SAN ANTONIO — Westover Hills and San Antonio’s northwest side are experiencing a health care boom with new hospitals in the works.
This week, Baptist Health System announced a 72-acre full-service medical campus in northwest San Antonio, in the Westover Hills neighborhood.
“Seventy-two acres gives us the ample opportunity to build the services that are commensurate with the needs of the community,” said Brady Phillips, Baptist Health System's chief strategy officer.
The site plans include an acute care hospital, medical office buildings, an ambulatory surgical care unit, subspecialty care, and medical and general retail.
The new Baptist hospital is part of a trend of growth in the health sector on San Antonio’s northwest side. It’s just a few miles from the 24-acre CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Westover Hills hospital.
Baptist Health System CEO Matthew Stone says they are trying to meet the growing needs of the area
“What we found is approximately 70% of patients that are admitted to hospitals in Bexar County from that area have to travel at least 13 to 20 miles for their care,” Stone said.
Meanwhile, off I-10 near 1604, Methodist Healthcare is working on resurrecting the old Forest Park Medical Center as Methodist Hospital Landmark. Methodist acquired the 150,000-square-foot facility, which closed in 2015.
They are still working on setting a date to reopen.
Phillips pointed out that all this growth in the health care sector ultimately leads to more growth in the community.
“When you’re developing a new campus, you’re not just taking care of the patients and the families that visit that hospital, but you’re also taking good care of the employees that work on that campus,” he said.
Since opening in 2009, the CHRISTUS Santa Rosa campus has gone from employing around 450 associates to nearly 900 employees and contractors. They are also planning an expansion with a new medical plaza building which will add more clinics, pediatric imaging and lab testing, as well as more room for specialists like orthopedics, ear, nose, throat and even a dedicated ophthalmologist.
Stone expects the new Baptist campus to employ nearly 2,000 people once it opens
“It’s a great thing for the health care workers that are in that area and those folks that will work in retail,” Stone said.