St. David’s HealthCare has acquired 52 acres of land in Leander to build a freestanding emergency department by 2017 and a future full-service hospital, St. David’s announced May 12.

The facility will be built on 52 acres of land on San Gabriel Parkway between US 183 and Toll 183A, contingent upon finalizing agreements with the city of Leander, according to St. David’s.

The health care agency is investing an initial $20 million for the facility, which will be constructed in

Courtesy St. David's HealthCare David Huffstutler, president and chief executive officer of St. David’s HealthCare, will lead St. David's in building new facilities in Leander.[/caption]

phases—beginning with the freestanding emergency department.

“We’re initiating this project in response to the rapid growth in the area, and we’ll develop it in phases as the area continues to grow,” said David Huffstutler, president and CEO of St. David’s HealthCare, in a news release.

The 11,200-square-foot freestanding emergency department will offer 10-12 rooms and will have testing capabilities including radiological services and a medical lab. The facility will be staffed by St. David’s-affiliated, board-certified emergency medicine physicians as well as nurses trained in trauma care.

“We look forward to partnering with the Leander community to ultimately bring them a full-service hospital,” Huffstutler said. “This investment is consistent with our strategy to provide accessible care to the growing Central Texas community, and with it, we are growing our Central Texas health care network so that it extends from south of the [Colorado] River up north to Georgetown, and east to west, from Bastrop to Leander.”

During the first year of operation of the freestanding emergency department, St. David’s plans to hire 25 employees, which includes nurses as well as imaging, lab, registration and support personnel. After the future hospital is built, St. David’s plans to hire more than 200 people.

Other plans for the site also include at least one medical office building. The future hospital could include 80 beds with additional capacity “as the community grows,” according to St. David’s.

St. David’s is one of the largest health systems in Texas and has more than 110 sites throughout Central Texas, according to St. David’s. The health care system comprises a partnership between hospital management company HCA and two nonprofits—St. David’s Foundation and Georgetown Health Foundation.

Editor's note: This story was updated May 12 at 4:45 p.m. to include details about the location of St. David's' land acquisition.