The groundbreaking for the upcoming Memorial Hermann hospital in Cypress took place Jan. 22. The first phase is expected to be complete early 2016.[/caption]

Members of the Cypress community celebrated with Memorial Hermann officials at the groundbreaking for a new hospital and Convenient Care Center Jan. 22. The $168 million project will be located on a 32-acre site at the northeast corner of Hwy. 290 and the Grand Parkway, between Mueschke and Mason roads.

The development is a part of Memorial Hermann's initiative—Breaking New Ground—designed to bring healthcare to the areas around Greater Houston where growth is most pronounced.

"For a long time we've been wanting to become a part of the Cypress community," said Memorial's President and CEO Dan Wolterman. "We watched the growth and watched this community just build itself. Now the time is finally here."

The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase, scheduled to be complete early 2016, includes the construction of a 40,000-sqaure-foot Convenient Care Center and a 6-story, 125,000-sqaure-foot medical office building. The Convenient Care Center will be designed to make it easy for patients to schedule appointments and get in, said Scott Barbe, the CEO of the Cypress campus.

"It's going to be state-of-the-art and provide all the services patients need to be able to access health care close to home," he said. "It's going to be a major plus in terms of access to the 24-hour emergency room, medical group, MD Andersen Breast Cancer Center, imaging center and sports medicine and rehabilitation. That's all just a year away."

The second phase includes the 80-bed acute care hospital that anchors the project, which has the potential to be expanded to 128 beds in the future. The hospital will house eight operating rooms, a 16-bed intensive care unit, a neonatal intensive care unit and a cardiac catheterization lab. It is expected to be complete in the spring of 2017, Barbe said.

Barbe, who previously served as CEO at Memorial Hermann's hospital in Katy, said he has a good understanding of what it is going to take to get started with the Cypress campus.

"We knew it was a good market," he said. "We have customers in the system out here, but we just need to bring the facilities closer to home. Everyone has been very receptive, welcoming and encouraging."

The 32-acre site provides room for growth, Wolterman said. Future plans also include the construction of a Life Flight helipad and the possibility of more medical office buildings and patient bed towers.

"We are very bullish that we are going to use all 32 acres very quickly just because of the tremendous growth our here," Wolterman said. "This will become a major center for the Memorial Hermann system. It will be a high priority. We're going to put our best team on it and bring our best physicians. We want to earn the trust of this community. We think we will."