Baylor Scott & White - Hillcrest Caring for the Community

by Natalie J. Underwood, Administration, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest

The concept for Baylor Scott & White (BSW) Medical Center – Hillcrest originated from Waco’s Baptist community. In 1903, James Britton Cranfill, newspaper editor for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, first proposed a hospital that could care for the community. The hospital received its charter in 1916, in large part because of the efforts of Pastor Arthur James Barton of Waco’s First Baptist Church. From this foundation of faith has grown a new, technologically advanced medical center offering residents of McLennan County and the Central Texas region comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services.

In 2009, the doors opened at the 236-bed medical center on the growing campus at I-35 and Highway 6. That same year, a new chapter in the hospital’s history began when an affiliation was forged with Scott & White Healthcare based in Temple, Texas. An even brighter future was affirmed in 2013 when Scott & White Healthcare joined Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System to form Baylor Scott & White Health, Texas’ largest non-profit healthcare system. Waco’s Baylor Scott & White – Hillcrest was the first hospital to unveil this proud new name. Today, as part of one of the premier healthcare organizations in the nation, BSW – Hillcrest offers patients and local communities advanced expertise and resources. With expanded access to specialty care, we’ve renewed our commitment to providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place – Waco and Central Texas, while continually strengthening core services and bringing new, innovative programs to the area.

Investing in keeping the community well is always in focus while providing quality care to patients. BSW – Hillcrest intentionally focuses on collaborating with other healthcare providers, physicians, community groups, area employers and others to enhance the value of services to those putting their well-being in our hands. BSW – Hillcrest employs more than 1,800 health professionals who tend to more than 13,500 hospital admissions annually, plus more than 66,000 emergency department visits, 10,000 surgeries and 2,700 babies born.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest is passionate about weaving services into the fabric of the community. Wellness and prevention are supported by advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies. The latest addition to the many physical facilities in the Waco region is the $50 million Baylor Scott & White Sports and Orthopedic Center on the hospital’s main campus. The 106,000-square-foot, four-story, free-standing exercise science and sports medicine facility houses physicians from Baylor Scott & White Southwest Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics, the official team physicians for Baylor Athletics, along with physical therapy services, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment and outpatient surgical suites. While providing expert care for injured athletes and active adults alike, the center focuses intently on injury prevention for athletes of all ages. Additionally, a comprehensive array of orthopedic services and surgeries are provided to non-athletes as well. The four-story center includes: a surgery center, 52 exam rooms, procedure rooms, rehabilitation therapy, outdoor sports performance area, MRI, general radiology, and administrative areas with conference and class rooms.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest is on a 74-acre campus at I35 and Hwy 6. In addition to the acute care hospital facility, the campus houses medical office buildings and the region’s most comprehensive, freestanding cancer center and sports and orthopedic center.

This new center opened in 2020 and serves as the broader Waco region’s premier destination for diagnoses and treatments, surgical excellence, rehabilitation therapies and, most importantly, injury prevention. The center has also served as a catalyst for BSW – Hillcrest to bring to Waco the first ever orthopedic robotics program which is new in 2021. The Mako Robotics™ robot for orthopedic surgeries allows many total joint replacement patients the benefits of less cutting, more precision to help preserve healthy bone and soft tissue, reduced pain and faster recovery. Baylor Scott & White is dedicated to helping patients alleviate pain, regain movement and prevent injury – all with enhanced safety and cleaning precautions.

Following the retirement of hospital president Glenn Robinson in 2020, a national search helped secure Charles Williams, FACHE, to join the BSW – Hillcrest family as the new facility president in January 2021. Williams moved to Waco from Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he served as president and chief executive officer of Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg & Calhoun Counties. But, Williams is no stranger to Texas – actually returning home to the state where he was born and raised. Charles has held various leadership positions at Dallas-Fort Worth area hospitals, including LifeCare Hospitals in Fort Worth, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center in Mansfield and JPS Health Network in Fort Worth. Prior to moving to South Carolina, Charles worked for Tenet Healthcare as the company’s vice president of performance standards and clinical operations. He also served as chief operating officer of the company’s Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake, which was at one point jointly owned by Baylor Scott & White.

Well-known to the North Texas healthcare community, Charles Williams brings with him a deep commitment to quality and safety—complementing Baylor Scott & White’s culture and values. Williams is set to advance the Baylor Scott & White legacy in Waco and help deliver on the investment to keep our community well. Four key values underpin everything Baylor Scott & White does: serving faithfully, acting honestly, never settling, and being in it together.

In January 2021, Charles Williams, FACHE, joined the Baylor Scott & White – Hillcrest family as the new president. Charles brings with him a deep commitment to quality and safety, perfectly complementing Baylor Scott & White’s culture and values.

As a Christian ministry of healing, fostering an environment of service where the patient is at the heart of everything we do is paramount. This is the “golden rule” that reigns in the daily lives of caregivers – serving faithfully to create an experience that reflects the care we would want to receive if we were the patient.

Integrity is an integral part of compassionate healthcare. That’s why the core value of acting honestly is a top priority, including efforts toward transparency in pricing. Patients nationally voice concerns about the burden of unexpected costs, and Baylor Scott & White works aggressively to help patients navigate copay and out-of-pocket costs and make payment arrangements that are straightforward and up-front. While perfecting the healthcare industry’s costs for services will not happen overnight, Baylor Scott & White believes that honest communication with each patient is unquestionably a first step. Subsequently, having physicians, nurses and technicians lead the way in using accountable, evidence-based, value-driven methods to alleviate unnecessary, and often costly, testing and treatment helps assure the patient receives the right care at the right time and at the right cost.

If a person or organization thinks being the best is good enough, there’s a good chance of never reaching full potential. No matter how many awards and how much progress BSW – Hillcrest achieves, there’s always room for improvement. It’s with that mindset, to never settle, that we ceaselessly reach for new technology, new methods and improved processes to be the area leader in comprehensive healthcare. This is not possible without a commitment to teamwork. Each member of the BSW – Hillcrest family brings important knowledge and expertise to the table. Internally, a “huddle system” process is hardwired into the culture whereby teams of employees gather daily to discuss challenges and opportunities and assure each voice is heard. This “we’re in it together” mentality cultivates a culture of continuous improvement. Externally, community outreach is enhanced through the partnership with the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, which helps grow, develop and enhance our area’s health, education, and business and financial strength. By joining forces with other business entities, we help each other grow stronger and bolster Waco’s economic growth and development. As we have turned the corner into the next century of our healing ministry, we are in it together for Waco and surrounding communities. Strictly adhering to the organization’s mission and purpose while exercising core values and beliefs is requisite to sustaining a strong culture during crises like our healthcare industry has faced throughout the 2020 – 2021 COVID-19 pandemic, and Baylor Scott & White has focused on servant leadership during this turbulent time.

Nurses and other frontline healthcare workers at Baylor Scott & White – Hillcrest are proudly encouraging their friends and families to help curb the COVID-19 crisis by being inoculated as vaccines become available to them.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responded to the call for the rapid development of diagnostic tests by clinical laboratories and allowed laboratories to begin using their locally-developed tests (LDTs) before FDA clearance. At the time, a Baylor Scott & White Health laboratory was one of only four independent clinical labs in the U.S. chosen by the Luminex Corporation to perform validation studies on LDTs for automated, rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – the virus that causes COVID-19 – using the ARIES® System. Baylor Scott & White’s validation test demonstrated that high complexity laboratories using the ARIES® System could immediately add novel coronavirus diagnostic testing to their testing menus. This work was important to help address soaring demand for tests and allow equipped laboratories to produce results quickly.

Since the start of the coronavirus’ impact on our state, Baylor Scott & White has been deploying resources to help identify COVID-19 positive patients before they reach hospitals. An in-house digital health team worked with Baylor Scott & White laboratories and clinical leaders to make available a free online screening questionnaire for anyone with questions or concerns about risk of exposure. The MyBSWHealth app provides an easy way to send notifications that someone should seek additional evaluation and provides options for next steps. For example, patients can conduct eVisits with providers on the app or online at My.BSWHealth.com. If a provider advises testing for COVID-19, specimen collection can be arranged at one of our drive-through specimen sites. Baylor Scott & White was one of the first private health systems in the nation to mobilize this effort for all, rather than for select groups such as first responders. As a result, it is believed that we diagnosed one-third of the state’s cases during March 2020. By March 2021, our system has conducted more than 377,000 screenings and 82,000 eVisits.

By May 2020, Baylor Scott & White launched an at-home monitoring program through the app that helps support patients diagnosed with mild COVID-19 as they recover in isolation at home. This has allowed more than 56,000 Texans with mild symptoms to be evaluated outside of Baylor Scott & White clinics and emergency departments – further ensuring that hospitals are ready for those who most need hospitalization. Baylor Scott & White also expanded digital tools that were already available pre-COVID-19, and quickly became one of our nation’s top telehealth providers in a matter of weeks following the virus’ onset.

The Baylor Scott & White McClinton Cancer Center is the Waco region’s most comprehensive, freestanding cancer facility.

The Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Marketplace Clinic is the newest of nine off-campus facilities Baylor Scott & White has serving the Waco region.

Baylor Scott & White’s culture always places the health, safety and wellbeing of our own frontline employees as a priority. Our healing ministry can best serve patients, families and local communities who are depending on us if the healthcare team is strong. A robust self-care program is part of the culture and the language long-term. Employees are encouraged to take time away to rest and recharge, and resources are available ranging from spiritual and behavioral health hotlines to an employee assistance program and tips on topics like eating healthy at work, staying hydrated, encouraging others to step away when needed and take five minutes for deep breaths, water and a few moments of peace.

This outdoor dining area at Baylor Scott & White – Hillcrest is an example of hospital’s modern and soothing amenities available to patients and guests alike.

From 1903, when a hospital that “could care for the community” was envisioned by our Baptist forefathers, through today, Baylor Scott & White – Hillcrest has remained focused on serving Waco and surrounding communities and strengthening central Texas. Our heritage, and our contribution to the Baylor Scott & White Health system, is unquestionably richer because of the innate goodness and support coming from Waco and Central Texas residents. The past century has certainly been blessed, and we are poised to continue growing with our local communities for the century to come.