 OakBend to Open Second Campus
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RICHMOND,
TX - December 7, 2007 - OakBend Medical Center’s Board of Directors
announced today the development of a second hospital campus on Hwy 59
at Williams Way. After many months of research, the board has
developed a strategy which will bring strength and longevity to OakBend
in its traditional market, while responding to the needs of newer
communities by offering convenience of access and greater visibility.
“This is a tale of two communities – we recognize that we have two
distinct populations to serve; those who have traditionally used
OakBend and new residents moving into Fort Bend County who require some
different services. Our mission is to serve the entire west Fort Bend
community and not just one area of it. This, together with the
tremendous growth we are experiencing in Fort Bend, is the reason for
the decision to expand to a second site in a new location,” said Joe
Freudenberger, Acting C.E.O.
OakBend
Medical Center has identified a 16-acre site, which will accommodate a
six-story hospital building with up to 240 beds and two 65,000 sq. ft.
professional office buildings. Physicians will be offered the
opportunity to invest in the office buildings, something they have been
interested in for some time. Initially, the new hospital will have
three floors with the option to add three more at the point in the
future when the community needs them.
Jeff
Council, President, Board of Directors said, “We are very excited about
this plan and while we have an aggressive time schedule, we believe it
is necessary to move rapidly if we are to continue to serve our
community and remain competitive. Our plan is to move our women’s
services to the new campus, which will free up much needed space in the
existing building for further development of OakBend’s ‘signature
services.’ The Board is truly energized about adding a second campus
and developing further the services at our location on Hwy 90A. The
existing hospital campus is absolutely essential to the strategic plan
for OakBend Medical Center and our mission to serve the residents of
west Fort Bend County.”
The
“signature services” at the existing OakBend campus that will be
further enhanced and expanded include: stroke, geriatrics, cancer,
heart, wound care and orthopedic services. OakBend Medical Center
already has a reputation for first-class care in these “signature
services” and will continue to develop the vision to become the
hospital of choice in Fort Bend County. OakBend has the only
accredited cancer program which was awarded with commendation, the
highest level trauma program, and the first and only accredited stroke
program in Fort Bend County.
The
new hospital campus will be designed to accommodate women’s services to
include labor & delivery, post-partum, Level II neonatal nursery
and gynecological surgery. Pediatrics will be brought to the new site
along with the introduction of bariatric services and plastic surgery.
The hospital will have all the traditional services of an acute care
hospital including: an emergency room, intensive care unit, operating
rooms, imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services. All patient rooms
will be private.
“Choice
is very important in health care today. Our patients and physicians
have told us that a facility on Hwy 59 is the choice they want us to
make. We know that many specialists work at more than one hospital.
By having our new campus situated in a locale which is convenient for
travel between different hospitals, we believe we will be able to
attract more physicians and patients to use our hospital. In addition,
this two-campus strategy will allow us to achieve some economies of
scale in staffing and other expenses. As a locally governed
organization, we intend to respond quickly to our physicians’ and
community’s needs which, going forward, will be the key to our
success,” commented Freudenberger.
For further information contact: Tracey J. Shaw
VP, Marketing & Development
281-238-7821