Looking for Quality Care Close to Home?
Collingsworth General Hospital is health care you can trust.
*Determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health and presented by the National Rural Health Association.
Learn about some of the many services we offer at Collingsworth General to care for our community
The Emergency Department at Collingsworth General is designated by the State of Texas as a Level IV Trauma Center. Open 24-hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year, the department is staffed by highly-qualified medical providers and allied staff trained to deliver medical care at all levels.
The Physical Therapy Department at Collingsworth General Hospital (CGH) is staffed by two full-time physical therapists, both with doctorates in physical medicine, and a physical therapy assistant.
The Collingsworth General Hospital Radiology Department uses many imaging technologies. CGH offers a full range of diagnostic radiology services – general x-ray, portable X-ray and CT scanning are available in an inpatient and outpatient basis. MRI and Ultrasound are scheduled on a weekly basis.
The Swing Bed Program at CGH is for Medicare patients discharged from Collingsworth or any other hospital following an acute illness, injury or surgery, who still need time and physical therapy to heal and strengthen before going home.
Collingsworth General is a Critical Access hospital located in Wellington, Texas, approximately 100 miles and 2 hours southeast of Amarillo, Texas, and 167 miles and 3 hours northeast of Lubbock, Texas. In 2017, the National Rural Health Association identified Collingsworth General one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. for patient satisfaction. The hospital is licensed for 13 inpatient acute care beds, all of which may be used as “swing beds” or skilled nursing beds. Further, it maintains a Level IV Trauma Center designation, providing emergency services for the residents of Collingsworth and surrounding counties 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Through the hospital’s affiliation with Avera eCare, the services of local providers are complemented by those of board certified emergency room physicians and critical care nurses immediately available through telemedicine at the touch of a button. In addition, area residents can obtain a wide range of outpatient services at the hospital minimizing the need to travel long distances for health care. These services include: physical therapy, general radiology, CT imaging, mobile MRI services, laboratory services and nutrition counseling. The hospital also operates Collingsworth Family Medicine, a nationally designated Rural Health Clinic. Combined the hospital and clinic are staffed by almost 80 highly qualified clinical and support personnel who call the Wellington area home, and treat patients like family.
Partnership with Preferred Forged in 2004
Throughout its history, ownership of Collingsworth General has changed to reflect the needs and demands of the ever changing healthcare environment.
Established by an individual physician in the 1930’s, the complexity of hospital operations resulted in the transfer of ownership to the Community of Sisters in 1938. The Sisters operated the facility for the next 34 years, adding services and completing two hospital expansion projects.
With the support of the community, the Collingsworth County Hospital District (CCHD) assumed responsibility for the hospital in 1972, successfully guiding hospital operations for another 32 years. The community has always supported the need for a locally based hospital, and when the CCHD fell on hard times, the community stepped forward and raised $260,000 in less than two months to keep the hospital open.
In 2004, faced with significant turnover among administration and the medical staff, and declines in utilization and financial performance, the CCHD reached out to Preferred Management Corporation (Preferred) to help restore staffing and financial stability. The successful partnership between Preferred Hospital Leasing Inc., and the CCHD has created a strong, viable organization responsive to the changing healthcare landscape.
New Hospital and Clinic Buildings Reflect Community Commitment to Local Healthcare
The original structure housing Collingsworth General was a 2-story house. A new hospital was constructed by its founding physician – Dr. E.W. Jones – in 1935. The first set of triplets was born in Collingsworth County on November 6, 1941, and around 1945 the first X-ray machine was installed in the hospital.
Building expansions were completed in 1951 and 1963 by the Community of Sisters. This included several semi-private patient rooms, a nursery and a new surgery suite that gained the approval of the American College of Surgeons.
In 2008, recognizing the deficiencies of the 50-plus year old buildings, the CCHD secured approval of county voters for a $6.245 million bond issue to construct a 11,857 square foot addition to the hospital. The addition provided accessible inpatient facilities for acute care and skilled nursing patients and allowed for the provision of state-of-the-art emergency services. Funds were also used to construct a new Collingsworth Family Medicine clinic building.
Throughout the years in the different facilities that housed the hospital, one thing has remained constant for Collingsworth General Hospital: the medical providers and hospital staff dedicated to the delivery of high quality healthcare close to home.
Collingsworth Family Medicine is housed in a new 6,891 sq. ft. facility that opened in January 2010 as part of a multi-million dollar hospital expansion project. It has been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and designed with the patient in mind. The clinic is staffed with medical providers who are devoted to keeping the whole family healthy.
Meet our Hospital Leadership
A native of Wellington, Candy Powell was named administrator of Collingsworth General in 2006. She joined the hospital in 1993 as the director of radiology and by 1996 also assumed responsibility of the operations of the radiology and laboratory, housekeeping, maintenance and central supply departments. In September 2001 she was promoted to Assistant Administrator of the hospital and in 2006 became Administrator.
Candy graduated from Wellington High School in 1987. She received her associate degree in radiology from Amarillo College, Amarillo, Texas, in 1989, and completed her training at Northwest Texas Hospital. She began her career in healthcare as an X-ray technician at Elk City Community Hospital, Elk City, Oklahoma.
Candy has a strong commitment to Collingsworth General Hospital and the community because she loves working in her hometown and taking care of her friends and neighbors. Powell is married to Jeff Powell and has three children, Mason, Keedon and Brecklyn.
Vikki Barton, RN, joined the nursing staff of Collingsworth General in 1998 as a licensed vocational nurse. While working at the hospital, she returned to school to earn her advanced nursing degree, and was promoted to the position of registered nurse in 2005. She assumed her current position as Chief Nursing Officer in 2011.
Collingsworth General Hospital is health care you can trust.
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