Two hospitals, 4 miles apart on SH 114, are addressing heart health in Tarrant County, which has been a top two cause of death in the county.
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Grapevine is expanding its heart program to a new building, its seventh heart-specific location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The other Baylor Scott & White Heart Hospitals offer open-heart surgery, robotic heart surgery, bypass surgery and heart transplants.
Methodist Southlake Medical Center launched its heart attack program in February 2024, providing 24/7 care for emergency response, a cardiac catheterization lab and inpatient treatment, earning a national award 15 months later.
Keller resident James “Jim” Hunt had a heart attack in late 2025 and was taken by Southlake Emergency Medical Services to Methodist Southlake Medical Center.
“We got to the hospital, and it was amazing the number of people that were already there waiting for me,” Hunt said.
What's happening
The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association awarded a Gold Seal of Approval in 2025 to 24 Texas hospitals as primary heart attack centers, including Baylor Scott & White-Grapevine and Methodist Southlake Medical Center.
Dr. Anas Alomar of Methodist Southlake Medical Center said the time from ambulance arrival to clear a heart artery blockage is 57 minutes, below the national average of 90 minutes. He said the partnership between the city and the hospital is critical to the success.
Southlake EMS’ response time for heart attacks in fiscal year 2024-2025 was 14 minutes faster than the national average of 40 minutes, per city data.
In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the city of Southlake spent about $120,000 for 55 automated external defibrillators to replace and modernize existing units. Ongoing maintenance includes replacing batteries and electrode pads, as needed, said Pilar Schank, Southlake’s director of communications.
Southlake EMS response time
Fiscal year 2023-24
- Call volume: 2,349
- Median response time: 4 minutes and 4 seconds
- Response time 90th percentile: 7 minutes and 45 seconds
Fiscal year 2024-25
- Call volume: 2,589
- Median response time: 4 minutes and 7 seconds
- Response time 90th percentile: 7 minutes and 37 seconds
In other news
Baylor Scott & White has provided cardiovascular care in Grapevine since 2009, treating heart failure, arrhythmias and heart attacks.
Baylor Scott & White is moving forward with The Heart Hospital-Grapevine at 2040 W. SH 114. A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing shows the $10.8 million project will renovate a 16,216-square-foot space for an ambulatory surgery center.
“This is an expansion intended to advance the cardiovascular care that we offer on our Baylor Scott & White Medical Center–Grapevine campus,” a hospital official said in a statement.
Zooming in
Alomar said his job is to prevent heart attacks, focusing more on ways to reduce the chance of having to see him in the operating room. He said some risk factors for heart disease lie in DNA, but others can be addressed.
Residents 65 and older are 24 times more likely to die of heart disease than those 64 and younger, according to Tarrant County Public Health.
“We are very good about treatment, but we want to try to prevent things too,” Alomar said.
