Hospice of Texarkana is working to complete a $160,000 parking lot expansion project at its Inpatient Care Center. The added spaces were needed because the inpatient center is being heavily utilized by patients and families.
Forty-one parking spaces are being added to meet the needs of the community.
"Initially, we were trying to stay well within a manageable budget and price point for financing and construction. Due to the success of our Hospice Care Center and the reception by the community, our current parking has been maxed out," Cindy Marsh, Hospice of Texarkana executive director, said. "We needed to position ourselves for growth making this expansion a required action at this time."
"We are seeking grants and donations to defray the price tag. We needed additional parking because more people have learned about the Care Center and used it," she said.
The $5.5 million, freestanding hospice care center, which opened in June 2016, is a 12-bed facility offering specialized symptom management to seriously ill people of all ages who have turned their focus from cure to comfort.
"We are very excited with the fact that the need for an expanded parking lot shows that this new service for our community is being heavy utilized by patients and families facing a serious illness. This is exactly what we had envisioned during the many years it took us to fund raise, plan and build our inpatient hospice facility. This is where intensive hospice care is delivered and you have to drive 70 miles to access the closest other hospice facilities in our region," Marsh said.
Crews have completed 13 spaces on the north and west sides of the building, and the crew is working hard on dry days to add a long, horizontal lot on the east side.
She estimates the parking lot will be completed in a month or so depending on the weather.
"This should satisfy our needs for years," Marsh said.
Located at 2407 Galleria Oaks Drive in Texarkana, Texas, the center also houses the agency's Texas administrative offices. Since the Care Center opened, more than 500 patients have been served. With patients come visitors, volunteers and more staff who need parking. Another reason parking is being added is because the two conference rooms are used for staff and board meetings, along with support groups and other community group meetings.
Hospice of Texarkana was founded in 1985 with a $50,000 grant from The Junior League of Texarkana. The agency is licensed in Texas and Arkansas and is the community-based, nonprofit hospice and employs about 85 people. Profits are reinvested into facilities, programs and needed equipment.