Beginning as a small clinic in 1953, Baylor Grapevine is the third largest facility in the Baylor Health Care System.
The Hospital's Latest Addition Showcases Stunning Renovations
By Linden Wilson, Assistant Editor
In the early 1950s, Grapevine Clinic andbrHospital opened as a one-story clinic staffed by only two physicians whobrpledged to care for what was then a tiny North Texas community of roughly 2,000brpeople. Sixty years later, the area population has grown dramatically, and frombrits humble beginnings, the hospital has significantly transformed into abrpremiere regional medical center with nearly 900 doctors on its medical staff.
Inbrlate 2011, the hospital broke ground on a $90 million new patient tower,brcompleted last month. The latest project in an ongoing effort to accommodate abrrapidly expanding community, the four-story tower comprises a host ofbrremarkable additions, including 40 new beds (with space for an additional 68),bra new radiology services area, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), abrdedicated Cardiovascular Center and space for four new operating rooms and ninebrnew emergency department beds. These improvements and more will better enablebrthe hospital to continue serving Northeast Tarrant and Southern Denton countiesbrwith quality patient care.
A Community History
In 1953, Drs. Ed and Minnie Lee Lancasterbrfounded the hospital, now known as Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, as a simple six-bed facility. Theybrprovided patients with general care, low-risk surgeries, obstetrics and 24-hourbremergency services. The doctors quickly developed trusting relationships withbrthe patients, even opening their home for overnight stays if necessary. Inbr1981, after several decades of success and generations of growth, thebrLancasters' hospital — then at 55 beds — became a part of the esteemed BaylorbrHealth Care System and is currently its third largest facility.
“Thebrgrowth over the past 50 years has been pretty dramatic,” says Ron Jensen, D.O.,brthe hospital's vice president of medical affairs. “What was once truly abrmom-and-pop organization is now a very large regional referral center.” Thebrsubstantial increase in population throughout the area of North Texas thatbrincludes Grapevine and Southlake stemmed from people eager to take advantage ofbrthe wonderful lifestyles the cities have to offer.
“Alongbrthe way, our hospital has expanded services to meet the demand for the youngbrfamilies who are coming here, as well as the residents who have been here forbrmany years,” says Steve Newton, West Region president at Baylor Health CarebrSystem. “If you've watched Baylor Grapevine over these many years, you'llbrcertainly have noticed that our beginnings as a small clinic are rapidly beingbrovershadowed by the incredible facility expansion, new programs and new services.brFrom delivering babies to open heart surgery and everything in between, it'sbrvery important that members of this community know they can count on stayingbrlocal for all of their healthcare needs instead of having to travel to otherbrparts of North Texas.”
Thebrhospital currently offers advanced cardiovascular services, women's services,brdiagnostic imaging, neonatal intensive care and emergency care. Prior to thebraddition of the new patient tower, the hospital had more than 270 licensed beds,brwhich included a new 20-bed Oncology Unit that was added during the fiscal yearbrof 2011. During that year, 12,867 patients were admitted, 42,131 people visitedbrthe emergency room, 2,986 babies were delivered, and the hospital had 820brphysicians on its medical staff. According to Dr. Jensen, with growth in thebrarea continuing to rise steadily, it's common for the hospital to have 15 to 20brnew doctors join the medical staff each year.
Towering Success
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevinebris no stranger to expansion. The hospital has added many new buildings over thebryears, including a women's center in 1997, a therapy center in 1998, abrcardiovascular unit in 2009 and a breast cancer center in 2011. The hospitalbrhas been able to adapt outstandingly andbrrespond accordingly to the population swell by enhancing its services.brAccording to the 2012 census, Grapevine's population was more than 48,000brpeople, and Southlake's was almost 28,000 — add the number of people who livebrin neighboring areas like Westlake, Keller and Colleyville, plus those whobrchoose to travel from Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas, and it's easy to seebrwhy the hospital has chosen to dedicate time and money to meet demands.
After a Junebr6 grand opening celebration that allowed distinguished guests and chiefbrsupporters of the hospital to tour the new patient tower, its cardiac,brradiology and preadmission testing and access services areas opened June 10,brfollowed by the inpatient beds on June 22 and the NICU on June 25.
“Anbrinteresting dynamic in this area is that many of the population are young,braffluent, upwardly-mobile professionals who are starting families, and thebrwomen's services part of the expansion addresses what they need,” says Dr.brJensen, who adds the new NICU more than doubles the current space's footprint.brIt will also be very patient- and parent-friendly and provide a great workbrenvironment for all of the expert physicians on the hospital's medical staffbrand the nurses who care for the most fragile of patients. The brand newbrcardiovascular center boasts more than advanced capabilities — it also housesbrimprovements to the hospital's cath labs, which will allow physicians tobrdeliver care to patients having heart attacks or those who need to havebrcoronary arteries opened up. Moreover, it will allow patients to stay in thebrsame room rather than moving to different clinical areas as their levels ofbrcare change.
Aesthetically,brthe new patient tower's primary feature is a fresh, magnificently designed mainbrentrance that gives patients easy access to outpatient services and offersbrclear and convenient direction for them to get exactly where they need to be.
“It'sbrbeautiful,” Dr. Jensen says. “It's spacious, and it's in keeping with the themebrand style of Texas. When you walk in the front door, there are high ceilingsbrand a lot of stone and wood. It doesn't feel like a sterile hospitalbrenvironment — it feels like you are walking into a five-star hotel.” Part ofbrthe stunning hospital entrance includes a Wall of Honor, a pictorial hallway builtbrto celebrate the rich history, heritage and growth of local communities.
“We'vebrbeen very fortunate to have a variety of contributions, time, talent and alsobrmoney to support the creation of the new tower,” Newton says. “This wallbrfeatures the names of many individuals who have provided donations and folksbrwho have been a great part of the Baylor Grapevine story throughout the years.”
Baylor Gives Back
Baylor Health Care System makes it a topbrpriority to collaborate with local communities. In more than 100 years, it'sbrspent upwards of $300 million. Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine has collaborated with communities for more than 40 years, spearheading a number ofbrinitiatives, from working with area schools to develop healthy lifestyle plansbrfor students to supporting local nonprofits regarding their healthcarebrnecessities.
“Allbrof us at Baylor Grapevine recognize that we are an expression of ourbrcommunity's needs,” Newton says. “We want people to know that we are abrfull-service resource for everything, from helping to support their wellness tobrcaring for them when they're not well.” The hospital offers an annual men'sbrhealth day called “It's a Guy Thing,” a free event that provides healthbrscreenings, risk assessments and demonstrations. It has also sponsored a localbrlifestyle challenge where the prize is a grant to support healthier living. Additionally,brthe hospital works to educate the community about key issues like concussions,brjoint replacements and the importance of following up with primary care andbrscreenings for breast and prostate cancers. During the fiscal year of 2011,brBaylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine invested nearly $45 million inbrcommunity benefit.
“Webrreally enjoy providing financial assistance to communities to help people losebrweight, eat well and live healthy lifestyles,” Dr. Jensen says. “We try verybrhard to meet their medical needs and keep them from getting sick.”
Preparing for the Future
Baylor Health Care System was founded as abrChristian ministry of healing. Its mission statement to serve all peoplebrthrough exemplary healthcare, education, research and community service isbrclearly reflected in the way it cares for patients and gives back to others.brThe new patient tower, with its updated look, improved specialty facilities andbrnumerous new beds featuring superb amenities, is the most recent example of howbrthe hospital is evolving to best support the community.
“Asbrour towns grow over the next 15 to 20 years, we want to make sure that we havebrenough capacity to handle all healthcare needs, both today and in the future,”brNewton says. “We are now well-positioned to handle whatever the future has inbrstore in terms of growth.” The future will undoubtedly bring an influx ofbrpatients to the hospital's new tower, which will provide advanced services verybrclose to home.
“Thebr$90 million represents Baylor's financial commitment to a growing community,”brDr. Jensen adds. “It's a significant investment in difficult economic times forbrhospitals, and it really illustrates our promise to provide outstanding care tobrthe patients in our area.”
For more information regarding thebrservices at Baylor Grapevine, please visit Baylor Health-Grapevine or callbr1.800.4BAYLOR.
Physicians are membersbrof the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System's subsidiary communitybror affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of thosebrmedical centers, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine or Baylor HealthbrCare System.
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