Since 19 6 3 , Methodist Healthcare has continuously evolved to meet the growing needs of the greater San Antonio communit y. Our commitment has never wavered in consistently improving the health and wellness of our communit y by living our mission of “Ser ving Humanit y to Honor God.”
Methodist Healthcare is a 50-50 par tnership bet ween Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc , South Texas’ largest non-public funding source of communit y health care for uninsured patient s; and HCA Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of healthcare ser vices. This creates a unique par tnership that ensures Methodist Largest private funding source for uninsured and underinsured patients in South Texas.
Hospitals:
Methodist Children’s Hospital
Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital | Atascosa
Methodist Hospital | Hill Country
Methodist Hospital | Landmark
Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan
Methodist Hospital | Northeast
Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant
Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak
Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak Rehabilitation Center
Methodist Hospital | Texsan
Urgent and Emergency Care Locations:
CareNow® Urgent Care Centers: 21
Neighborhood ERs: 10
Hospital ERs: 10
FAST FAC TS
At Methodist Healthcare, you’re family
At Methodist Healthcare, we believe in put ting our patient s, toughest moment s and to celebrate those vic tories- and even the lit tle moment s that make the best of memories - all so you can focus on your journey to recover y. Because, here, we are a family treating families.
Scan the QR code to hear directly from some of our patients and their care teams or check out the latest Methodist Healthcare news!
vivor
202 3 HIGHLIGHTS
$585,700 in community contributions
Methodist Hospital | Northeast was awarded Best Hospital in San Antonio for 3 years in a row 2021 - 2023 by the San Antonio Express-News Reader’ s Choice Awards
Our robotic surgery program spans 8 facilities with a total of 40 surgical robots and 192 surgeons
Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak Rehabilitation Center recognized by Newsweek as a Top 15 Rehabilitation Center in Texas
Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan had monumental open-heart surgery growth with 177 procedures in 2023
Completed construction of the Graduate Medical
Methodist Plaza in preparation for upcoming GME programs
Honored to serve South Texas with two of the nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular of two ™Hospitals, the nation’s 100 Top two and ®Hospitals, Everest Award winners
Healthgrades America's 250 Best Hospitals: Recognized among Top 5% of hospitals nationally, based on Quality Outcomes criteria
Aaron Kendle Aneur ysm Sur
Irma Ybarra Liver Transplant Recipient
Adam Barraza Colon Cancer Survivor Sandra Sepulveda Breast Cancer Survivor
Introduction 06
• Letter from Dan Miller, President and CEO
• Our Mission, Vision and Values
• Who We Are
• Methodist Healthcare Ministries
• HCA Healthcare
Dedication to our Patients
12
• Pastoral Care
• Clinical Pastoral Education Training
• Our Commitment to Quality
• Hospital Volunteer Programs
• Charity Care
Supporting our Colleagues 20
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• HEI Designation
• Colleague Networks
• Being BRAVE
• Community Partnerships
• HCA Hope Fund
Investing in and Advancing Clinicians 26
• Methodist Healthcare Nursing Residency Programs
• Graduate Medical Education
• High School Partnerships
• Galen College of Nursing
• Supporting Local
• Partnerships
• Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Priorities
• Call-A-Nurse
• Car Seat Safety Day
• Kids Teaching Kids
• Supporting Diverse Business
• Rowan Windham Cereal Drive
• Crush the Crisis
•
•
• Methodist
• Methodist
| Stone Oak
Texsan
• Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant
• Methodist
• Methodist
• Methodist
Landmark
Atascosa
| Hill Country
• Freestanding Emergency Rooms
• Urgent
Above: (L to R) Dan Miller, President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare and Jaime Wesolowski, President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries
2023 was a year of growth for Methodist Healthcare as we continued to evolve to meet the community's needs and ensure that our mission of “Serving humanity to honor God by providing exceptional and cost-effective healthcare, accessible to all” is fulfilled.
Collectively our facilities cared for more than 988,449 patients and provided $811 million in charity and indigent care to South Texans.
We acquired Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, and opened Methodist ER | City Base and Methodist Hospital | Landmark along the IH 10/1604 corridor. We purchased 14 local urgent care centers bringing our total number of CareNow® Urgent Care locations to 21.
We marked milestone anniversaries as Methodist Hospital celebrated 60 years of service; Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan and Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant, 50 years; and Methodist Children’s Hospital, 25 years.
The year continued to bring recognition of the outstanding patient care at Methodist Healthcare.
• Methodist Hospital, Methodist Hospital | Northeast and Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak were recognized by Healthgrades as among America’s Best 250 Hospitals for 2023.
• Methodist Hospital | Northeast was named the best hospital in San Antonio for three years in a row by the San Antonio Express-News Reader’s Choice Awards.
• Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak Rehabilitation Center was recognized as a Top 15 Rehabilitation Center in Texas.
• For the seventh consecutive year, Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan was named a “Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign.
• Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant was recognized as the largest living donor kidney transplant program and the largest Hispanic kidney transplant program in the nation. It is also the largest kidney paired-donor program in the nation.
The success of our work through exemplary patient care and strategic growth benefits the community in so many ways. Methodist provided $585,700 in financial support to non-profit health and human service agencies like the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. One of our highlights from 2023 was working collaboratively with Methodist Healthcare Ministries to help raise $930,000 for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the largest amount ever raised for the San Antonio walk.
I take great pride in our team, our commitment to our community, and our continued investment in the healthcare of South Texans. "It is an inspiration to lead this highly successful organization that means so much to so many."
Dan Miller President and CEO Methodist Healthcare
Our Mission, Vision and Values
Our Mission
The mission of Methodist Healthcare is “Serving Humanity to Honor God by providing exceptional and cost-effective health care, accessible to all.”
Our Vision
Our vision is to be a world-class healthcare provider, continually raising the standards of performance excellence and advancing the health status of the community by providing and constantly improving the delivery of quality, innovative healthcare services in a cost-effective way, while providing charitable care to people in our region.
Our Values
In doing so, we acknowledge our values of Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. On an individual basis, we commit to:
• Cure when we can
• Escort to death’s door when we must
• Always create healing experiences
The Power Of Two.
This powerful partnership between the Methodist Healthcare Ministries and HCA has made an incredible impact in our community.
$1.4 Billion invested in the community over the past 10 years
Methodist Healthcare has evolved to meet the growing needs of the greater San Antonio community, and our commitment since opening our first hospital in 1963 has never wavered: to continuously improve the health and wellness of our community by “Serving Humanity to Honor God.”
Formed in 1995 by Methodist Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Methodist Healthcare created a 50-50 partnership between Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Inc., South Texas’ largest non-public funding source of community health care for uninsured patients: and HCA Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of health care services. This creates a unique avenue to ensure that Methodist Healthcare continues to benefit the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries is the largest private funding source for uninsured and underinsured patients in
South Texas.
• Serving 74 counties
• $1.67 billion provided to the community since its inception to improve wellness among the least served through direct services, grants, and community partnerships
• 275+ funded program sites
• Over 170 grant programs with more than 153 partners
• 4 clinics and community health programs serving more than 396,420 patients and clients
• $181.1 million planned for community health investments in 2024
HCA Healthcare is continually investing in colleagues and facilities to better serve patients and local communities.
• $37.5M in tuition assistance benefits given to HCA colleagues in 2023
• $4.7B invested last year (2023) in land, buildings, and equipment to expand or bring new services to the communities served
• HCA Healthcare onboarded one of the largest incoming classes of residents among U.S. teaching hospitals. In 2023, they had over 4,900 residents and 300 GME programs.
• In 2023 HCA recruited 37,500 bedside nurses
• $11.4M in assistance distributed in 2023 to HCA Healthcare families through the Hope Fund
Dedication to Our Patients
Pastoral Care
At Methodist Healthcare hospitals, pastoral care is part of the life of the hospital. It is essential in completing the patient’s circle of healing which includes mind, body, and spirit. It’s also an important way to help patients connect and communicate during a very stressful time in their lives.
“Humans are spiritual beings,” said Dr. Austin Frederick, Jr., Vice President of Pastoral Care Services. “Spirituality is an important aspect of healing and our commitment to pastoral care puts that aspect of healing to work.”
At Methodist Healthcare hospitals, chaplains are part of the medical team and reflect an interdisciplinary approach. Every newly admitted patient is visited by a chaplain within the first 24 hours of their stay. Last year, over 400,000 visits were made and the number continues to increase.
“We conduct a spiritual assessment to determine the object of their spiritual strength and to look into how connecting with that strength may enhance their healing,” he said. “We want to connect spiritually to that which feeds their soul.”
Methodist’s Pastoral Care department includes 56 chaplains on staff, with 30 of them being full-time employees. Ten different faiths or traditions are represented on staff, and others are available through community resources.
“During our visits, we work to create a sacred space where people may communicate with each other and say
things that need to be said. We help patients and their families come to peace. At the moment of death, to see the patient at peace and the family at peace, is beautiful,” Dr. Frederick explains.
Chaplains facilitate communication in other ways. “We walk with our patients,” he said. Dr. Frederick recalls a patient who did not want to tell his children that he had cancer. “In this case, our chaplain offered to be there so he and the patient could deliver the news together,” he said.
In walking with their patients, chaplains often take them back to a time when spirituality was part of their lives— grandma took them to church or they attended Sunday school with friends. Lessons learned early come back to them.
Dr. Frederick recalled a patient whose room was filled with friends and loved ones, many of whom appeared to be gang members. “When the Catholic priest entered the room, there was
nothing but respect and reverence,” said Dr. Frederick. “They all knew the rosary and recited it.” He also remarked that some patients dealing with Alzheimer’s still can recite the Lord’s Prayer or favorite hymns.
Because of the way it helps patients connect and communicate during such important times of their lives, pastoral care is an essential part of the Methodist Healthcare mission of “Serving Humanity to Honor God.” “Our founders have been committed to it since the beginning, and we continue to uphold this commitment,” said Dr. Austin. “The world longs for spiritual connection. Today, pastoral care is more relevant than ever in our world. It helps our patients heal and makes a difference in their lives.”
Pastoral Care met with over 400K people in 2023
Clinical Pastoral Education Training
With the important role that pastoral care plays at Methodist Hospitals, training has become even more important.
Methodist Healthcare has started its Clinical Pastoral Education Training and Introduction to Hospital Chaplaincy Program. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a unique interfaith experience, open to people of all faiths. Methodist Healthcare, in partnership with the Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training (ICPT), offers CPE to spiritual professionals and theological students seeking professional growth and development in clinical pastoral settings.
“We are revitalizing our clinical pastoral education program,” said Dr. Austin Frederick, Jr., Vice President of Pastoral Care Services. “We want to reach out to individuals interested in clinical pastoral education to help them determine if it’s the right path for them.”
The educational training includes four units of 300 hours each, followed by the opportunity to apply for board certification. The training helps chaplain candidates perfect their listening skills, learn how to conduct a spiritual assessment, and learn to walk with patients in their healing.
The clinical training is held at one of our Methodist Healthcare locations in the San Antonio area. Classes are taught both in-person and virtually.
Offered nationally, the program is the gold standard for CPE. Ninety-two percent of Methodist Healthcare chaplains are board-certified, and new chaplains are encouraged to apply for certification.
All costs associated with the program are covered by Methodist Healthcare Pastoral Care Services department and the Taylor Boone Scholarship Fund. A stipend is paid for each of the required 25 clinical hours/week.
The application is available at SAHealth.com/ careers or interested individuals should phone 210‑575‑4030 for assistance.
Our Commitment to Quality
We strive to deliver superior care to our patients during every interaction. We continually look for ways to improve patient safety and quality of care. One area of focus is improving the outcomes in recognizing and treating patients who have sepsis, a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection.
Methodist Healthcare acknowledges that learning from staff and community members is the best way to improve processes and programs to drive good patient outcomes. Feedback from patients, family, and staff is collected and analyzed consistently to ensure improvement efforts meet the needs of solving the challenges and barriers identified. Methods for collecting information include:
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Process observations in a live environment
Quality Spotlight
Our patients’ safety is our priority. Our goal is to make our patients feel safe and secure during their hospital stay. We assure a standard of quality care through proactive, ongoing training for staff and credentialing processes for all of our physicians.
Every member of our staff is dedicated to:
• Providing a safe, healthy, and secure environment
• Performing their jobs carefully and completely
• Using safe and effective practices and technologies
• Providing better quality care based on the unique needs of our international patients
• Responding to the wants and needs of our patients in a timely manner
• Ensuring timely communication between caregivers and patients by answering questions regarding treatment and health
• Providing specific information about our patients’ care and explaining changes about their treatment
Methodist Healthcare has proactively addressed community and patient needs by expanding telehealth services to include real time neurology consultations during stroke episodes. This initiative ensures immediate evaluation and treatment planning. In 2023, we utilized telehealth technology to treat 918 patients presenting with stroke symptoms at our hospitals.
46,367 Volunteer Hours by Blue Bird Volunteers
Hospital Volunteer Programs
In 1920, a group of young adults at Laurel Heights Methodist Church founded the “Blue Birds of Laurel Heights.” They had one aim – service; one hope – forgetfulness of self; one inspiration – the love and fellowship of Jesus Christ.
The Blue Bird, signifying the happiness they hoped to bring into the lives of others, was chosen as their symbol.
In 1947, the Blue Birds established the Nix Tumor Clinic. They employed a visiting nurse for the patients, purchased equipment for the clinic, gave volunteer service, and provided hospitalization for the charity tumor patients.
The Blue Birds voted to amend their charter in October 1960 to become the Blue Bird Auxiliary to Methodist Hospital. Since that time, the Auxiliary has become actively involved in almost every area of hospital service…and their continued dedication and loyalty have been most instrumental in the growth and development of the hospital. The Auxiliary now provides support to Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant, Methodist Hospital | Texsan, and Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan.
Blue Bird Volunteers
Membership is open to anyone interested in giving freely of themselves to help alleviate the suffering of mankind by performing their duties willingly with love and compassion. The Blue Bird Auxiliary is honored to serve the community and create a network of life-long companions.
For more info on the Blue Birds and how to volunteer, please visit sabluebirds.org.
Charity Care
As part of our mission, Methodist Healthcare provides care to patients without the financial means to pay for hospital services. Services will be provided to all patients who present themselves for care at any Methodist Healthcare facility ER without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin and who are classified as financially or medically indigent.
Further eligibility and assistance information, a copy of our financial assistance policy, the financial assistance form, and a listing of physicians who provide emergency or other medically necessary services at Methodist Healthcare facilities, including whether their services are available at the link below or by written request to the following address:
Patient Accounting Services
15727 Anthem Parkway, Suite 101 San Antonio, TX 78249
Our DEI journey continues as we are committed to providing equitable healthcare for all patients and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace for our colleagues. Throughout 2023, we explored innovative ways to integrate our DEI strategy, enhancing our efforts to create an even more welcoming space. Our work remains ongoing and evolving.
HEI Designation
Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan staff and physicians have been recognized as a "Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) for eight consecutive years. This designation underscores the hospital's commitment to LGBTQ+ education, community support, and advocacy.
416 Colleague Network members
Colleague Networks
We successfully established nine Colleague Networks to offer support and a non-judgmental environment for our team. In 2023, we had a total of 416 members across these networks. They collaborated to organize events focused on advocacy, community service, and career development. Leaders within our networks have consistently earned promotions within our division and across the HCA enterprise.
Being BRAVE
In 2023, we continued our BRAVE Conversations featuring our employees as well as guests from our San Antonio Community. We hosted our employees to discuss shared experiences around Black History, Disability Independence, Hispanic Heritage, and Veterans Day. We were happy to host San Antonio’s First Lady Erica Prosper during Women’s History Month, Luke Blankenship during Health Awareness Week, and a panel of Latino male physicians during Diabetes Awareness Month. These conversations help members of these communities see themselves represented.
Community Partnerships
We maintain our leadership in community partnerships. In 2023, we launched a collaboration with the American Heart Association to provide Hands-Only CPR training at our DEI partner schools for students, staff, and faculty.
Addressing food equity remains crucial for both our staff and patients. We partnered with The Common Market to introduce our Farm Fresh Food Box Program, offering 70 fresh food boxes every two weeks at five of our hospitals.
Additionally, we identified new partnerships aligned with our DEI mission and the focus areas of our Colleague Networks. Each network volunteered with organizations such as the SA Food Bank, SA Humane Society, and Haven for Hope, while also leading and participating in events supporting our efforts with the Alzheimer’s Association.
HCA Hope Fund
Our employees’ first goal is to take care of patients. Methodist Healthcare is also a family of co-workers, and so we take care of each other. The HCA Hope Fund was formed more than 18 years ago in the wake of devastating Florida hurricanes so employees around the country who are in need – and those who want to help – have a single, reliable source to give and receive assistance.
The well-named HCA Hope Fund has offered just that – hope. Its support has helped employees who have suffered everything from loss due to hurricane, tornado, or fire to those dealing with unexpected catastrophic illnesses or accidents. The fund also steps up to aid employees who are dealing with domestic violence, the death of a loved one, or other special situations. Since its inception, it has helped more than 52,000 families through contributions of $100 million in assistance. In 2023, the HCA Hope Fund provided a total of $587,000 in support to 226 Methodist Healthcare employees
Investing In and Advancing Clinicians
Methodist Healthcare Nursing Residency Programs
The Methodist Healthcare Nursing Residency Program consists of an intensively structured specialty orientation designed to support the transition of the graduate registered nurse to bedside nursing practice in a specific clinical setting. These include NICU, Pediatrics, L&D, Adult ICU, Medical-Surgical, Progressive Care, Telemetry, Perioperative Services, Rehab, Dialysis, Behavioral Health, and Emergency Department.
The paid 10-24 week program is designed for novice nurses with less than six months of acute care experience and includes comprehensive didactic training, robust simulation experiences, clinical preceptorship, as well as BLS, ACLS, NIH Stroke Scale, ECG interpretation training, and Crisis Prevention Institute certifications. Each Nursing Residency specialty focuses on developing and validating proficiency in key entry-level technical, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills required for safe practice. Nurse Residents are introduced to the Methodist Healthcare mission, collaborate with members of the healthcare team, expand their knowledge of regulatory requirements, and benefit from customized career planning during the professional development phase of the program.
Graduate Medical Education
Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio (MHS) Graduate Medical Education (GME) provides clinical rotation opportunities for affiliated training institutions accredited residency, fellowship, and Medical and Physician Assistant (PA) student programs. We are proud of the clinical experience gained at our facilities. For the 2022-2023 academic year, there were 40 programs from 35 various specialties. A total of 518 visiting residents/fellows participated in clinical rotations at Methodist Healthcare System San Antonio.
High School Partnerships
We are proud to partner with high schools across our community to invite students who are interested in pursuing careers in the healthcare field an opportunity to receive training and experience in our facilities. Our Academic Partnership department partnered with 59 high schools across nine school districts to invite students to participate in clinical experiences at our hospitals learning jobs such as Patient Care Tech, Pharmacy Tech, Sterile Processing, Phlebotomy, and EMT. During the 2022-2023 school year, we had 342 students participate, and in the 2023-2024 school year, there were 733 high school students participating. That is a 114% growth in one year!
733 students participated in clinical experiences
Galen College of Nursing
Galen College of Nursing has been a proud member of the San Antonio nursing education community since the Texas Board of Nursing approved Galen’s Vocational Nurse program in 1990.
In 2015, Galen opened a newly expanded and renovated San Antonio campus, featuring high-level clinical learning labs, as well as a simulation ER, ICU, and Pediatric units. Galen has two locations in San Antonio totaling over 111,000 square feet of teaching and training space.
Today, Galen is one of the largest nursing educators in South Texas, offering students a cutting-edge approach to nursing education, and graduating hundreds of future nurses each year from their 3-year BSN, VN, and LVN to ADN Bridge programs.
“With partners like Methodist Healthcare, we are so proud to help serve the San Antonio community by graduating confident, well-prepared, and compassionate nurses,” said Terry Douglas, DPN, RN, Dean of the San Antonio campus. “For over 30 years, we have been deeply embedded in South Texas to help address the critical nursing shortage and provide better care to our citizens.”
HCA Healthcare’s tuition assistance program includes the HCA HealthcareGalen College of Nursing Grant, which allows direct billing between our two organizations. That means zero outof-pocket tuition costs for colleagues pursuing their nursing education.
12,568 Galen graduates since 2008
Caring for Our Communities
Supporting Local Causes
At Methodist Healthcare, we are proud to offer support to a variety of worthy causes. For over 60 years, Methodist Healthcare has given back to the community through charitable donations, sponsorships, and volunteering. In 2023 alone, we supported 109 local non-profit organizations, donating a total of $585,700.
Our Methodist Healthcare employees also provide support and funding to hundreds of non-profit organizations of their choice, through an online giving portal. Our staff donated over $359,000 in 2023.
The portal also allows staff to search for volunteer opportunities throughout our community. Last year, our staff volunteered 3,596 hours which supported 141 different local non-profit organizations.
Methodist Healthcare donated $585,700 to local non ‑ profits in 2023
Partnerships
Methodist Healthcare supports a variety of worthy causes through annual agreements with like-minded organizations. Sharing an enduring purpose to improve the health of our community, our relationships are based on mutual values, goals, and an advocacy for the wellbeing of our area families.
Since 2018, Sean and Claudia have proudly served as Methodist Healthcare Health Ambassadors for the South Texas community. Their connection to Methodist Healthcare runs deep; Sean received a kidney transplant at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant in 1999 and continues to receive ongoing care from Methodist physicians. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to building strong community partnerships. The Elliotts' dedication to health and wellness, combined with Methodist Healthcare’s mission of ‘Serving Humanity to Honor God,’ creates a powerful partnership. Together, we aim to educate and inspire the San Antonio community toward healthier lifestyles.
Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Priorities
As part of our commitment to the greater San Antonio community, Methodist Healthcare participates in a county-wide health needs assessment every three years. This assessment is conducted through the Health Collaborative, a nonprofit convening organization that brings together hospital systems, other healthcare organizations, local government, and non-profit organizations in Bexar County and Atascosa County to identify and solve community health issues through collaboration. Methodist Healthcare is proud to be a founding member of the Health Collaborative.
To work in coordination with other healthcare systems and organizations, businesses, and non-profits, Methodist Healthcare has adopted the five health priority areas based upon the Bexar County Community Health Assessment, and the Bexar County Community Health Improvement plan. Methodist Healthcare and its hospitals have created community improvement plans based on these five health priorities so we may better serve you and the greater San Antonio community.
Community Health Priorities
Bexar & Atascosa County:
• Healthy Eating and Active Living
• Healthy Child and Family Development
• Safe Communities
• Behavioral and Mental Well-Being
• Sexual Health
Methodist Hospital | Hill Country was acquired in April 2023. They had completed their Community Health Assessment and developed a Community Health Improvement Plan based on their findings covering Gillespie, Blanco, and Kendall Counties:
• Nutrition/Diet Education
• Exercise Resources/Fitness Center
• Substance Abuse Services
• Behavioral Health Services
• Health Education for Chronic Conditions
Access to the Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) and each facility’s Community Health Implementation Plan (CHIP) can be found by visiting: SAHealth.com/about us/community
Call-A-Nurse
We know sometimes you or a loved one may be experiencing a non-life-threatening emergency, and you do not need to call 911, but you could use someone to call and ask for advice about symptoms or if you should make that drive to the ER.
24 hours a day, 365 days a year, you can call our Call-A-Nurse hotline for the appropriate advice. The service is completely free of charge and offered to those with, and without, health insurance. Nurses representing Methodist Healthcare are standing by to personally assist you with medical advice.
Call‑A‑Nurse ADULT (210) 575‑0355
Call‑A‑Nurse CHILD (210) 226‑8773
Common reasons we receive calls through the Call-A-Nurse program include:
• If you or a loved one is feeling ill, but you aren’t sure how serious it is
• If you need a recommendation on the level of service you or a loved one needs, including next-day appointments, urgent care visits, or emergency room visits
• If an appointment is needed for you or a loved one, you can book a next-day appointment through our Call-A-Nurse hotline
• If you need instructions for tending to a medical issue at home
Tenemos enfermeras que hablan español.
In 2023, we received
33,310 calls through our Call ‑A‑ Nurse hotline.
Car Seat Safety Day
During September, we celebrate Car Seat Safety. In 2023, we partnered with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the Bluebird Auxiliary, and Safe Kids during National Car Seat Safety Week to provide free installations and car seat checks to over 40 families, and gave away 14 free car seats to those who needed them.
Kids Teaching Kids
In our third year, we're continuing our program aimed at educating kids about healthy eating habits, offering family-friendly physical activity videos, and promoting children's mental health through "Mindful Minutes." Kids Teaching Kids is focused on our 21-Day Healthy Snack Challenge designed for elementary school students. Last year, over 1,500 local students eagerly signed up to participate. Older students also played a vital role in this program; high school culinary students from the San Antonio area competed to create the best healthy snack recipe. Their recipes were featured in a recipe book distributed to all participants of the 21-day challenge. It's a wonderful blend of education, community engagement, and delicious healthy eating!
Supporting Diverse Businesses
Not only is Diversity something we strive for in hiring and patient care, but we also work hard to support diverse businesses when purchasing supplies our facilities need. Did you know we spent
Rowan Windham Cereal Drive
Every year, in early June the lobby of our Methodist Children’s Hospital is filled to the brim with boxes of cereal signifying another successful Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive. To reduce summertime childhood hunger in Bexar County and surrounding communities, staff, along with members of the San Antonio community donated a total of 225,132 servings of cereal to the San Antonio Foodbank for children in need.
225,132 servings of cereal donated
Crush the Crisis
In October, Methodist Healthcare hosted our 5th annual Crush the Crisis event. Aligned with the DEA’s Drug Take Back Day, we set up medication collection sites at seven of our free-standing ERs, along with a location at the Fredericksburg Police Department. Staff, alongside San Antonio Police Department officers and Fredericksburg Police Department officers, spent the morning collecting unneeded and/ or expired medications. Across the seven locations, we collected 1,638 lbs.! Many community members we spoke with were grateful to safely dispose of the medications they no longer needed. The goal of the event is to remove over-the-counter and prescription medications from people’s houses where they could be misused.
Looking to the Future
We are happy to announce that Methodist Healthcare is adding a new hospital on the Westside of San Antonio: Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills
The newly built Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills will be approximately 180,000 square feet, with 54 beds, offering acute care designed to create access for the Westover Hills Community. Key service lines included:
• Emergency Care
• Surgery
• Gastrointestinal
• Cardiology
• Maternity and NICU
The 74-acre site will also include a four-story, 125,000-square-foot Medical Office Building housing primary and specialty care practices as well as a STRIC imaging location.
• Celebrated 60 years of service at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children's Hospital celebrated its 25th anniversary.
• Recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s Best 250 Hospitals for 2023.
• Methodist Hospital opened a new lung transplant program that completes the world-class solid organ transplantation services of heart, kidney, liver, and lung for Methodist Healthcare. This program is now the largest provider of solid organ transplant programs in South Texas. Methodist Hospital is the only entity in South Texas providing the heart-lung transplant option.
• Celebrated 30th anniversary of the Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.
Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan
• Celebrated the 50th anniversary of the hospital’s service in the community.
• Named a "Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign for the seventh consecutive year.
• Experienced monumental openheart surgery growth (177 procedures in 2023).
• Recognized as the only certified quality Breast Center of excellence in South Texas.
Methodist Hospital | Northeast
• Awarded Best Hospital in San Antonio for 3 years in a row 2021 - 2023 by the San Antonio ExpressNews Reader’s Choice Awards.
• Construction of Methodist Hospital | Northeast Medical Plaza II, which includes a 3-story medical office building and a hospital-based outpatient surgery center with 4 operating rooms, reached the final stages.
• Awarded the Joint Commission accreditation for Methodist Hospital | Northeast, Methodist ER| Converse, and Methodist ER | New Braunfels.
Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak
• Recognized by Newsweek as a Top 15 Rehabilitation Center in Texas.
• Named Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Critical Care by Healthgrades.
• Hosted “turning of the soil” event to commemorate the beginning of construction of a new 8,400 square foot space to include a new Cath Lab and OR.
Methodist Hospital | Texsan
• Designated as a HeartCARE Center for the fourth year in a row.
• Performed 389 knee replacements and 140 hip replacements in 2023, which is a 14% increase from 2022.
• Successfully implanted the world’s first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system to effectively treat people with abnormal or slow heart rhythms.
Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant
• Celebrated the 50th anniversary of the hospital’s service in the community.
• Completed 214 living donor kidney transplants and 171 deceased donor kidney transplants. The program was recognized as the largest living donor kidney transplant program and the largest Hispanic kidney transplant program in the nation.
• Advanced behavioral health services by operating a Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) Unit and a Suboxone Clinic to treat patients with opioid addiction. The number of PES beds available doubled in 2023 and increased the number of behavioral patients serviced from 100 to 200 patients monthly.
Methodist Hospital | Atascosa
• Ranked number two within HCA in hospital cleanliness.
• Held ribbon-cutting ceremony of the ER renovations/expansion.
• Celebrated 723 days of no hospital-acquired infections.
Methodist Hospital | Hill Country
• Received the Women’s Choice Award for: Patient Safety, Obstetrics, and Emergency Care.
• Awarded the CMS Five Star Hospital award for Quality.
• Receive the Chartis Center for Rural Health Association Top 100 Rural Hospitals in the nation.
Methodist Hospital | Landmark
• Opened September 2023
• 150,000 sqaure foot facility with 54 beds
• Key service lines include: General Surgery, Bariatrics, Breast Cancer Reconstruction, Gyn Oncology, Orthopedics, Colorectal, Urology, Neurology/Spine Care, and Cardiology
