Demo Day at Baptist Medical Center

Downtown hospital begins renovations of Emergency Room, other hospital areas

(San Antonio – March, 2018) - Doctors, nurses and leaders at Baptist Medical Center wielded sledgehammers, donned hard hats and safety glasses Thursday to knock down walls, to kick off renovations that will transform the Emergency Department and many other hospital areas to improve patient experience and care at the downtown hospital.

More than 18,000 feet of square footage is being renovated across the first floor of the hospital at an investment totaling more than $9.5 million dollars. Areas being renovated include the emergency room, Dallas Street hospital entrance, and Seymour Street hospital entrance.

Baptist Medical Center has one of the busiest ERs in San Antonio, seeing more than 3600 patients each month. Renovations to the ER will create 3 dedicated treatment spaces:

• A separate entrance and treatment area for walk in patients will give downtown visitors and residents the experience of a freestanding emergency department with the same immediate access to medical and surgical specialties, if needed.
• The current ER entrance will be used exclusively for patients arriving via EMS as well as transfers from facilities for patients needing a higher level of care.
• There will be 5 dedicated behavioral health treatment rooms.

Baptist Medical Center is the oldest continuously operating hospital in San Antonio, serving San Antonio and the downtown community since 1903. These changes will provide state-of-the-art care for some 700,000 patients in the hospital’s primary service area consisting of downtown and the surrounding areas. These needed enhancements represent a renewed commitment to the downtown medical community and are the result of a careful assessment of evolving trends in healthcare delivery.