FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marilyn K. Potts, APR, Public Relations/Marketing Specialist - (210) 575-0170

SAN ANTONIO, TexasHospital Makes Major Investment in the Downtown Area with Expansion of Women’s Services, Emergency Department, and Cardiology

Metropolitan Methodist Hospital announced on September 17 a $50 million expansion and renovation that ultimately will affect almost every area of the hospital.

Hospital officials announced that construction now is underway on the first phase of the project, the new 78,000-square-foot Metropolitan Methodist Women’s Pavilion. After the completion of the pavilion, the renovation will continue with an expansion of the emergency department, cardiology, and acute care beds to space vacated by women’s services. Hospital services will continue uninterrupted during the construction.

To commemorate the announcement, Mark Bernard, CEO of Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, presented four cases of diapers to three downtown charities that help babies and small children: Any Baby Can, Respite Care Services, and SAMM Ministries.

“Our expansion and renovation is an investment in the health care of the people who live and work in the downtown area,” said Bernard. “Though this area is home to many seniors, it is also home to growing families. Many of these families have limited financial resources, so having accessible health care services is important to them. We also are responding to a 35 percent increase in obstetrical admissions over the last two years. Area residents continue to consider Methodist facilities to be the best facilities to have their families, and we are glad to be able to accommodate them.”

With the opening of the new pavilion, the number of newborn babies who can be cared for each month at the hospital will increase from 250 to 450. Methodist Healthcare, through Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center, delivers more babies in San Antonio than any other area hospital system. Metropolitan Methodist staff and physicians deliver more than 3,000 babies a year.

The Metropolitan Methodist Women’s Pavilion will include seven antepartum beds, 16 labor-and-delivery suites, 48 postpartum beds, a 16-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a newborn nursery. The new facility features easy access for maternity patients with a dedicated drive-up entrance and separate admitting/registration in the new building. The new two-story Women’s Pavilion is being constructed on what previously was a surface parking lot just north of the hospital. Construction of the facility is expected to be complete in late 2005.

With the move of women’s services to the new Women’s Pavilion, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital will begin the second phase of construction, which includes an expansion of the emergency department in response to a community need for more emergency department beds. With the expansion emergency department, patient capacity will double from 12 beds to 24 beds and the square footage of the department will grow to four times its current size. In the cardiology department, beds in the cath lab will increase from 2 to 3 and cath lab recovery beds will increase from 2 to 6. Acute care beds will increase from 167 to 203. Also, a special orthopedics suite will be developed. Expected completion date for the entire project is late 2006.

Located at McCullough and Laurel, the 278-bed Metropolitan Methodist Hospital provides a complete range of health care services to San Antonio and the many neighborhoods and businesses in the area. In addition to supporting area charities and neighborhood projects, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital has provided more than $20 million in charity care to San Antonio and surrounding communities since 2001.

Opened in 1973 as Metropolitan General Hospital, the facility became part of Methodist Healthcare in 1995. It was the first hospital built using the multi-floor module system, the unique construction style made famous by the H.B. Zachry Company when constructing the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel during HemisFair.

The 16.5-acre hospital campus includes 280,000-square feet of office space with two parking garages that serve doctors’ offices as well as the hospital.