The Weatherford College board accepted a gift document from Medical City Healthcare to donate its Bridgeport hospital campus to the college Thursday afternoon. The hospital was built in 2008. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

A former hospital in Bridgeport may soon find new life as a training ground for Weatherford College students interested in pursuing healthcare careers.

On Thursday, the Weatherford College Board accepted a gift agreement for the former Doctor’s Hospital in Bridgeport from Medical City Healthcare. The $7 million donation, if finalized after a 90-day due diligence period, would be one of the largest the college has accepted.

“Weatherford College is greatly appreciative of this exceedingly generous gift,” Weatherford College President Tod Allen Farmer said in an email. “It will allow us to educate additional nurses and better meet the healthcare needs of the citizens of Wise County and beyond.”

The three-story, 100,000-square foot hospital sits on 16 acres near U.S. 380 in Bridgeport. It’s located at 1903 Doctor’s Hospital Drive.

To Weatherford College leaders, the hospital donation represents a unique opportunity to expand and enhance its health science programs.

“This could be transformative for our allied health programs, like our nursing program, allowing us to consider expansion of existing programs and to offer new programs that are in demand, which are approved by the state and our accrediting body,” said Brent Baker, Weatherford College’s vice president of institutional advancement. “It’s a great time to expand healthcare programs because of the nature of the workforce now. There are so many incredible careers in healthcare and not enough people to fill them. We feel like Weatherford college, with Medical City’s help, could be poised to meet those needs in our region for a long time.”

For Medical City Healthcare, the $7 million donation represents an investment in the future of the health field.

“This donation reflects Medical City Healthcare’s commitment to advancing the future of nursing and healthcare careers in North Texas and beyond, and our dedication to giving back and investing in the communities we serve,” said Allen Harrison, president of Medical City Healthcare, in a press release. “By supporting the next generation and growth of educational opportunities for healthcare careers, we’re helping to ensure that our communities have access to the skilled professionals needed for generations to come.”

During the due diligence period, the college will inspect the facility . At the end of that 90 day period, Baker said the college would then finalize the acceptance of the building and land.

Weatherford College has offered classes in Wise County for 25 years, expanding its presence after building its Weatherford College Wise County campus between Decatur and Bridgeport. The college recently announced a 16 percent enrollment jump in the spring, making Weatherford College the fastest growing college in North Texas. The potential healthcare learning hub would expand the relationship between the Wise County community and the college.

“The Wise County community showed its support when WCWC was built, and this is another step toward bolstering the local community,” Baker said.

Medical City Healthcare was using the building as a training facility. That use will continue in a more robust manner, with the college potentially using it to house several health science programs. The donation to Weatherford College comes as the healthcare industry faces workforce shortages. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis found that several fields in healthcare will face staffing shortfalls through 2037. The NCHWA analysis projected a 10 percent shortage of registered nurses nationally in 2027.

Medical City said the donation would benefit, students, families and the North Texas healthcare industry, expanding the college’s ability to educate students in a leading-edge environment to prepare “the next generation of healthcare leaders.”

The college currently offers several health science degree and certification pathways. The college offers bachelor’s degrees in nursing and in medical and health services management. It has associate degrees in nursing, cardiovascular and diagnostic medical sonography, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapy assistant, respiratory care, radiologic technology and veterinary technology. Certificate and workforce programs also operate in licensed vocational nursing (LVN), adult echocardiography, computed tomography, cardiovascular sonography, mammography, phlebotomy and others.

“We are profoundly grateful to Medical City Healthcare for this extraordinary gift,” Dr. Farmer in Medical City’s press release. “This facility will allow Weatherford College to elevate our health science programs to an entirely new level, providing our students with resources and opportunities to succeed while addressing a vital need in our community. It is a win for our students, our region and the future of healthcare in North Texas.”

History of the hospital

The hospital, which was operated under several names including North Texas Community Hospital, Wise Regional Bridgeport and the Doctor’s Hospital, originally opened in 2008 with 35 beds and space for expansion. The ambitious project quickly ran into financial trouble. The hospital defaulted on $59.1 million in bonded debt and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2012 — just four years after opening. The City of Bridgeport took a financial hit in the venture after taking out a $3 million line of credit to help the hospital. After NTCH defaulted on interest payments, the city issued a revenue bond from its water and sewer fund on an 18-year note that is still on the books today.

Wise Regional Hospital, which later became Wise Health System before being acquired by Medical City Healthcare in 2023, purchased the facility in March 2013. It was the lone bidder in federal bankruptcy court, offering $20 million — including a $1 million debtor-in-possession loan and $19 million for the hospital’s assets, according to Messenger archives.