East Texas Medical Center has started construction on a $9 million facility near Lake Palestine to provide state-of-the-art fitness and outpatient rehabilitation services, as well as a new and expanded physician clinic. Completion is expected soon. Want to be a member? Download a membership flyer. The ETMC Regional Healthcare System purchased the land, located at FM 344 and Highway 155 in Flint, several years ago to prepare for growth in southern Smith County, according to CEO/President Elmer G. Ellis. “The communities in the Lake Palestine area have really exploded in growth over the past several years, and this expansion will help us better serve the needs of East Texans and bring healthcare closer to home,” Ellis said. The 25,000 square foot healthcare facility features a striking contemporary design with a wall of glass extending three stories high.
Services included
ETMC Lake Palestine will include a physician clinic with extended-hour urgent care. ETMC First Physicians Dr. Gary Babbitt, Dr. C. Renee Bean and other physicians will practice at the new clinic. Dr. Babbitt has been serving area residents since 1991. Dr. Babbitt and Dr. Bean currently offer services in a temporary building on the site of the new facility. ETMC also plans to offer imaging services, such as a CT scan, digital mammography, X-ray and diagnostic testing. Other services will include physical therapy, cardiac rehab and possibly a sleep lab. The building is also expandable for future growth needs. “ETMC Lake Palestine will not only help people when they are sick but also encourage a healthy lifestyle with the addition of our fitness facility,” Ellis said. The two-story fitness facility will include a swimming pool for both free-style activities and rehabilitation, as well as modern exercise equipment, aerobics and other group exercise classes and a suspended indoor walking track that overlooks the fitness floor. | 
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