Construction Updates

Construction of the Methodist Boerne Medical Center medical office building is substantially complete. Interior carpet and wallcoverings are now being installed in the common areas, and installation of landscaping is complete. A final construction walk-through with Roger O’Brien Construction Company will be completed within a few days. Tenant finish construction is ongoing for seven suites and we anticipate our first tenant move-in in early May.

About two years ago, Craig Radtke began investigating the possibility of obtaining portable Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) for emergency use in our schools. Craig is the Boerne Independent School District Director of Personnel and Legal Affairs and fulfills a number of other duties including safety and security tasks. Before these devices were given much publicity, Craig noted that AEDs are increasingly used as life-saving devices on airplanes, shopping malls and elsewhere. He became a man on a mission for Boerne ISD.

He began talking with Methodist Healthcare officials in San Antonio. Those great folks were most receptive. Many BISD employees have received excellent care at the Methodist hospitals San Antonio and Methodist had recently announced it would be building a facility in Boerne, Methodist Boerne Medical Center. Soon after Craig’s meeting with Dean Alexander, the newly appointed CEO of the Methodist Boerne project, Craig excitedly reported that Mr. Alexander was considering the donation of three (expensive!) portable AEDs to our school district. Within a few weeks, Mr. Alexander presented the district with this valuable life-saving equipment.

Fast forward to Thursday, March 1, at 10 p.m., Boerne Greyhound baseball field: The Boerne varsity team just finished a game against Reagan High School. Suddenly, the home plate umpire Bob Hicks clutched his chest and fell to the ground. Chuck Foster, BHS baseball coach, quickly yelled at the crowd to call 9-1-1. Lauren Burns, one of our professional athletic trainers, raced to the man within seconds and began CPR. Two fast-thinking student trainers, Chelsea San Miguel and Emily Mazurek, quickly retrieved the donated AED and brought it to the man’s side. Simultaneously a visiting parent from Reagan High School, who happened to be a cardiologist, climbed down from the stands and began to help. So did others including local doctors and Beverly Smith, a professional nurse and mom to of one of our athletes.

It was feared the man might be dead. He had no pulse and no heartbeat. CPR was administered without effect. The AED was attached and during the second cycle of electric jolts, the cardiologist suddenly said, “I have a pulse.” Within a few minutes the umpire was talking with his wife on the cell phone while local fire officials arrived and administered an IV. The ambulance arrived thereafter. The patient was transported to… you guessed it: Methodist Hospital in San Antonio.

As the ambulance pulled away, Dr. Salvatore Barbaro (the cardiologist) said, “He wouldn’t have made it if it hadn’t been for that machine. I’m going to buy one for my car tomorrow.”

I’m proud to say that BISD already has 15 AED devices deployed throughout the district and many people trained to use them. Let me close by thanking God for people like
Athletic Trainers Lauren Burns and Jamie Howard, Dr. Barbaro, Dr. Baros, Beverly Smith and student athletic trainers, Chelsea and Emily made up a very valuable team that saved Bob Hicks life that night. While it took a team effort to save Hicks, a lot of the thanks goes to Craig Radtke for being a such a visionary two years ago and asking Methodist Healthcare to donate the AEDs that are present during every athletic event in the district.

Dean Alexander, CEO, Methodist Boerne Medical Center, (left) shows the AED device that saved the life of Bob Hicks, baseball umpire for Boerne High School (far right). Two years ago, Alexander donated several AED devices to the Boerne school district at the request of Craig Radtke, (center) Boerne Independent School District official.

Boerne, Texas – Methodist Boerne Medical Center officially enters phase two of its medical complex development with construction officially beginning today on a $13 million emergency center. Methodist Boerne Emergency Center will be the first of its kind in South Texas, a freestanding emergency center open 24/7 directly linked to a full-service hospital. Congressman Lamar Smith, District 21, joined in the ceremony.

“The front door of a hospital is truly its emergency department. This new emergency facility will be directly linked to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. It will offer the best of both worlds – a higher level of emergency care closer to home and the depth of resources of an acute care hospital for any long-term illness or serious injury. This community will benefit immediately from having advanced emergency care close by,” stated Dean Alexander, CEO, Methodist Boerne Medical Center.

“Methodist is committed to the health care needs of the Boerne community and has found an innovative way to offer emergency care services to residents who already recognize Methodist Healthcare as the most trusted provider in the region. We are introducing this new and very different approach to delivering ‘hospital’ ER services because we believe Boerne residents desire more when it comes to hospitals and emergency care. They should not settle for anything less than a round-the-clock emergency care center with board-certified doctors and specially trained nurses and technicians along with a full service x-ray suite and laboratory,” added Alexander.

An added benefit not found in any other non-Methodist emergency care center will be a system that can electronically transmit any diagnostic image from the Methodist Boerne Emergency Center to any Methodist credentialed physician’s office, specialist or any Methodist hospital emergency room for seamless follow-up.

The emergency trained staff will treat urgent and emergent situations such as patients suffering from heart attacks, broken bones, asthma attacks, and anything else a person would normally go to a hospital ER to treat. For Boerne residents, it will be like more having a hospital ER in their own neighborhood. The full-service emergency center will house 15 private treatment rooms: two trauma/cardiac care rooms; five urgent care/treatment rooms; four Fast Track non-urgent treatment rooms for minor emergencies and four observation beds, fully equipped with telemetry and all the services you would find in any hospital ER in the U.S. The Methodist Boerne Emergency Center will accept the same insurance plans as any Methodist hospital emergency department.

The new emergency center will offer the benefits of immediate intervention for serious emergencies where treatment time is critical, including 23-hour monitoring and testing of patients, such as chest pain cases. The ability to monitor these patients in their own neighborhood during a very stressful time will provide comfort and peace-of-mind.

“By having this emergency facility, Kendall County EMS will be making fewer ambulance runs to San Antonio’s medical center. This equates to having ambulances concentrate their time handling emergencies here and keeping them local. This means that ambulances and crews will be freed up more quickly and back in service sooner reducing down time and costs. Of course, we will still be available to transport critically ill or injured patients to San Antonio,” said Jeff Finke, Director, Kendall County Emergency Medical Services.

Research shows that 60 percent of Boerne residents in need of hospital care already seek care at a Methodist facility. “We have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome we’ve received in Boerne since we first announced our multi-phased medical development. Every corner of the Boerne community has embraced us – from the physicians to city leaders to business and community organizations and leaders. We have enjoyed getting to know all of you and look forward to serving this community for many years to come,” added Alexander.

As phase one nears completion, physician groups will soon be moving into the medical office building. This facility will offer the community access to physician specialists in the areas of radiology, oncology, internal medicine, oral surgery and others. This will help the community access care that will help them maintain their good health as well as receive medical attention in a convenient location, complementing the care already offered in the Boerne area.

The Methodist Boerne Emergency Center is phase two of the overall project. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The 20,560 square foot building will stand adjacent to the medical office building. The award winning architectural firm of Rehler Vaughn & Koone, Inc. (RVK) designed both the medical office building and the emergency center. Rogers-O’Brien will lead the construction.

Methodist Healthcare is San Antonio’s largest and most trusted health care provider with facilities including seven acute care hospitals: Methodist Children’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. New construction projects include the Methodist Stone Oak Hospital scheduled for completion in 2008, the Methodist Boerne Medical Center (nearing completion of physician offices) and Methodist Boerne Emergency Center, scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

(see Methodist in Boerne tab for photos)