Boerne opens new emergency center
Web Posted: 01/24/2008 08:22 PM CST
Wendy Rigby
KENS 5 Eyewitness News
It's the first of its kind in Boerne. On Thursday, Methodist Healthcare opened an Emergency Center there that's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It's the kind of place you never want to visit, but you certainly want it to be there if you need to go. The city of Boerne, just outside San Antonio, now has its own emergency department, a $13 million, 14-room building constructed over the past nine months. Boerne Mayor Dan Heckler calls it a banner day for his citizens.
"They know that if they have a medical or surgical emergency, they can come right here," he said. "They don't have to wait for an ambulance to transport them into San Antonio or make that commute themselves."
The new emergency center is state-of-the-art, with imaging capabilities and testing facilities to handle any kind of acute medical crisis. It also features bedside registration for faster, more confidential care. Patient access supervisor Anthony Ledesma said "the patients like it. It's more private, so we're not in violation of HIPPA."
Boerne is a growing community. With just under 10,000 people, it's expected to grow by at least 4 percent a year in the near future. Adequate healthcare is an important piece of that population boom.
"I do live in the community and have two teenaged children, and while I never hope to use the emergency department, I'm sure glad it's here for my family and the other families here in Boerne," Methodist emergency center CEO Dean Alexander said.
If this emergency department is successful, Methodist has plans to build a complete day surgery center here in Boerne, and perhaps someday, a full hospital.