New surgical patient tower to address Tarrant County needs, expand hospital capacity
Texas Health Resources announced Wednesday, May 9, a $300-million expansion of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, a news release announced.
“With this new tower, we’re expanding our capacity for more complex procedures and advanced care, which lets people in Fort Worth and nearby communities stay close to home when they need care,” Texas Health CEO Barclay Berdan said in the release. “It’s about responding to the needs of the people we serve. This is an investment that will have a positive economic impact on the city but, more importantly, it will benefit the people in the communities we serve.”
The largest construction in Texas Health’s history, the expansion will feature a nine-story patient bed tower adding 144 patient beds, 15 surgical suites and new pre- and post-operative services areas, the release detailed. Additionally the project aims to modernize surgical services and help address the health care needs of Tarrant County residents and the surrounding communities.
Construction on the tower, to be located on the main Texas Health Fort Worth campus, is expected to start mid-2018 and be complete by late 2021.
HKS is the architect for the 300,000-square foot project.
“We’re doubling down on our commitment to the people of Fort Worth and throughout Tarrant County,” Wes Turner, chairman of the Texas Health Resources Board of Trustees, said in the release. “We’ve been a partner with the local community since our doors opened in 1930, and with this investment that relationship is going to continue for decades to come.”
Texas Health serves many growing cities in the Metroplex, not just Fort Worth, the release explained. In all, the hospital serves residents from 42 zip codes with a population of more than 1 million people across five counties.
The release explained that Texas Health leaders had emphasized the need for the new surgical patient tower as the Fort Worth facility is routinely at maximum capacity.
The new tower’s surgical suites are expected to increase the hospital’s daily surgical capacity by almost 30 percent, the release continued, adding that the new ORs will focus on advancing Texas Health’s trauma care, kidney transplant program, and its capabilities in neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery and surgical oncology.
“We’ve always been committed to providing compassionate, advanced care for the people we serve, and we proudly do that every day,” said Joseph DeLeon, president of Texas Health Fort Worth. “But the communities we serve have grown by almost 300,000 in the past 15 years, meaning we have to grow as well. We want to be able to provide care to anyone who comes to us in their time of need.”
The surgical patient tower will also include space for support services and two floors of shell space to accommodate future expansions to take place as needed. Additionally, parking will be added to the main campus parking lot to accommodate current and future needs.