We're Growing!

Expansion Planned for Methodist Willowbrook Hospital
The only hospital system in Houston to rank in the Top 100 Best Employers in the nation by FORTUNE^® magazine

Methodist Willowbrook Hospital is responding to the community's needs with plans for a large hospital expansion project. Once completed, the new hospital will be licensed for about 350 beds and expand health care services that align with Methodist in the Medical Center – heart surgery, stroke, cancer, urology – in addition to pediatrics. This expansion will be a significant contributor to economic growth to the northwest community, providing job opportunities in staffing of these additional services. Recent national recognition named Methodist the only hospital system in Houston in the Top 100 Best Employers (ranked No. 9 in the nation) by FORTUNE^® magazine.

Meeting the Demand
Andy Cochrane, CEO, outlines three reasons for the expansion: "First, we're finding that we don’t always have enough capacity to meet current needs. We have doctors who want to admit their patients here and we're not always able to accommodate them quickly because we don't have room.

"Second is the dramatic growth expected in this area. Over the next five to 10 years, 12% growth is predicted. Demand for inpatient, outpatient and emergency services has increased in the six years we've been here, and the continued growth will fuel an even greater need."

"Finally, people expect us to bring services to them here – in the northwest community – that they previously had to travel to the Texas Medical Center to receive. Patients prefer to stay in their own communities, with family and friends nearby."

Preview of What's to Come
Methodist Willowbrook Hospital expects to break ground for the new seven-story building in August and open its doors in the fall of 2009. Roughly 350,000 square feet will be added, and the entire project, including renovation of the existing building, will cost about $250 million.

"We'll be taking advantage of new construction to incorporate state-of-the-art design features for patient comfort and safety," Cochrane says. "When we opened this hospital six years ago, we asked the community what they wanted and then responded to their requests. Now we're asking again what patients and families, as well as physicians and staff members, want in a hospital." The new construction will incorporate research on how design elements can increase patient safety.

"The expansion of our campus will build on what we've already established and allow us to look for new ways to meet the growing needs of this community," Cochrane states.