SOURCE: http://www.impactnewspaper.com/www/docs/121.334
by Mandy Hobby
Triad Hospitals, Inc. is partnering with Seton Family of Hospitals in a joint-venture to build a $105 million hospital with 151 beds catered to Cedar Park and Leander residents.
Cedar Park Regional Medical Center is expected to break ground in June and open February 2008, at the intersection of the new US 183A toll road and Whitestone Blvd.
“We have a commitment to the partners and to the community to take care of the needs today and in the future,” Charles Barnett, Seton president and CEO, said. “We recognize the tremendous growth in Williamson County, and we respond when the community asks us.”
The Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce met with three hospitals before driving to Plano to meet with Triad. Because of this determination to provide for the growing community’s healthcare needs, the partnership was made possible.
“This is a great day in the history of Cedar Park,” Mayor Bob Lemon said at the press conference announcing the partnership, Feb. 28. “The Cedar Park Chamber [of Commerce] took the initiative to go out and make it possible for this to happen.”
The Partnership
According to Lemon, the Chamber began working on this project three years ago, and after a year and a half turned it over to the city of Cedar Park.
Triad is known for partnering with other hospitals in order to fulfill healthcare demands in fast-growing areas. The for-profit Fortune 500 company partnered with Texas Health Resources in 2005 to open Presbyterian Hospital in Denton to better serve the Dallas area.
“We knew we would not go forward in Cedar Park without a partner,” Denny Shelton, Triad chairman and CEO, said. “A single [owned] hospital is not the best strategic thing to do because of growth.”
According to Cedar Park Regional Medical Center’s new CEO, Dr. David Klein, Triad joined with Seton because of its reputable name and quality healthcare. Seton Family of Hospitals currently has 20 locations in Central Texas. Klein considers it to be one of the leading providers of healthcare services in Central Texas.
Experienced Administration
“We want to maximize on the good things of both Seton and Triad,” Klein said about the partnership. “We both have a lot in common: we want to be involved in the community, put the patients first and also be physician advocates.”
Klein is moving from the Presbyterian Hospital in Denton to Cedar Park to head the new hospital. His support for physicians and administration is unique because he has been both a general surgeon and now an administrator.
“Without physicians, we would never be successful,” Klein said. “The physicians provide for the patients and we want to give them all they need to serve the patient.”
Putting the Patient First
Klein said that the new hospital is being built with the patient and family in mind, with the outpatient services and fast track emergency room in the front.
“This will be a comfortable place that patients will want to go,” Klein said. “The care we will provide will not just be for the patient, but also the family because of the time the family spends in the hospital, as well.”
Dr. Oliver Lou, chairman of the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce, is excited about the economic impact the new hospital will have on the major employers in the area.
“This hospital is a true testament to the saying, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Lou said. “They being doctors, nurses, staff and patients.”
Healthcare Boom
Scott & White University Medical Campus will also be opening in 2007 and Seton Williamson in 2008. Both will be located off IH 35 on University Blvd. in Round Rock.
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, as well as other St. David’s affiliates, recently received new Chest Pain Centers and an accreditation from the Chest Pain Society. They now have new testing equipment for heart patients, allowing for faster testing for heart blockages during a heart attack.