Down the road, the city of Hutto was recently labeled the 13th fastest-growing city in the nation, according to the U.S. Census, with a population of 42,661 in 2024. While several major hospital systems in the region service Hutto residents, the city has no facility equipped to handle life-threatening emergencies within its boundaries.
With an increase of residents and a growing business community between the two cities, health professionals, development leaders and city officials are working to bring additional health care services. The latest project is an expansion to the Baylor Scott & White hospital in Pflugerville, where the health system has invested $125 million to increase capacity.
Two-minute impact
The growth in Pflugerville’s and Hutto’s populations, coinciding with a rise in development and tech ventures flooding to the region, has spurred a greater demand for health care services.
While it’s only been six and a half years since Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Pflugerville—the only hospital in Pflugerville—opened in December 2018, the facility has already seen the need to expand services. In that time, the hospital has experienced a 112% increase in patient visits.
“With all the development going on to the east with Samsung and with Tesla to the south, we expect to see continued growth here,” said Tim Tarbell, vice president of operations at BS&W Pflugerville. “So we expect to grow right along with it.”
At the Baylor Scott & White Clinic-Hutto, patient visits have nearly doubled since 2021. To meet the demand, the clinic expanded its space to add more exam rooms, increase lobby size, and expand lab and nurse stations. This is the second expansion for the clinic, which opened in 2007.
In regard to emergency services, calls that Williamson County Emergency Medical Services received from the Hutto area went from 2,151 to 2,708 per year—an increase of about 26%—from 2021 to 2024.
Hutto Director of Economic Development Cheney Gamboa said the city’s increasing population has drawn the attention of health care providers and bringing a hospital to Hutto is “an active recruitment opportunity for us.”
“The nice thing about Hutto is, because of our growth and because of all the great things that we have going on, a lot of these companies already have their eye on us,” she said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Area hospitals have seen increased demand as patient visits have grown in recent years, including:
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Pflugerville, 2019-2025: 112% increase
- Ascension Seton Williamson, 2020-2024: 39% increase
- St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, 2020-2024: 32.7% increase
The expansion of the BS&W Pflugerville campus, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, will double the size of the hospital and will include a three-story medical office building, tripling the capacity of the clinic. It will also add 130 new positions to the facility.
To allow the hospital to make the most of its space, the expansion includes universal beds. These help the hospital convert space into the type of bed or room needed, based on the current demand. Other improvements, Tarbell said, include an expanded cardiology program and imaging services, more surgical capabilities, and a larger emergency room.
Tarbell said the hospital receives patients from throughout east Travis and Williamson counties, and anticipates the upgraded facility to provide further relief to care centers in the region.
“As we run our services, we expect to see more [patients] and kind of help [support] Round Rock, which has been a strong presence in the area and has really grown,” he said. “They’ve got some very, very well-run programs there that have really helped provide care for everybody to the east. So we’re here now to help support them as well as provide additional options for patients.”
Williamson County EMS Director John Gonzales also said he expects his ambulance crews to utilize the Pflugerville site more often with the addition of a catheterization lab to perform cardiac procedures.
Managing the impact
Beyond better health outcomes and more care options, increased health care facilities have an economic impact, said Jerry Jones, Pflugerville Community Development Corporation executive director.
In Texas, every dollar spent by a hospital generates $2 of additional economic impact to the community, according to the Texas Hospital Association. A February report from the American Hospital Association also shows that community hospitals purchased over $1.3 trillion in goods and services from other businesses in 2023.
Jones said projects such as the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Pflugerville increase daytime populations, which create more traffic for retail stores, restaurants and child care services.
“So we may not see a huge monetary gain with having hospitals in our community, but I can make an argument that we can indirectly see some job growth and we can indirectly see some sales tax growth,” Jones said. “More importantly, we can see a quality-of-life enhancement for our citizens, which is, in my opinion, just as important as any economic development growth that we would be able to see,” Jones said.
Zooming out
With several hospitals and other health care options in the region, officials believe adequate access to health care exists in Hutto.
Gonzales said Williamson County, compared to other areas of similar size, doesn’t rely on emergency services as often because of access to primary care and urgent care services, as well as a young population.
“So as the population of Hutto grows, yes the call volume has increased, but it’s not exponential,” he said. “It’s not like we’re behind.”
Local leaders are still eyeing what will be needed in the future, though. Gamboa said talks on how to attract a hospital to Hutto are ongoing.
What could help draw interest, Gamboa said, is a tract of Cottonwood Properties near Limmer Loop, owned by the Hutto Economic Development Corporation, that is earmarked for medical use.
What they’re saying
A licensed physical therapist assistant and Hutto ISD board trustee, Terrence Owens said he thinks Hutto will be “busting at the seams” in the next five years.
In addition to imaging facilities, he believes the city is lacking in health care specialists, such as orthopedists or neurologists, and said most residents have to travel to neighboring communities for targeted care.
Chantel Graham, who moved to Hutto three years ago, said she’s considering moving back to Round Rock if more health care options don’t become available before she retires.
“It’s going to have to be a place, if it’s not Round Rock, it’s going to have to be something similar,” she said. “Definitely health care and a hospital will be on my radar.”
Going forward
Even with the expansion to Pflugerville’s hospital to wrap up this year, the Baylor Scott & White administration will continue to evaluate the needs of the community, Tarbell said.
“Every year we’re looking at what is the biggest need and trends change; needs change,” he said. “But with the growth that we’ve seen just in the six years that we’ve been here, I think that’s a good indication of where we’re headed.”
In the meantime, Jones said he’ll continue recruiting new health services and hospital systems to the area by building relationships with area health care leaders.
“The population growth out here is really going to squeeze and almost require that there be an increase—a continued increase, rather—in that particular industry sector for us,” Jones said.
Jake Isbell, Hutto’s director of emergency management, said it’s important for people to have a medical plan for their families, and encourages becoming CPR certified.
“Take a look at how you would handle a medical emergency for your family or for yourself,” Isbell said. “Be prepared on knowing what your medications are, having that documented, and taking a look on how you utilize your medications in a go-bag situation. If you ever have to evacuate, how would you get new medication or bring that medication with you?”
Isbell recommends visiting www.texasready.gov so families can learn more about how to make a plan in the event of a medical emergency or natural disaster.
