St. Joseph Health System Expands; Acquires Bellville General Hospital

We are pleased to announce the newest member of the St. Joseph Health System, Bellville St. Joseph Health Center.

Formerly known as Bellville General Hospital, St. Joseph now manages the operations for the 32-bed acute care hospital.  Bellville Hospital District will continue to lease the land and facility.

With the transition, Bellville St. Joseph will become a Catholic-sponsored hospital and operate according to Catholic healthcare values.  It will join the system’s 265-bed regional referral center, in Bryan, and three, 25-bed critical access hospitals in Caldwell, Madisonville and Navasota.

“As the leading healthcare system serving the Brazos Valley, St. Joseph Health System is excited about this new opportunity to serve the residents of Bellville.  We are honored by their choice of St. Joseph as a partner.  Although Healthcare is changing at a rapid pace, our commitment is to make certain residents in communities like Bellville maintain local access to high quality healthcare,” said Odette Bolano, RN, MHA, FACHE, President and CEO, St. Joseph Health System.

Bellville is one of the fastest growing communities in St. Joseph’s service area.  Additionally, Bellville is home to the only hospital in Austin County.

“As Bellville continues to grow, part of this process is to make sure we are addressing the changing healthcare needs of the community," said Bolano.  "Building partnerships in surrounding communities enables us to provide the right care locally, but when needed, offer convenient access to specialty care and higher acuity services available at St. Joseph Regional Health Center."

No jobs are expected to be lost with the operational change.  St. Joseph is working with Bellville team members to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

In late 2012, leaders from Bellville Hospital District and Bellville General Hospital approached Sylvania Franciscan Health (SFH) to discuss transitioning operations.  SFH is the health and human services ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, of Sylvania, Ohio, whom sponsor St. Joseph.

“Throughout this process, we have seen what a great relationship the Hospital District and BGH Board of Directors have,” said Bolano. “Their concern has been focused on supporting and growing local health services, which is what St. Joseph supports.”