The hospital is starting construction on a new 300,000 square foot tower this summer, which will increase the hospital’s bed total to 400.
“We’re really investing in higher acuity care services to be able to support the region’s growth,” Texas Health Plano President Fraser Hay said.
The cause
Collin County has gained 172,251 residents over the last five years, according to U.S. census data. Plano is growing more modestly—the city’s population has increased by 2,760 in that time.
But Texas Health Plano serves the whole region, Hay said, adding that the hospital receives around 500 transfer requests annually.
He added that the hospital has been operating over 90% capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The expansion will also support the region’s growing aging population as well. Plano’s median age has increased from 36.3 years old to 39.3 years old over the last five years.
“The older we get, the more health care services that we need,” Hay said. “Especially when it comes to strokes, heart attacks and trauma services. That’s really where we’ve been focusing our efforts.”
What else
Hay is anticipating the addition of around 150 full-time equivalent employees and about 25 additional specialists will need to be hired to support Texas Health Plano’s expansion.
One way the hospital is working to fill those positions is through a graduate medical education program, which will provide the hospital with 30 residents annually.
Texas Health also partners with local education entities, including Plano ISD and Collin College.
The hospital sponsors PISD’s health science academy, and Collin College students have accounted for more than 100,000 hours of clinical rotations at Texas Health over the last year.
What’s next
Hay said that the new tower is set to finish construction in 2028, opening the door to additional expansions.
“Until we get this extra capacity added that can create some extra elbow room for us to grow into, we don’t have anywhere else to grow,” he said. “Once we get the tower, we should have some space that will support our high acuity services.”
