Central Texas Medical Center Grows Along With the Community
adventist health system, central texas medical center, health care, san marcos,
Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos is undergoing a $35 million expansion, and it isn’t a moment too soon.
The 113-bed hospital’s new 64,000-square-foot addition will include a new cardiac telemetry inpatient nursing unit, expansion of the surgical suite, a new Childbirth Center and a Level II neonatal critical care unit.
“With nearly 1,200 births at the hospital last year alone [2007], it is clear we need to expand to meet the needs of our growing community,” says CTMC President and CEO Gary Jepson. “We’re thrilled that our Adventist Health System leaders saw the need and were willing to make this major investment in our hospital and community.”
The Childbirth Center will have all private rooms, a 22-bed obstetric unit, a seven-bed labor/delivery/recovery unit, a 15-bassinet nursery, a six-bassinet Level II NCCU and a specially designated cesarean-section room, all of which will be on the first floor. The second floor of the new addition will be a medical unit with 36 private beds and state-of-the-art cardiac monitoring capabilities.
The project is a milestone in an ongoing shift in the hospital’s role in the San Marcos community.
“We are the source for health care in the county, so the role we play is everything from childbirth and emergency care to surgery and all stages of life,” says Clay DeStefano, spokesman for the hospital.
Central Texas Medical Center specializes in emergency care, sexual assault assistance, rehabilitation and obstetrics.
DeStefano says that the last five to seven years have been about making the transition from a community hospital to a more full-service facility with more outpatient and off-site services.
Part of becoming a full-service hospital means offering a variety of services, such as home-health and hospice care, addiction treatment and a wellness center. These services fit into an idea called Creation Health shared by the entire Adventist Health System.
“The concept is that we are all able to create our own better health through making the right lifestyle choices, from what we eat to what we do,” DeStefano says. “We are not only treating you, but we are trying to help you help yourself.”
Central Texas Medical Center’s expansion is slated to be complete in early 2010.
Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by Jesse Knish
