Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the tower expansion will increase the hospital’s overall capacity by 160 beds, but only 96 beds are online as of its opening Sept. 1
City and county officials, community members, and representatives from Ascension gathered Aug. 21 to celebrate the opening of an expansion to the health care system’s Williamson County hospital.
The expansion of Ascension Seton Williamson comes as the hospital system estimates the county to grow by 15% in the next five years.
About the project
Ascension first broke ground on the project in September 2024, and the patient tower took just under two years to build.
The 216,000 square-foot, six-story tower will allow staff to take on the increased demand for care, hospital President Andrew Gnann said.
The expanded tower added 96 additional beds to the hospital, and has capacity for up to 160 beds. This would bring the total number of beds at the hospital to 341.
The tower, which opens Sept. 1, also has:
- Two new operating rooms
- An additional MRI
- A new catheterization lab
- A new observation unit
- An expanded emergency room
Additionally, 33,000 square feet of the facility expansion is dedicated to outpatient wound care, cardiac rehab and pediatric rehab.
Previously, the hospital shared that the expansion would create hundreds of jobs for local health care workers.
What they’re saying
“When you think about the building that we’re in, it’s more than just a building,” Ascension CEO Eduardo Conrado said. “It’s created additional capacity ... but what I love is the thoughtfulness and what went into the design.”
Speakers also highlighted the history of the hospital, which is built on land donated by the Avery and Nelson families and largely funded by local philanthropy.
Jennifer Hayhurst, executive director of the Ascension Seton Williamson Foundation, presented a section of the existing hospital that was renovated to include the history of local families behind the hospital’s founding.
“It was their plan for a community that was anchored in higher education and healthcare, none of which existed 26 years ago in this community,” Hayhurst said. “At the time, Seton also had a vision. They wanted to expand healthcare to Williamson County because they didn’t have anything up here. So they came together.”
