Health care
BY KELLY SCHAFLER
Health Care Edition
2025
Welcome to the annual CI Health Care Edition! This guide highlights the rise of local applied behavioral analysis, or ABA, centers in the Katy and Fulshear areas. These facilities aim to provide support for children and families who are impacted by autism. The edition also covers Katy’s Adira Clinic, which provides assistance with unplanned pregnancies, and celebrates the 50th anniversary of Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Updates to hospitals and other health care providers round out this edition focused on the area’s medical accomplishments and challenges.
Premium sponsor:
Aubrey Vogel Editor avogel@ communityimpact.com
Houston Methodist West HoustonMethodist.org/West 832-522-1000
Leading medicine in West Houston, Katy and surrounding communities by delivering the Houston Methodist standard of unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation.
What's inside
See updates from 3 Katy area hospitals (Page 13)
Learn about your local Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center (Page 14)
Explore the growth of ABA centers treating autism (Page 16)
For relevant news and daily updates, subscribe to our free email newsletter!
2 Katy hospitals invest in emergency department expansions
Two Katy-area hospitals are undergoing emer- gency department expansions to meet the needs of the growing area, hospital officials said. The details Houston Methodist West Hospital officials announced in August a $185 million expansion at its campus that will include a new emergency room observation unit, more operating rooms, more ER space and neonatal intensive care beds. Additionally, Memorial Hermann Katy Hos- pital’s ER is being renovated as part of a larger $167 million expansion, which began in 2022. Contractors are working to renovate the existing ER and labor and delivery room spaces—some of the last pieces of the campus’ project, said Jerry Ashworth, senior vice president and CEO of the Memorial Hermann Katy and Cypress hospitals.
Zooming in Houston Methodist West Hospital also began working in early 2024 to reduce ER wait times for patients, accelerating time to receive treatment, said Kyle Stanzel, vice president and chief operat- ing officer for Houston Methodist West Hospital. In 2023, the median time between when a patient walked in the ER and met with a provider was 47 minutes. By focusing on internal process improvements, the median decreased to 22 minutes in 2024, hospital officials said. The big picture Meanwhile, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital will be in “active pursuit” of a Level II trauma designation on July 1, operating at that level over a roughly two-year period, Ashworth said. Looking ahead Houston Methodist West Hospital’s overall
Houston Methodist West Hospital Annual emergency room visits
80K
65,981
60K
58,818
55,801
40K
51,164
42,366
20K
0
2023
2020 2021 2022
2024
NOTE: MEMORIAL HERMANN KATY DID NOT PROVIDE DATA AHEAD OF PRESS TIME. SOURCE: HOUSTON METHODIST WEST/COMMUNITY IMPACT $185 million project will wrap up in late 2027, but some services such as the emergency department opening in late 2026, Stanzel said. Meanwhile, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital’s ER and labor and delivery room renovations are expected to be completed in early 2026, Ashworth said.
12
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook