Boerne News

Boerne, Texas—January 10, 2006—Methodist Healthcare leaders broke ground today for the new Methodist Boerne Medical Center, near the intersection of US. Highway 46 and the IH-10 west access road.

“This is like a homecoming for Methodist Healthcare; we know that nearly sixty percent of Kendall county residents and the vast majority of Bandera county residents choose a Methodist hospital when they need health care. I am happy to say that we are now bringing our quality of health care closer to this community” stated John Hornbeak, President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare.

City leaders in Boerne are very supportive of the expansion of much needed community services and are welcoming Methodist with open arms. “We are excited to learn about the latest plans that Methodist Healthcare has for Boerne and the Hill Country. We are always pleased to see enhancements to the health care resources for people in our community,” said Boerne Mayor Pat Heath.

Other participants in the groundbreaking event were: Boerne Mayor Pat Heath; Joel N. Martínez, resident bishop of the San Antonio area for the United Methodist Church Southwest Conference and Rio Grande Conference; Boerne Chamber of Commerce President Paula White and Francis Sapienza, chief development officer for Cambridge Health Development Corporation.

Community organizations were invited to participate through contributing an item significant to the life and times in Boerne, 2006, to a time capsule which will be built into the new structure for opening at a future time. Over thirty items were collected, including: a current City of Boerne financial report; a current list of home prices in Boerne, contributed by Caldwell Banker Realtors/Emily Swope and a proclamation to Methodist Healthcare from the Kendall County officials.

The multi-phased project will begin with phase one which includes the construction of a 69,000 square foot medical office building that will contain an expanded Boerne Imaging Center, a planned highly specialized emergency services center, and physician specialty practices including Oncology, Internal Medicine, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and several others. The medical office building will provide Boerne residents with access to more medical services, services that will complement those that currently exist in the community. The approximate cost of phase one is $11 million dollars.

Subsequent phases may include outpatient surgery services, additional physician offices, and a planned 50 to 100 bed hospital, based on community need.

The ground breaking came after two years of research and planning. Geoffrey Crabtree, senior vice president for Methodist Healthcare, said he has letters of intent from enough tenants to fill more than 50 percent of the medical office building, representing a mix of specialties in addition to imaging, such as maxillofacial, oncology and internal medicine.

Companies and physicians interested in leasing details for the Methodist Boerne Medical Center should call Cambridge Health Development Corporation at (210) 614-4488. Methodist Healthcare is San Antonio’s largest and most preferred health care provider with facilities including seven acute care hospitals: Methodist Childrenrsquo;s Hospital of South Texas*, Methodist Hospital, Methodist Heart Hospital*, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital,* Northeast Methodist Hospital,* Metropolitan Methodist Hospital* and Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Hospital–Northwest. Construction on the new Methodist Stone Oak Hospital and the Methodist Boerne Medical Center in Boerne, Texas is due to begin in early 2006.

* a Methodist Hospital facility

Methodist Healthcare officials announced plans to construct Methodist Boerne Medical Center are moving forward, with a ground breaking to happen later this year. The announcement was made during a monthly Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce mixer held on the site of the future Medical Center.

“This is like a homecoming for Methodist Healthcare; we know that over sixty percent of Kendall county resident choose a Methodist hospital when they need health care. I am happy to say that we are now bringing our quality of health care closer to this community” stated James Scoggin, executive vice president—Methodist Healthcare.

The multi-phased project will begin with a 60,000 square foot of integrated medical space including physician offices, a planned highly specialized emergency services center, and the expanded Boerne Imaging Center. Subsequent phases may include outpatient surgery services, additional physician offices, and a planned 50–100 bed hospital, based on community need.

After two years of research and planning, the first phase of the project is now set for construction as there are letters of intent from enough prospective tenants to fill more than 50 percent of the initial medical office building. These tenants include a mix of specialty groups: Alamo Maxillofacial Surgical Associates, P.A.; South Texas Oncology & Hematology, P.A.; Rencare, Inc.—regional kidney dialysis center; the internal medicine practice of Saleh Jaafar, M.D., and an expanded Boerne Imaging Center. “I suspect this first medical office building will be fully leased out by the time it is finished in late 2006”, stated Geoffrey Crabtree, vice president of strategic planning and market services for Methodist Healthcare.

City leaders in Boerne are very supportive of the expansion of much needed community services and are welcoming Methodist with open arms. “We are excited to learn about the latest plans that Methodist Healthcare has for Boerne and the Hill Country. We are always pleased to see enhancements to the health care resources for people in our community,’ said Boerne Mayor Pat Heath.

Companies and physicians interested in obtaining leasing details for the Methodist Boerne Medical Center should call Cambridge Properties at (210) 614-4488.

The building process on the Methodist Boerne Medical Center has begun, clearing the way for construction crews to begin laying the foundation in April. The clearing crew was able to preserve some beautiful Texas oaks in the process, to add a bit of Hill Country flare to the site once completed.

“Everything is right on schedule thanks to our great weather,” said Methodist Boerne Medical Center CEO, Dean Alexander. “We expect the foundation work to begin within the next few weeks, and framing to be up by the end of May.”

The site is currently being wired for power, allowing crews to set up trailers and begin communication with contractors and architects as development efforts step up.

The site’s foundation has been poured and crews are beginning on the framing of the structure.