Gisela Houseman Medical Campus

Project Summary

Project Overview

On January 30, 2024, NexCore Group and CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System unveiled the Gisela Houseman Medical Campus (GHMC)—a landmark development restoring essential healthcare access to Orange County, Texas. Situated on a 20-acre site at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Texas Highway 62, the new campus serves a community of over 80,000 residents who had gone seven years without local emergency services.

Phase 1 of the project centers on a 55,000-square-foot, two-story Medical Outpatient Building (MOB), designed to anchor the broader campus and deliver integrated, high-quality care. Of the total space, 37,000 SF is leased by CHRISTUS for an emergency hospital, outpatient and diagnostic services, and physician offices, while the remainder is occupied by independent providers offering both primary and specialty care.

NexCore led the development from site selection through completion—aligning community needs, stakeholder priorities, and health system strategy to deliver a scalable, sustainable solution that sets a new standard for regional access and resilience.

The Challenge

When Baptist Hospital Orange closed its doors in 2017, Orange County became the largest county in Texas without a hospital providing 24/7 emergency care. This created a healthcare desert where even routine services like diagnostic imaging, women’s wellness, or urgent care required a 20- to 30-mile drive to Beaumont or Port Arthur. Emergency situations meant dangerous delays, degraded outcomes, and a deepening strain on neighboring health systems.

CHRISTUS Southeast Texas, a trusted nonprofit with more than 120 years of regional service, saw the need—but developing a new campus required:

• Land acquisition and entitlement coordination
  
• Infrastructure investment and regulatory approvals
  
• Public-private financing mechanisms including tax abatements
  
• A capital-efficient facility design to attract physicians and support growth
  

The community lacked both the infrastructure and the capital mechanisms to move quickly—until NexCore stepped in.

NexCore’s Solution

NexCore orchestrated the entire development lifecycle, leveraging its full platform to bring the GHMC vision to life:

1. Site Strategy & Stakeholder Alignment

• Land Donation: Secured through partnership with The Houseman Companies
  
• Public Incentives: Coordinated tax abatements from city and county, and infrastructure support from the City of Orange
  
• Health System Alignment: Structured a facility and lease model tailored to CHRISTUS’s operational and financial goals
  

2. Designing for Community Impact

NexCore engaged SmithGroup and PhiloWilke to design a flexible, efficient facility with scalable care zones and distinct clinical identities. Construction was executed by Arch-Con with speed and precision.

The layout features:

• Ground-floor emergency hospital with 24/7 care
  
• Outpatient diagnostics, women’s services, and extended-stay observation
  
• Flexible office suites for CHRISTUS and community-based providers
  
• Patient-first features such as dedicated parking, smooth wayfinding, and future-ready expansion zones
  

This integrated model enhances both satisfaction and throughput—while ensuring long-term lease value and clinical performance.

Results

The GHMC MOB officially opened its physician offices in November 2023 and began full hospital operations on February 1, 2024—delivering a generational leap forward in access, safety, and economic vitality for the region.

Key Outcomes:

• Emergency Services Restored: 24/7 emergency care with two trauma assessment rooms, 10 exam rooms, and 4 extended-stay beds
  
• Advanced Imaging: MRI, CT, ultrasound, EKG, and digital radiography
  
• Dedicated Women’s Center: 3D mammography, breast ultrasound, bone density screening
  
• Integrated Provider Suites: Primary and specialty care co-located for patient continuity
  
• Economic Uplift: Job creation, increased healthcare spend, and renewed confidence in Orange County’s future
  

This development not only replaced what the community had lost—it reimagined what local care could look like.

Healthcare Reimagined for Southeast Texas

Through expert execution and community partnership, NexCore transformed a healthcare void into a regional healthcare anchor. The Gisela Houseman Medical Campus is now a symbol of access, innovation, and collaboration—setting a new precedent for healthcare development in underserved markets.