Houston Methodist prepared to open state-of-the-art hospital in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Houston Methodist has served the Houston area for nearly a century, leading the industry in medical research and care.

On July 1, Houston Methodist will open its doors to The Woodlands residents.

The 470,000 square-foot facility, located at 17201 Interstate 45 S in The Woodlands, will be the eighth hospital in the Houston Methodist system and will house the latest and greatest health care technology.

The $328 million campus offers a full-service, acute and emergency care facility with many of the same services as the Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

Debbie Sukin, regional senior vice president and chief executive officer of Houston Methodist The Woodlands, said she is excited to expand.

“The Woodlands is expected to grow 11 percent over the next five years,” Sukin said. “Houston Methodist is eager to meet the growing health care needs of the area and we are proud to bring the Houston Methodist experience to Montgomery County and surrounding communities.

The team at Houston Methodist has been anticipating the opening of the hospital for months, maintaining the vision that the founders had nearly 100 years ago, Sukin said.

“It is our vision of unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation that really guides us here at Houston Methodist,” Sukin said.

“We are welcoming over 600 employees. We have brought on almost 90 percent of those 600 who are now working through orientation and going through simulations so when we open the doors of this hospital, we are ready.”

The interior of the hospital is flooded in natural light from the thousands of windows lining the walls.

A chapel, complete with stained glass and a prayer room, sits near the front entry and cafeteria.

The cafeteria is trying to revamp the meaning of “hospital food.”

Houston Methodist The Woodlands is partnering with Iron Chef Cat Cora to bring healthier and more enjoyable dining options to patients and their loved ones, including Greek cuisine such as hummus and pita bread.

The atmosphere in the hospital is welcoming and spacious thanks to the many comfortable lounges, all complete with cell phone charging stations, located throughout the six floors of the hospital.

The emergency room department sits opposite to the cafeteria and features several lounges and triage stations for future patients to get checked in.

Cindy Johnson is the ER Director at Houston Methodist The Woodlands.

“It will be a very fluid process here in the front,” Johnson said. “There’s a total of 28 beds in this rectangular shaped ER and we are going to try and immediately bed every patient that walks through those doors. We want to completely eliminate wait times here in our emergency care department.”

Along with the ER, Houston Methodist is revolutionizing its radiology department at The Woodlands location.

Margaret Blankenship, the facilities design and construction transition coordinator, introduced several pieces of diagnostic imaging equipment in the department.

“This is a state-of-the-art imaging department,” Blankenship said. “We have very quick and easy access to the ER, so patients who need x-rays or scans can get that done. We have two brand-new Siemens MRI machines and a CT scan machine that can scan your entire body in about 15 seconds.”

Prior to a tour given to the media on June 5, Sukin announced that Texans cornerback Jonathon Joseph will be attending the community-wide open house for the hospital on June 10.

For more information about the open house, click here.

Photos