Members of the Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce received an update Thursday, June 4, on plans to reopen the former Texas Emergency Hospital during the organization’s monthly membership luncheon.
The luncheon focused on community health, with representatives from four healthcare organizations discussing medical services available in the area and the importance of access to care. The featured presentation was given by Paul McCutcheon and Jeff Livingston of Cleveland General Hospital, who are leading efforts to reopen the facility that closed in May 2025.
Since the hospital’s closure, McCutcheon and Livingston have been working toward restoring hospital services to the Cleveland area. They told Chamber members that the projected reopening date is July 6.
The hospital plans to initially offer emergency room services, a cardiac catheterization laboratory, radiology services and MRI capabilities. McCutcheon said the facility will also have an interventional cardiologist, orthopedic surgery services and a fully staffed emergency department.
“We’re waiting to see what kind of demand we will have and then we’ll cater the city’s needs and the county needs to what will answer that demand,” McCutcheon said.
Livingston said the immediate focus is reopening the facility and establishing critical healthcare services for the community.
“Our priorities on day one are to stop the bleeding and open the airways. Our first goal is to get it open, get it started,” Livingston said.
He said residents should understand that the hospital will continue to grow its services over time.
“You’re not going to walk into a Methodist Hospital or Memorial Hermann hospital, but we are going to do what we do and we will do it well,” Livingston said. “We are bringing in a bunch of new diagnostic equipment. We’re going to offer things like biopsies and other things that haven’t been done here in a while. We’re rebuilding the surgery department.”
Livingston said the team is committed to rebuilding healthcare services in Cleveland and providing residents with quality care closer to home.
Other speakers during the luncheon included Dr. Nimi Keating of Calvary Medical Clinic, Maggie Estrada, CEO of Health Center of Southeast Texas, and Dr. Marlo Brawner of Cleveland Pediatric Clinic.
Keating, the daughter of longtime Cleveland physician Dr. Joseph Goins, spoke about the importance of preventive healthcare and annual wellness visits. She encouraged residents to stay current on screenings, vaccinations and routine checkups, noting that many serious health conditions can develop without obvious symptoms.
Estrada provided an overview of the Health Center of Southeast Texas and its mission of providing affordable healthcare services throughout the region. The federally qualified health center operates seven locations and a mobile unit, with an eighth location planned to open in Roman Forest later this year.
Brawner discussed children’s health and encouraged parents and grandparents to help children spend more time outdoors, remain physically active and develop healthy eating habits that can reduce the risk of chronic health problems later in life.
First Liberty Title was announced as the winner of the Storefront of the Quarter.
First, I would like to congratulate all of the individuals recognized for their contributions to the City of Cleveland. It takes dedicated leaders, volunteers, business owners, and citizens working together to move a community forward. Cleveland is fortunate to have many people who genuinely care about this community.
However, there is an issue that can no longer be ignored. The perception of an INCESTUOUS CULTURE within the Greater Cleveland Chamber continues to damage its credibility. By INCESTUOUS, I mean a system where the same small circle of individuals repeatedly promote, recognize, reward, and elevate one another while others are overlooked. Whether intentional or not, that perception exists, and it is growing.
V.G., the Chamber’s mission should be to serve the entire community—not to advance personal friendships. Yet the INCESTUOUS NATURE of these relationships is becoming increasingly difficult for citizens to ignore. When friends repeatedly promote friends, particularly individuals such as W.M., people begin to question whether decisions are being made for the good of Cleveland or for the benefit of an inner circle.
An INCESTUOUS organization eventually loses objectivity. Fresh ideas are shut out, new voices are ignored, and public trust erodes. The Chamber should be above even the appearance of this behavior. Cleveland deserves leadership that is transparent, fair, and focused on the community as a whole—not leadership that appears captive to an incestuous network of personal relationships.
The Chamber has an opportunity to address these concerns, restore confidence, and demonstrate that merit—not membership in an inner circle—determines who is recognized and promoted. Cleveland deserves nothing less.
Well, Queen Victoria is at it again. Another award, another recognition, another photo op for Wendy.
At this point, the pattern is impossible to miss.
Funny thing—yellow used to be my favorite color. But once you see it, you can’t unsee it. 💛👀
No, No, No, a public library is not a business. It is a civic, non-profit institution funded by the public for the public good.
How is this justified!! Will we see all of the city’s services recognized for the services they provide? Are they not equally as important as the library. In fact, this city couldn’t function without some of them!