Ten months after breaking ground on their $7 million satellite emergency department and diagnostic imaging center it appears Nacogdoches Medical Center is just a few days away from opening the facility at Hwy. 96 and Loop 500 in Center.

Chief Operating Officer Clay Farrell told me yesterday the hospital is tying up loose ends on construction and making sure all regulatory licenses are in place before the doors are open for business.

Farrell said there was an outside chance the facility could be operational next week, but was for certain by the end of the year.

The 10,000 sq. ft. building will house seven examination rooms, a lab, pharmacy and diagnostic imaging suite.

Shelby County has been without emergency medical services since July 2013 when Shelby Regional Medical Center closed its doors.