Georgetown Edition | June 2023

2023 HEALTH CARE EDITION

SENIOR POPULATION

EMS EFFORTS The Georgetown EMS department, one of the only cities in Williamson County with its own EMS eet, transports patients to hospitals in and around Georgetown. The department is expected to grow in the coming years in order to service the increased number of people in the region.

Georgetown has a senior community larger than most cities, which health care providers and rst responders are taking a closer look at to improve health outcomes.

Georgetown EMS

Services 140 square miles in Georgetown and portions of its extraterritorial jurisdiction

More than 2,600 responses to someone who had fallen in 2022

Percentage of population age 65+

Transported 7,138 patients in 2022

28.8%

Georgetown

Operates with ve full-time ambulances

Responded to 11,254 calls in 2022

10.1%

Cedar Park

SOURCES: GEORGETOWN EMS DEPARTMENTCOMMUNITY IMPACT

9.5%

Round Rock

9.3%

Austin

at certain causes, such as people who have devel- oped untreated glaucoma or cataracts, but a more common issue is a trend in prescription drugs for which the side eects outweigh the bene ts. “The reality is we’re starting now to look at the dierent medication that patients are on, espe- cially if they fall, to identify when they get out of the hospital how they can improve the safety in their home or [how] physicians can work with them to try to improve their quality of life as well as reduce the risk of them falling again,” he said. For the second straight year, Georgetown was the fastest-growing city in the country with a population above 50,000. Between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, the city grew 14.4% for an esti- mated 86,507 people. Williamson County has also seen a signi cant increase in recent years with an estimated population of 671,418 peo- ple as of July 1, 2022, compared to the county’s 456,144 residents a decade prior. While health care leaders agreed the services available are enough to meet the current demand, they are also paying close attention to the city’s increasing population. “There’s really not that much [missing],” Landry said. “We just need to make sure that we invest in the right areas to meet the needs of our growing community.”

“Where [patients] might have to get imaging services in the hospital previously, now they can get it on more of an outpatient basis,” he said. “There’s a lot of other things that we’ll be looking at and evaluating to make sure we meet the needs of the patient.” A new medical oce building on the St. David’s Georgetown campus is also in the works. Con- struction has not started, but St. David’s Health- Care CEO David Hustutler said the organization is “pretty far down the path on that development.” “That will enable us to bring some additional physicians on to the campus and some additional outpatient services—some oncology services, The new outpatient facilities and emergency services are part of an ongoing eort to meet all of Georgetown’s needs, which include care for a large senior population along with a growing number of young families moving into the area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 28% of the Georgetown population is age 65 and older, compared to the cities of Round Rock, Aus- tin and Cedar Park, none of which have a senior population greater than 10.1%. Taking a look at the Sun City corridor in Georgetown, Sullivan said 1 in 3 calls the EMS department responds to involves a person who has fallen. He said health leaders are starting to look speci cally,” he said. Patient population

7.7%

Leander

5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAUCOMMUNITY IMPACT

will include specialty services, such as orthopedics, heart and vascular, dermatology, gastroenterology, and general surgery. Furthermore, two more buildings—each 60,000 square feet—are planned for the 12-acre property. Anderson said the site has the potential to serve the city’s and region’s evolving needs, includ- ing services for women’s care and pediatrics. “It really has the opportunity to provide its own clinician ecosystem within the area to meet the evolving health care needs and really ll the gap that had been there historically so that we can treat both older adults but also really be the preferred place for young families,” he said. In mid-May, St. David’s announced it acquired 10 FastMed Urgent Care centers throughout Central Texas with the purpose of rebranding them as St. David’s CareNow Urgent Care facilities later this year. Of those, one clinic at 4506 Williams Drive, George- town, will oer care for nonemergency illnesses and injuries, such as sprains and strains, minor burns, coughs, sore throats and u-like symptoms. Kyle Landry, the CEO of St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, said the provider is working to put in place a cardiovascular imaging center outside of the hospital.

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

Celebrating 30 Years as Your Only Local Shutter Manufacturer

Come to us or we will come to you! Schedule a Free

In-Home Consultation. 512-931-0400

3415 Williams Drive, #140, Georgetown • www.SouthernShuttersAustin.com

GEORGETOWN EDITION • JUNE 2023