Originally affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, the diocese had the responsibility of appointing the Longview hospital’s board. The hospital’s first expansion program was completed in 1951, raising the capacity of the facility to 80 beds. A second construction program completed in 1959 raised the capacity to 145 beds. In 1959 the center assumed the operations of Gregg Memorial Hospital from the Gregg County Commissioners Court.
In January 1972, a major construction program was completed in which the original 1935 hospital building was demolished and replaced with a four-story building containing modern equipment and constructed on a foundation capable of carrying three additional floors. The new building contained 255 beds. In 1976, the hospital became self-perpetuating when the diocese asked to be released from its obligations.
In 1981, the hospital became known as Good Shepherd Medical Center. Also in 1981, an 80-bed addition was completed which expanded the medical center’s capacity to 335 beds, used primarily for general medical and surgical services.
In 2002, the east tower was constructed, which included a new comprehensive heart center, a new day surgery suite, an expanded 40-bed emergency department, and new nursing units which include 76 monitored beds, three monitored VIP Shepherd Suites, and a 26-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility among the 135-bed private rooms. Good Shepherd has continued to enhance technology and respond to the growing health care needs of East Texas and opened the area’s first neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 2004. The NICU is able to provide specialized care for premature babies 26 weeks gestation and older and full-term babies born with special needs.