Baylor expansion, Forest Park to open by summer

The $100.5 million expansion also adds nine rooms to the hospital's busy emergency department, which sees more than 45,000 patients a year; four new operating rooms; a new cath lab; and a dedicated ortho- pedic unit.

He said road construction through Grapevine kept emergency room volume flat this past year, but previous increases year over year have been in double digits.

The Grapevine hospital at 1650 W. College employs about 1,300 people. Newton said the number of additional employees needed to staff the expansion has not been determined.

The not-for-profit Baylor Health Care System has signed a letter of intent to merge with Scott & White Healthcare based in Temple. A definitive agreement is expected this year.

The combined systems would create the largest not-for-profit health care organization in Texas, with assets of $7.7 billion and 42 hospitals.

Forest Park Medical Center

The new, physician-owned Forest Park Medical Center Southlake is expected to start admitting patients around June 1, said Reed Williams of LandPlan Development, which is developing the project with the Neal Richards Group, both of Dallas.

The 141,000-square-foot, $80 million general and acute care specialty hospital will have 38 private rooms plus 10 VIP suites that will accommodate family members as well as patients.

It will have 12 state-of-the-art operating suites and a 400-space parking garage.

"I would say the goal is that it feel upscale, with the highest level of patient care, the highest level of service from the moment you walk on campus until the moment you leave," Williams said. "We want it to be a pleasant experience. So often when you go in a hospital, it's not relaxing."

He said a fountain at the entry and another in the lobby will greet patients and visitors at the center, 335 E. Hwy. 114.

The campus will expand on the 30-acre property as needed. Williams said it could eventually encompass 1 million square feet.

Construction will begin soon on a medical office building on the campus that will house about 25 physicians, Williams said.

Roughly 200 people are employed daily at the construction site, Williams said. The hospital is expected to create 250-300 full-time jobs for nurses, technicians, laboratory workers, environmental services, janitorial workers and others.

More than 100 physicians have signed on as investors, he said.

Forest Park chose Southlake, he said, because the 114 corridor is "just a tremendous growth area for the whole Metroplex, and we still have a community that's in need of additional care in the area."

Forest Park has hospitals in Dallas and Frisco, and others under development in Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio.

Affordable care

While the new hospital and Baylor expansion will help fill some needs, Northeast Tarrant County overall could use more affordable health care going forward, said Precinct 3 County Commissioner Gary Fickes, who called it a major concern.

Both the aging of baby boomers who are entering retirement now and the loss of jobs have left more people with less insurance or none at all, he said.

"Jobs have gone away that are not coming back," he said. "There are people who don't have insurance or who are vastly underinsured."

He noted that many people who were executives with health plans now are self-employed, so insurance is expensive or maybe out of reach.

In Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake and Westlake, getting hospitals into the area isn't a problem because of high incomes.

"The more affluent the area, the more likely they have some substantial insurance," he said.

Luring more services

In Colleyville, a city-commissioned survey shows area residents already have 530 physicians and 326 specialists to choose from within 10 miles of the city.

But Economic Development Director Marty Wieder said the city would like to attract more.

The survey by Catalyst indicates the 10-mile service area around Colleyville could support more cardiologists, gastroenterologists and allergy specialists.

The practices most likely to stay in business in the same area include plastic surgery and hematology/oncology.

The city also wants to attract service providers such as imaging centers or day surgery centers. Wieder said the portion of Colleyville along Precinct Line Road is a prime location for providers because of its proximity to four other cities: North Richland Hills, Hurst, Keller and Southlake.