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One of the oldest nursing programs in the area is keeping up to date by joining forces with the newest provider of emergency care, Golden Triangle Emergency Center.

Eursula Davis, coordinator of Lamar State College-Port Arthur’s Vocational Nursing (LVN) Program, and Shirley MacNeill, interim coordinator of the Upward Mobility (LVN-to-RN) Nursing Program, recently signed an affiliation agreement with the state-of-the-art freestanding emergency center located at 8035 Memorial Blvd., in Port Arthur, across U.S. 69 from Central Mall.

Owned and operated by Golden Triangle Emergency Physicians, a group of area emergency room doctors, GTEC calls itself “the new generation of emergency care.” It promises short wait times and the latest in equipment and technology, plus a full clinical laboratory.

It is another opportunity for nursing students to familiarize themselves with the latest health care trends and get hands-on training.

“We’re constantly updating our affiliations,” said Dr. Ben Stafford, Dean of Technical Programs for LSC-PA. “We place our nursing students in rotating assignments all over the Golden Triangle, so they can get a variety of experiences. Our nursing programs are going strong. Keeping up with the latest in patient care is part of that.”

The doctors group that operates GTEC is the same that provides emergency services for Beaumont’s Victory Medical Center. The Port Arthur opening has been in the works for a while.

“They’ve been trying to find the right location for four years,” said Angela Webb, GTEC Director of Emergency Services.

An Orange location, at 3107 Edgar Brown Dr., is expected to open early next year.

To find out more about nursing programs at Lamar State College-Port Arthur, contact the Allied Health Department at 409-984-6356. To apply to LSC-PA online, go to www.lamarpa.edu or call Admissions/Advising at 409-984-6186 or Financial Aid at 409-984-6203.