Bay Area Regional Medical Center is expanding its footprint in Webster, just a few miles east of Friendswood.Bay Area Regional Medical Center to open The Women’s Center this fall


In September, the medical center will open The Women’s Center on the fifth floor of the hospital.


The center will contain an antepartum, postpartum, premature birth and caesarian section rooms as well as a neonatal intensive care unit. Construction began on the center in 2015, and once completed, the center will be licensed to hold 191 beds.


The center is estimated to cost $60 million, and Medistar Corp. was contracted as the developer. Additionally, $25 million worth of equipment will be funded by Medistar.


The population growth in southeast Houston and the Bay Area has made the center a necessity, said Bay Area Regional CEO Stephen Jones.


“The Houston Bay Area region is not only poised for extensive growth, it has been labeled as one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. We know the people in the Houston Bay Area region are looking for a new option for health care services,” Jones said.


With the new center, Bay Area Regional hopes to appeal to more members of the Bay Area community.  The birthing center will feature family-centric care with individualized team sizes to cater to each mother. The new obstetrics program will also include classes and education for families before and after a baby’s birth.


Another expansion in the works is an ambulatory center. While the project was announced in February, Medistar delayed the project to late 2017 as it focuses on completing The Women’s Center.


“We’ve put that on the back burner,”said Paul McCleary, vice president of business development at Medistar.


Bay Area Regional is also increasing the quality of services through accreditations. Bay Area Regional was the first hospital in Houston and only the fifth in Texas to be accredited for chest pain care with percutaneous coronary intervention and resuscitation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care when it received the designation in October.


The hospital’s bariatric surgical center was also nationally accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.


“Physicians are excited to have another choice to practice medicine,” Jones said.