and shared that he was a “fellow Texan” as he went to high school in South Texas. Aliberti has made his way through the cruise industry starting in reception and working his way up as a shore excursion director with several cruise lines before developing the U.S. expansion of the new luxe cruise line owned by Mystic Invest Holdings. Atlas Ocean Voyages plans to have five ships and specialize in immersive experiences including voyages to Antarctica.
The Cruise
World Navigator set out to spend nine days at sea and was planned to end up in Alexandria, Egypt with stops in several ports throughout Greece and a special opportunity for it’s passengers to view the pyramids in Cairo at night. The ship had that “new ship smell” as we boarded and made our way to our stateroom. The ship is beautifully decorated with rich dark woods and bold color schemes that gives every part of the ship a luxurious feel. Certainly a smaller ship with overall capacity of 196 passengrs, but the layout of each public space gives the ship a feeling of plenty of space for whatever activity is taking place.
We found the staff to be friendly and eager to please, as we discovered some staff members were new to the industry, while others had worked at other cruise lines before. This first sailing would not be without the expected hiccups as the cruise line sought to “work out the kinks” of having passengers. Most of these hiccups proved to be minor and the staff improved their delivery of service each day.
Covid protocols were in place as all staff members wore masks and all passengers were tested before boarding the ship as well as tested at our last port in Greece before leaving the European Union on our way to Egypt. One passenger returned a positive test result from this test and the Atlas staff quickly sprung into action, by not only retesting the passenger, but quarantining other passengers in close contact with the positive passenger as the ship’s doctor awaited results from the subsequent tests. In the end, only the one passenger proved to be positive, but that was enough for our ship to turn around and head back to our last port in Greece. Due to European Union Covid protocols, that passenger would have to disembark in Greece and quarantine until testing negative. The other passengers on the cruise thought our cruise would be cut short, but we quickly found out the level of service provided by this new cruise line. An announcement was made over the ship’s public address system that Atlas executives had arranged for chartered plans to fly all of the other passengers from Greece to Cairo, Egypt so that we could continue our vacation and visit the pyramids of Giza. This is a level of service that we have never seen on any cruise line or tour operator.
Final Thoughts
Although this was the very first cruise of new cruise line, I thought the crew and staff did an excellent job of making sure everything went according to plan. With the added challenge of launching a new brand in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, the company went “above and beyond” at every level to ensure we had a safe, healthy and complete trip. Most everyone on the trip chose this sailing to see the pyramids, and among lots of challenges Atlas was able to deliver that experience for everyone.
To learn more, please visit www.AtlasOceanVoyages.com.
For more information about Atlas Ocean Voyages cruises or to request pricing contact us at: [email protected]
Paris Junior College Sulphur Springs Campus Classes Begin Monday August 30th
SCHEDULE
PJC-Sulphur Springs Center student Pedro Mendoza of Sulphur Springs picked up his fall semester schedule from Campus Office Manager Dana Smock prior to the start of classes on August 30. Registration for fall continues. Call 903-885-1232 for information.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
Wildcat and Lady Cats Tickets On Sale Now Online
Wildcats football coach and SSISD athletic director Greg Owens sent out a notice earlier today saying that athletic tickets for games can be purchased, but they will be sold online.
High school athletic tickets may be purchased online at http://www.ssisd.net/
SSISD is online for all high school athletic contests.
The button to press for any and all tickets related to Wildcats and Lady Cats sports can be found below.
For any other sports updates and notifications, be sure to stay tuned to KSST 1230 AM or ksstradio.com.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Lady Cats Volleyball’s Tuesday Night Match With Quinlan Ford Cancelled
Coach Bailey Dorner reached out to KSST early Tuesday morning to give an update regarding their Tuesday, Aug. 24 match with Sulphur Springs.
Visiting Quinlan Ford has to cancel their game Tuesday night at Sulphur Springs due to the coronavirus.
The forfeit on the Lady Panthers’ part gives the Lady Cats volleyball team a win, increasing their overall record to 9-7.
This is the second forfeit for a team facing the Lady Cats volleyball team in the fall 2021 season due to the coronavirus; the first occurred on day two of the Garland Tournament on Aug. 14 when the first opponent on the day for the Lady Cats, Ranchview, also had to pull out of the tourney due to COVID-19.
With that, the Lady Cats now have an acting bye today and will shift their focus to Thursday’s Edgewood tournament.
The first match in the Edgewood tournament for Coach Dorner’s squad will be against Van at noon.
After that the Lady Cats volleyball team will be back on the court for their second match on the day at 2 P.M. when they play Caddo Mills.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Approved By FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.
The vaccine will also continue to be available under emergency use authorization for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals, the FDA announced Aug. 23, 2021,
“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
For Comirnaty, the biologics license application (BLA) builds on the extensive data and information previously submitted that supported the emergency use authorization (EUA), such as preclinical and clinical data and information, as well as details of the manufacturing process, vaccine testing results to ensure vaccine quality, and inspections of the sites where the vaccine is made. The FDA conducted its own analyses of the information in the BLA to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective and meets the FDA’s standards for approval, as is part of the standard process, according to the news release from FDA.
The safety of Comirnaty was evaluated in approximately 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo 16 years of age and older, and based on results from the clinical trial, the vaccine was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease. More than half of the clinical trial participants were followed for safety outcomes for at least four months after the second dose. Overall, approximately 12,000 recipients have been followed for at least 6 months.
The most commonly reported side effects by those clinical trial participants who received Comirnaty were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, and fever. The vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 and potentially serious outcomes including hospitalization and death, the FDA concluded.
Some say as the delta variant spreads, overwhelming some hospital systems, the FDA approval couldn’t come soon enough. Some have refrained from being vaccinated against COVID-19, citing lack of information and study into the side effects of the drug and lack of FDA approval. As of Monday, lack of approval is no longer a defense for the Pfizer product now being marketed as Comirnaty.
As of Aug. 23, 2021, a total of 2,914,188 COVID cases have been confirmed in Texas, including 4,809 new confirmed cases, 917 new probable cases and 29 new fatalities reported for Texas on Monday. Cumulatively, from March 2020 to Aug. 22, a totla of 54,023 deaths have been reported in Texas, according to Texas Department of State Health Services.
In Texas 28,332,965 doses of COVID vaccines had been administered as off 11:50 p.m. Sunday. A total of 16,096,758 people in Texas have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 13,370,501 Texans are fully vaccinated, according to Texas Health and Human Services.
In Hopkins County this month 100 residents have been lab confirmed to have COVID-19, 48 additional residents have been reported as probable cases of COVID, six people have died from the virus, 94 have recovered and 279 residents were reported to still actively have COVID-19 on Monday, Aug. 23. That makes 120 who have died, 2291 who have been lab-confirmed to have the virus since March 2020, another 1861 who’ve been reported as probable cases since last fall when the state began tracking these types of cases, and 3753 Hopkins County resident who recovered from the virus since March 2020.
A total of 22,829 does of COVID vaccine have been administered in Hopkins County since Dec. 14, 2020. In the last month, 1,452 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered, 428 the first week, 513 the second week and 511 last week. Overall, 13,030 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose of vaccine and 10,799 are reported to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Doses of all three types of COVID-19 can be found locally at various locations in town. CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital- Sulphur Springs currently offers a COVID vaccine clinic in the hospital lobby each Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. All three types of vaccine are available, the Pfizer FDA approved vaccine as well as the emergency use approved Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Appointments are not required, but a parent or guardian must accompany anyone 17 and younger eligible for the appropriate vaccine.
To find a vaccine provider nearby, go online to https://www.vaccines.gov/search/, call 1-800-232-0233, or contact your primary healthcare provider or preferred pharmacy. Search options on the include by all or specific types of shots, distance from your location and locations with available appointments.
To find a COVID-19 testing site, visit https://covidtest.tdem.texas.gov/, or contact your primary healthcare provider or preferred pharmacy.
Don’t Be Alarmed, City’s Warning Sirens Will Be Tested Today
City emergency officials plan to test the warning sirens throughout the city Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2021, during the noon hour, according to Sulphur Springs Police Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator Jason Ricketson.
This will only be a test, to ensure the warning devices are properly functioning should the city experience any emergency situation that requires immediate action, such as a tornado requiring people to take shelter. Tune into KSST 1230 AM for severe weather updates.
When Encountering A Rain Of Wooly Aphids
By Dr. Mario Villarino, Extension Agent, Ag./Natural Resources, Hopkins County, [email protected]
As we were walking away from the Hopkins County Courthouse earlier today after our Commissioner’s Court interpretation, we ran into a “rain” of woolly aphids just as we tried to get into our vehicle.
A common name for woolly alder aphid (Prociphilus tessellatus) is the maple blight aphid because of the dense, white, woolly masses it produces on the leaves and twigs of its primary host, silver maple (and occasionally red maple). The aphids on the trees are wingless, plump, gray, and concealed beneath their own dense, white, waxy strands. These feed on sap from the maple trees from the time of bud-break until late June. Then, winged adults, some with abdomens covered in white fluffy wax, are produced in the colonies. These winged migrants readily fly when disturbed and create the illusion of tiny masses of cotton floating through the air.
These aphids are leaving the maple trees and flying to alders, where they will establish new colonies on the secondary host. Woolly alder aphids require both alder and maple trees to complete their life cycle.
They are similar to true aphids, but have white waxy strands covering their pear-shaped bodies. The wax filaments make these aphids look fluffy and cottony, as if they are covered with wool. The wax also keeps predators away from these aphids and helps them move easily around plant hairs. In most cases, management is not necessary for the health of trees and shrubs, especially large mature plants.
Similar to other aphids, natural enemies (lacewings, lady beetles, hover flies and parasitic wasps) help keep woolly aphid numbers low. Woolly aphids are not affected by horticultural oils and soaps, like other aphids. This is because the waxy secretions of the woolly aphids and the distorted leaves do not allow the pesticide to enter the leaves. Contact pesticides, like permethrin, also do not work on woolly aphids for the same reason.
In cases where management is necessary to protect plants, systemic pesticides, like imidacloprid and dinotefuran, are the most effective against woolly aphids. However, imidacloprid and dinotefuran are very toxic to pollinators. Either avoid applying these insecticides to bee attractive plants or wait until the plants have finished blooming before treating them.
For more information about this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
Pine Forest Solar I & Hybrid I Granted Use Of 9 County Roads
Hopkins County Commissioners Court Monday morning approved a resolution granting Pine Forest Solar I LLC, and Pine Forest Hybrid I, LLC, permission to use 9 county roads during development and for improvements to the solar project planned in the area. Two Dike residents also spoke to the Commissioners Court Aug. 23, 2021, regarding the planned solar project in their neighborhood.
Pine Forest Roads
The Commissioners Court on July 26 tabled a resolution asking that the Pine Forest solar projects to be allowed to use county roads during construction and for improvements because the request did not have the specific roads that would be used. After removing it from the “table,” the Commissioners Court proceeded to officially consider the request
The developers for the project are considering considering expanding operations to add batteries, which would increase the investment up to a total potential of $252 million, explained County Judge Robert Newsom and Shannon McCall, President of Telios, the corporation overseeing the Pine Forest solar project.
“With the winter storm, the market is now increasing interest in storage. So, now we’ve added in the late spring, early summer the idea of a storage, which is an additional $150 million to the project. The investment is just wanting to ask the community, that you guys have given us the rights to use the road to build the solar. They just wanted to put in documents that we also are allowed rights use to install the storage as well,” said McCall.
That would increase the project’s overall total potential value to $252 million, McCall reported. His company last week emailed the Commissioners Court a proposal which included specific county roads the trucks hauling in equipment for construction and later improvements as needed for the solar power and energy storage project and improvements. This would give “access to, egress from, encroachments into, crossing of, and possibly upgrades to County roads, County owned rights-of-way, and County-held right-of-way easements” for the project.
The resolution gives PFSI and PFH1 and its successors and assigns, during the planning and construction phases of its Solar Power and Energy Storage Project and Improvements until the projects and improvements are completely abandoned, to use the county roads to: “(a) access and egress to and from the Solar Power and Energy Storage Project, (b) encroachment of the Solar Power and Energy Storage Project and Improvements into the right-of-way of said County roads, and (c) for overhead and underground crossings of said County roads with the Solar Power and Energy Storage Project and Improvements and with transmission lines connecting the Solar Power and Energy Storage Project and Improvements to the electrical grid power system.”
Roads to be used include Hopkins County Roads 2346, 2310, 2336, 2333, 3340, 3344, 3351, 3334 and 3342.
Citizens Comments
Two Dike residents addressed the Commissioners Court regarding the planned Dike solar project, during the citizens comments portion of the Aug. 23 meeting.
While the final design for Hopkins Energy LLC is not yet complete, Engie North America PR Kevin Phelan stated in an email to KSST earlier this month, the Dike solar project is expected to “include around 650,000 solar panels” and fewer than 100 acres out of the 1850 acres leased for the project are expected to require clearing,
Michele Barnes said during a March town hall meeting, Engie showed solar panels in a field of vegetation to attract butterflies. That, she said is misleading, because the Engie’s brochure distributed to Dike residents stated that only 10 percent of the project would have pollinator-friendly vegetation.
“That’s 185 acres. So what happens to the other nearly 17-hundred acres? Well, each land owner that was approached by Engie received an electrical packet that explains what they do with the undergrowth under the panels. They use Roundup®. So, 1,700 acres would have Roundup® applied to the ground to obstruct the leaves and natural plant life from growing around the panels to keep them growing and maintained. Where does that Roundup® go? Into the ground, affecting our underground water and due to hilly area of Dike, there will be nothing from stopping the Roundup® from flowing down south into our neighbor’s property, killing trees, vegetation and affecting the waterways which includes ponds that livestock drink from and creeks that will carry it further down south, affecting others outside the Dike area.
“The Roundup® you’re talking about going on there and running down stream, I use quite a bit around my house. Where I spray is where it kills it. It doesn’t kill everything. Mario, is that correct?” Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Price said, seeking affirmation from Extension Agent Mario Villarino, who specializes in natural resources and agriculture.
“The life of the product is a maximum of 7 days,” Villarino said.
“So, if you spray it, and then it rains, and there’s no vegetation, will it run off into other areas?” Barnes asked.
“No, it immobilizes. It doesn’t transfer,” Villarino said.
“Well, I would like to see the data on that then,” Barnes rejoined.
Barnes also during her comments to the Commissioners Court said she’d heard Engie was trying to “woo” Precinct 3 Commissioner Wade Bartley’s neighbor into allowing Engie build near his property for the solar project.
“If you truly believe these solar panels will not do any harm,” Barnes said. “I expect to see you live out the rest of your life right next to them and be safe.”
“I am all for solar, but in the right area,” Barnes said. “Hilly, rural communities is definitely the wrong place. Dike will continue to fight this forward until it’s dying breath because we want to save our rural heritage.”
She said she keeps presenting research and data that she’s found to the Commissioners Court frequently during their meetings to do with as they choose. She noted that Dike residents’ protest of the solar farm to be constructed in their community has garnered some national attention. The community has also established a nonprofit organization and created a website to “to inform other rural communities like ours what could happen to them and they can stop the impact before it starts. They can learn from our mistake of not being involved with our local government or get information for what their local government may be hiding.”
Bartley asked Barnes if she also shares the information she presents to the commissioners court with the the two school districts and hospital district which “did exactly the same thing we did in allowing abatements for that solar company.” He queried why she keeps picking on the commissioners court.
“We’re not picking on Commissioners Court. You have a stronger rule than the schools and the hospital district,” Barnes said.
Bartley pointed out that the school districts and hospital district have control over their own taxes and allowing abatements, not the Commissioners Court.
Barnes said she’s not talking about taxes. Agreeing to zone the Dike area as industrial will increase their property values, and that in turn increases their tax bills. Bartley, however, said the county has no control over appraisals, those he said are set by the appraisal district. Barnes further contends that if the county hadn’t agreed to allow the solar farm to be built, the area where their homes are located would not have been rezoned industrial. In that way, she said, she believes the court does have a say in appraisals.
“The only reason I come up here is because if the school board and hospital district were just as interested, they’d be up here meeting also. They are more like subsidiaries of what you guys do. That’s the way I feel,” Barnes concluded.
Glenn Hamlin, a County Road 3518 resident, said while Dike resident have been told there is no flooding in the area where Hopkins Energy LLC is planned, that’s not the case.
“I’ve lived on that road ever since I was in fourth grade. I’ve lived there enough years to know what floods and to know that there is too much flooding in that area for an industrial solar plant,” Hamlin said.
August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs has ONE mission: To Extend the Health Ministry of Jesus Christ.
By Holly Ragan, Senior Market Development, CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs, [email protected]
August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month
According to the CDC, breastfeeding has health benefits for both babies and mothers. Breast milk provides a baby with ideal nutrition and supports growth and development. Here are 5 great benefits of breastfeeding:
- Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for most babies: as the baby grows, the mother’s breast milk will change to meet her baby’s nutritional needs.
- Breastfeeding can help protect babies against some short- and long-term illnesses and diseases: breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, type I diabetes and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). They are also less likely to have ear infections and stomach bugs.
- Breast milk shares antibodies from the mother with her baby.
- Mothers can breastfeed anytime and anywhere.
- Breastfeeding can reduce the mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Would you like to learn more about breastfeeding your baby? Our hospital has a lactation consultant at your service for assistance, and we offer a FREE virtual breastfeeding class every month. Call 903.439.4091 for more information, or to sign up for a class.
Thank you for your patience!
Due to a sharp increase in Emergency Room visits as a result of the spike in COVID-19, please expect longer wait times than normal. Rest assured we are doing everything we can to provide high quality care in a timely manner. Thank you in advance for allowing us to provide for your healthcare needs, while extending grace to our staff.
COVID Vaccine Clinics
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs will host a COVID Vaccine Clinic every Friday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the main lobby of the hospital until further notice. The available vaccines include Moderna (2-doses, ages 18 and older), Pfizer (2-doses, ages 12 and older) and Johnson & Johnson (1-dose, ages 18 and older), Appointments not required, but parent/guardian must accompany anyone 17 and younger.
Carter BloodCare Blood Drive
The Carter BloodCare Bus will be parked in the front parking lot of our hospital in Sulphur Springs on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Our local blood supply is at an all-time low creating a serious supply issue.
To sign up to give blood, or for questions, please call Yeon Mi Kim at 903.438.4380 or call/text Carter BloodCare at 800.366.2834. All donors will receive a free t-shirt.
Sports Medicine
FREE Saturday Athletic Injury Clinic for student athletes of all ages is here! Saturday sports clinic will be held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., on August 21 through November 13. Athletes will get an exam and free x-ray to determine a plan of care to treat their injury. The location will be the CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Orthopedic Office at 103B Medical Circle in Sulphur Springs.
For more information about our Sports Medicine program, or Orthopedic services, please call our office at 903.885.6688.
Please help us preserve our masks for our healthcare providers, and BRING YOUR OWN MASK
With COVID cases rapidly increasing in our community, the hospital requires all visitors to wear a mask while in the facility. There is no entry into the hospital without a mask. Visitors may wear a cloth or medical mask. Thank you for your continued support of the safety of our patients and associates.
Hospital Bed Availability
While some hospitals are on divert due to a “critical COVID surge,” CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital continues to serve patients, and has available hospital beds, both for COVID and non-COVID diagnoses.
Hospital Visitation
Please note the following guidelines for hospital visitation:
- Visitors must acquire masks themselves prior to entering our facility; cloth masks are acceptable. Masks must cover both the nose and the mouth. Visitors must remain masked during their time in the hospital.
- Emergency Department entrance open 24/7
- Main Entrance open 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday
- Gift Shop open
- Visiting hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Types of Visitors:
- COVID receiving aerosol treatments: via tele-visitation only.
- COVID not receiving aerosol treatments: 1 Essential support person at a time – Essential support person will be given a visible wrist band
- COVID unit visitor must remain the same throughout stay
- ICU/ER: 1 Essential support person only
- All other patients may have 1 essential support person and 1 visitor (up to 2 persons in room at a time).
Outpatient Psychiatry Service Changes
Access Physicians Multispecialty Clinic of Sulphur Springs will no longer offer psychiatry services, effective September 1, 2021.
Psychiatry services will be available locally through Forefront Rush Medical Services, P.C. (“Forefront”).
Forefront’s services will be available at 105 Medical Plaza, Sulphur Springs at CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic. Any patient desiring to be seen by Forefront will need a referral from a provider practicing at CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic – Sulphur Springs. You may contact CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic at (903) 885-3181 about obtaining a referral.
We recommend that you find another specialist to take care of your psychiatric medical needs. If you do not know another specialist, you may contact the Texas Medical Board for resources.
If you wish to obtain copies of your medical records, please come by our office and complete a “Medical Records Release Form” to have your records released to you or to have your records sent to another provider. Our office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed for lunch from 12 to 1 p.m.). Please call ahead at 903-919-5034.
Hours of Operation
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Urgent Care – Sulphur Springs
The CHRISTUS Urgent Care hours of operation are as follows:
- In-Person Care Hours: Monday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Tuesday, closed; Wednesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, closed.
- Virtual Visit Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- To schedule a virtual visit, please visit urgentcare.christushealth.org, then select your location and click “Virtual Visit”
The Urgent Care is located at 1339 South Broadway St., and the phone number to call is 903.951.1001.
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System includes CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospitals – Tyler, South Tyler, Jacksonville, Winnsboro and Sulphur Springs; the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital – Tyler; CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital, a partner of Encompass Health; Tyler Continue CARE Hospital at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital, a long-term acute care facility; and CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic.
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic is the area’s preferred multi-specialty medical group, with more than 400 Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers representing 36 specialties in 34 locations serving Northeast Texas across 41 counties.
For more information on services available through CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, visit christustmf.org
- Bed count – 402 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler
- Bed count – 8 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – South Tyler
- Bed count – 25 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Jacksonville
- Bed Count – 96 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs
- Bed count – 25 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Winnsboro
- Bed count – 94 – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital
- Bed count – 96 – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart – Tyler
- Bed count – 51 – Tyler Continue CARE Hospital at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital
Hopkins County EMS Earns National Recognition For Efforts To Improve STEMI Treatment In Northeast Texas
The American Heart Association Presents Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award For Implementation Of Quality Care For Severe Heart Attack Patients
SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas — Hopkins County EMS has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks.
Each year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks – starting from when 9-1-1 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack patients takes coordination between the individual hospital, EMS and healthcare system.
“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, M.D., chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient.”
Program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for STEMI patients.
“Hopkins County EMS is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said Brent Smith, EMS Director. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”
About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for acute coronary syndrome patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org.
