Upgrades to Houston’s first hospital will include addition of new urgent care facility plus enhanced patient rooms and ER services.

Houston (May 14, 2021) – St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) – founded in 1887 as the first hospital in Houston – is ready for its makeover. The 134-year-old facility has kicked off $92 million in renovations over the next two years, including the addition of a new urgent care facility, to continue serving the local community for generations to come, as it has through the Spanish Flu, Hurricane Harvey, and COVID-19 pandemic.

The first phase of the renovation —to be complete by the end of the year —will include new catheterization lab suites, updated interventional radiology rooms, a dedicated women’s imaging unit, and enhanced patient rooms, while the Emergency Department will also see a host of upgrades, including a new entrance, new separate behavioral health safe rooms, and a modified ambulance entrance to allow for better access. SJMC will also be adding an on-site- urgent care clinic staffed by primary care physicians to serve Houstonians who need care immediately, but who do not require a trip to the emergency room.

Meanwhile, the Mary J. Gibbs Women’s Building will be adding a women’s emergency room on the ground floor along with expansion of the triage area to better serve expectant mothers.

Future phases of the project, slated for completion by August 2023, will include a new pharmacy, blood lab, VIP Labor and Delivery suites, additional med surg beds and a new kitchen and dining area.

“St. Joseph Medical Center has built a treasured legacy in the Houston community, with our 1,500 frontline healthcare heroes serving more than 200,000 patients a year,” said Kim Bassett, president of St. Joseph Medical Center. “These upgrades are a reflection of our continued commitment to our neighbors as St. Joseph grows with them, invested personally and professionally in their long-term health.”

As part of the Steward Health Care family, SJMC is physician-owned and -led with a mission to provide the highest-quality care at a sustainable cost through personalized, ongoing medical services that positively impact patients’ physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.

“These renovations have been thoughtfully designed to empower St. Joseph physicians to provide the best possible care and enhance their patients’ experience,” said Sanjay Shetty, M.D., President of Steward North America. “As a physician-owned and -led network, Steward Health Care doctors are at the forefront of each hospital upgrade to ensure the enhancements are completed with both the provider and patient in mind. The plans for SJMC reflect a tremendous commitment by this hospital’s leadership to the local community, and we at Steward Health Care in turn promise the full strength of our global network to support making that vision a reality.”

The renovation project aims to streamline the structure of SJMC by reducing square footage for ease of navigation for both staff and patients. With the installation of cutting-edge diagnostic equipment, SJMC expects to be able to perform more innovative procedures and increase the overall capacity of its service lines, allowing it to support the expanding downtown community for generations to come.

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About St. Joseph Medical Center

St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC), in partnership with physician owners and part of Steward Health Care, is a full service, general acute care hospital located in downtown Houston. Celebrated as Houston’s first hospital, SJMC has been providing a wide range of health care services to greater Houston area residents for more than 130 years. With 1,500 employees and over 700 beds, SJMC’s services include a 24-hour Level III Trauma Center, behavioral medicine, cardiovascular surgery, three cancer centers, bariatric and general surgery, orthopedics, sports medicine, women’s center with a Level III Neonatal ICU and much more. SJMC has more than 500 physicians on its medical staff and has partnerships with several medical school residency programs. For information about SJMC’s programs and services, visit sjmctx.org.

About Steward Health Care

Steward Health Care’s physician-owned and -led business model was built to unlock access to the highest-quality care at a sustainable cost, committed to providing personalized, ongoing medical services that positively impact patients’ physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Founded in 2010 by Ralph de la Torre, M.D., Steward Health Care is the largest Hispanic-owned health care network with more than 5,500 providers and 43,000 health care professionals empowering the health and wellness journey of 12.3 million patients a year through its extensive global network of hospitals, urgent care centers, skilled nursing facilities and substantial behavioral health services.

Based in Dallas, Steward currently operates 39 hospitals around the world, including 34 across Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah, as well as five internationally within Malta and Colombia.

For more information, visit www.steward.org.