YOUR HEALTH

by Jan Arrant

From Humble Beginnings

METHODIST RICHARDSON MEDICAL CENTER BECOMES A DESTINATION FACILITY

From its humble beginnings in 1963, Methodist Richardson Medical Center, known then as Spring Valley Hospital, has perhaps become more than its founding fathers ever could have imagined. Methodist Richardson now spans two campuses, offering highly specialized care that is drawing patients from across Texas and the country. “We’re proud to serve our communities and beyond,” said Methodist Richardson President Ken Hutchenrider, FACHE.

Let’s go back to see how it all started. In 1958, Richardson had about 15,000 residents. The city determined there was a growing need for a community hospital, which led to the creation of the Richardson Hospital Authority (RHA). Seven years later, Spring Valley Hospital opened with35 beds and 10 physicians. It later became Richardson General Hospital, but financiallosses forced the owners to sell. Seeing great opportunity, the city bought Richardson General in 1966.

Residential growth boomed in the 1960s and ’70s, prompting RHA to acquire 60 acres of land on Campbell Road for a new hospital. In 1975, with a budget of $9.7 million, they broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot facility. Named for a Dallas businessman, B.B. Owen Memorial Hospital opened two and a half years later.

The hospital thrived and continued under the direction of the Richardson Hospital Authority until 1993. That’s when it became an affiliate of the Baylor Health Care System and changed its name to Baylor Richardson Medical Center. That same year, the Cancer Center opened, along with a physician office building.

By the year 2000, Richardson was no longer a bedroom community, but rather a significant employment center thanks to the Telecom Corridor. In 2002, RHA bought 20 acres of land at the southeast corner of Renner Road and the President George Bush Highway. This tract of land seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but it would later become the bustling Bush/Renner campus.

There were more changes in 2003, when the 10-year affiliation with Baylor Health Care System ended. The facility was renamed Richardson Regional Medical Center. The name changed, but the growth continued, as the Physician Pavilion opened on the Bush/Renner campus in 2004, followed by the new Richardson Cancer Center and a new Emergency Department in 2008.

The following year, Richardson Regional joined the Methodist Health System, changing its name to what it is today, Methodist Richardson Medical Center. RHA officially sold the hospital to Methodist in 2011, ending the city’s 45-year ownership.

In April 2014, the all-new $120 million hospital opened at the intersection of George Bush and Renner Road. Within three years, the hospital was adding on again. An $85-million expansion in 2017 added two more patient care floors, a third cardiac catheterization lab and a ninth operating room.

The hospital has also added more specialties along the way, including advanced cardiovascular services and complex gastrointestinal services. In fact, in 2018, the Joint Commission awarded the hospital the Gold Seal of Approval for liver and pancreas cancer care. The designation was the first in the nation.

The growth continues this summer, as the hospital is set to break ground on a $45 million expansion to the emergency department, lab and pharmacy.

Hutchenrider added, “The focus of this hospital has always been about providing compassionate, quality healthcare for the communities we serve, and as those communities expand, we must be diligent to stay ahead of the healthcare curve.” •

Texas law prohibits hospitals from practicing medicine. The physicians on the Methodist Health System medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Health System.