Local doctors and county leaders press CHRISTUS Spohn to reverse plan to phase out emergency medicine residency

The Nueces County Commissioners Court heard hours of testimony from physicians, faculty and community members urging CHRISTUS Spohn to reverse a decision to phase out its emergency medicine residency program by June 2026.

CHRISTUS Spohn representatives told the court the system plans to wind down the residency and cited national changes in residency supply and program funding; the hospital system said it will keep other graduate medical education and nurse-residency programs intact. ‘‘The decision to phase out the emergency medicine residency program at CHRISTUS Health System by June 2026’’ was announced to the court, a representative said, and the system offered commitments to maintain emergency-department staffing while the teaching program winds down.

Physician speakers — including John Herrick, an associate program director and core faculty member for the residency — told the court the program currently includes about 36 residents and roughly 15–16 faculty and that it has staffed Shoreline Hospital’s emergency department, intensive care units and trauma response since its first class in 2007. Herrick warned that foregoing a new class this year would create staffing gaps starting July 1 and could jeopardize trauma accreditation and surge capacity. ‘‘When we’re gone, Shoreline is most likely to be staffed by replacements, that will fly in and out,’’ he said.

Other medical leaders and clinicians described direct patient-care consequences: shorter wait times since the residency moved to Shoreline, critical ICU and trauma coverage provided by residents during hurricanes and the COVID pandemic, and a pipeline that supplies physicians to rural hospitals across South Texas. Hospital-based physicians and community advocates said the program also supports local retention: speakers said many graduates remain in the region, helping staffing in Kingsville, Alice, Beeville and other smaller towns.

CHRISTUS Spohn’s representative told the court the decision was difficult and rooted in long-term financial and workforce planning; he cited national workforce studies and said the system is committed to maintaining emergency-department services while redirecting resources to other local programs. He also described the health system’s capital investments in the coastal bend and said CHRISTUS remains committed to quality care.

Court members responded by forming a working group to explore options and asked physician representatives to provide two names to participate. The judge said the group should include two CHRISTUS representatives, two hospital-district board members, two commissioners, a community advocate (Karen Urban had agreed) and two physician seats to ‘‘come together and talk in good faith.’’ Court members acknowledged they may not have direct authority to compel the hospital but said they would use the court’s influence with donors, the hospital district and other partners to seek a solution and requested quick follow-up.

No formal vote or binding order altering the hospital’s plan was taken during the session. The court adjourned at 5:08 p.m. after a motion to recess.

What’s next: Commissioners asked physicians to submit two names for the working group and said they would convene the group quickly to explore funding, recruitment incentives and other remedies before the residency’s next recruiting and accreditation deadlines.