The Hospitals of Providence celebrated the grand opening of its newest emergency facility this week, cutting the ribbon on a 10,899-square-foot Gateway Emergency Room built to bring round-the-clock urgent care closer to homes on El Paso's east side. The facility, located at Gateway Blvd. W, Suite A, opens to the community next Tuesday, offering 24/7 emergency services for both adults and pediatric patients.
Eddie Rivas, CEO and CNO at The Hospitals of Providence, told KFOX14/CBS4 that the new emergency room promises to deliver very good care to the community. Rivas, who also serves as CEO of The Hospitals of Providence Emergency Room Gateway, Montwood, Northeast and Horizon City campuses, said the health system identified a need for better access on the east side of El Paso several years ago. According to the station's report, Rivas added that Gateway will offer advanced emergency services along with onsite imaging and laboratory capabilities meant to speed up diagnoses and treatment.
A Fourth Joint-Venture Facility in a Growing Network
Construction on the Gateway site began following a groundbreaking ceremony on September 18, 2025, and the facility opened in September 2026, according to Emerus. The Gateway location marks the fourth El Paso emergency facility built through a joint-venture partnership between The Hospitals of Providence and Emerus Holdings, a company that operates micro-hospitals nationally and previously worked with the health system on its Horizon City campus and its Montwood emergency facility, per the same source. With Gateway now open, the network includes 10 emergency room locations across the El Paso metro area, per the same account.
The Hospitals of Providence system is owned and operated by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corporation, which has served the community since 1902, according to The Hospitals of Providence. The new Gateway facility includes an additional triage room along with specialized physicians, nurses and staff, and features 10 beds — making it, per the hospital, the 10th emergency room location in the El Paso area.
Serving a Fast-Growing East El Paso Corridor
Gateway's opening builds on earlier investment in the same part of the city. To accommodate growing patient volume in East El Paso, The Hospitals of Providence completed a $20 million expansion at its nearby East Campus hospital in 2022, expanding capacity to 218 beds and featuring NICU, OB emergency triage and Level II Trauma facilities, according to The Hospitals of Providence.
That kind of investment tracks with regional population trends. El Paso County's population stood at an estimated 875,784 in 2024, with modest 1% growth since 2020, while state demographic projections indicate Texas will become a “super-aged” state by 2060, with over 21% of residents 65 or older, according to El Paso Innovation Hub. Together, those figures provide demographic context for the region.
How Standalone ERs Operate Under Texas Law
Freestanding emergency rooms like Gateway operate within a state regulatory framework. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 254 is part of that framework, according to the Texas Legislature.
Patients should also be aware that billing arrangements may vary by facility.
Quality Marks for Sister Facilities
The joint venture has existing neighborhood facilities in El Paso.
Meanwhile, private partnerships like Emerus and The Hospitals of Providence are expanding smaller, decentralized emergency access points across the city.
For now, East El Paso residents will have a new option close to home once Gateway Emergency Room opens its doors Tuesday, joining a network that Hospitals of Providence says has expanded access to emergency care closer to home across the region.
