Houston Methodist plans new emergency center for Spring
Houston Methodist is planning to make emergency care more convenient for Spring residents.
The groundbreaking for the Houston Methodist Spring Emergency Care Center is slated for this fall with an opening expected in spring 2016. The $9.6 million facility will be located at 5303 FM 2920 in Spring.
Debra Sukin, regional senior vice-president for the hospital system and CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands, said administrators keep a close watch on population growth.
“One of our strategies is to expand the footprint of Houston Methodist and provide better access for emergency care where it’s needed,” Sukin said. “We’re always assessing where there’s a need. We’re focused on high-growth regions. Spring, north Harris County and all of Montgomery County are having significant population growth.”
The Spring location was an ideal place to set up shop.
“There are many master-planned communities which encircle that location,” she said. “There are many housing developments all around what we believe will be an important access point.”
Existing centers in the Houston area function in the same way as a full-service emergency rooms in a hospital — treating both life-threatening conditions as well as minor ones. The locations are easily accessible and offer free parking.
Sukin said Houston Methodist Spring Emergency Care Center will be approximately 9,600 square feet and house 10 exam rooms.
“Most significant is what we offer — digital radiology with low radiation doses, ultra-sounds, lab and pharmaceutical companies,” she said.
Sukin said that opening the emergency care center will allow the hospital system to better serve the Spring community.
“Where most people live, the access point to most traditional hospitals is more than 10 miles away,” she said. “We can provide care which is closer to home. We’re trying to make it the most convenient for patients.”
Sukin said that the center will follow a prototype for design used in the seven existing free-standing emergency care facilities.
“It provides consistency within our system around services and it also reduces our development and construction time,” she said.
Sukin said providing critical services close to home is key. “When someone comes to Houston Methodist, they have access to the latest board-certified specialist physicians, full comprehensive clinical programs and the latest research,” she said.
Rev. Reginald Lillie, who serves on the board of directors for Houston Methodist Willowbrook, said the system is responding to a high level of growth north of Houston.
“The central system is one of the premiere health care providers,” he said. “The hospital system seeks to deliver the same quality of service to all its community locations. You get the same concern, compassion and integrity and that’s what makes Methodist unique.”
Lillie said that, especially in the case of emergency care, being closer to a medical facility can make all the difference and minutes can save lives.
“Methodist wants to be there in those critical times,” he said. “So you’ll have peace of mind.”
Houston Methodist is comprised of an academic medical center in the Texas Medical Center and six community hospitals in the greater Houston area.