Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital’s $167 million expansion is progressing on schedule and hospital officials April 3 ceremonially broke ground on several associated projects, including a third medical plaza, a parking garage and the expansion of the Emergency Center and OR. Jerry Ashworth, Memorial Hermann Katy CEO, also said that a new 40-bed medical/surgical acute care unit will open to patients later this week, bringing the hospital’s total bed count to 254.

“Today we recognize many months of planning and countless hours of preparation that have gone into this expansion and celebrate the tremendous opportunity to continue to grow alongside our flourishing community,” Ashworth said. “Our top priorities throughout this process have been to add ample physical space to accommodate more patients, and equally as important, to significantly grow our capabilities and specialty services to ensure our neighbors can access routine and complex healthcare needs close to home. As a result of this growth, we are also increasing our workforce and are actively filling several new positions here at the hospital.”

Updates provided included:

Parking Garage and Medical Plaza III

Upon completion, the parking garage will add more than 600 parking spaces on the west side of the campus, while Medical Plaza III will provide additional clinical office space for affiliated physicians. The projects are expected to be complete in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Emergency Center and Operating Room (OR) expansion

In Phase I, the Emergency Center, which serves as the Katy area’s only Level III trauma center, will double in size to 40,000 square feet and add additional treatment rooms, including two state-of-the-art trauma rooms, space for more CT scanners, upgraded equipment and more. Additionally, the project will add two operating rooms, with shell space to add up to four more. Phase II will include renovations to the existing Emergency Center. The estimated date of completion for both phases is the end of 2025.

6 East opens on April 5

A new 40-bed medical/surgical acute care unit located on the sixth floor of the East Tower opens on April 5. 6 East will serve a variety of patients, including those who are recovering from surgery or have an acute illness.

“This new unit could not have come soon enough. Our community has grown exponentially and 6 East will add patient capacity where we need it most,” Vivien Bond, chief operating officer at Memorial Hermann Katy chief operating officer, said. “Every detail, from a new nursing care model focused on personalized care to the thoughtful design of the unit, was developed with our patients and their families in mind.”

5 East to add 40 more beds

Construction also is underway on a 40-bed immediate care unit (IMU) on the fifth floor of the East Tower. An IMU is a step down from intensive care but provides more advanced care than the medical/surgical acute care unit. 5 East is projected to open later this year and will increase the hospital’s bed count to nearly 300.

Other projects in the works or expected to commence soon include a major overhaul of Women’s Services, including relocating the nursery, doubling the number of obstetrical emergency rooms and adding labor and delivery rooms, a cesarean section suite and four neonatal intensive care unit rooms. Additionally, expansion is planned for the cardiac catheterization lab, food services spaces, the Rockets Sports Medicine Institute at Memorial Hermann Sports Park-Katy and the Memorial Hermann Breast Care Center.

The expansion is also adding job opportunities, both clinical and administrative. Qualified candidates can learn more at the website memorialhermann.org/careers/. The hospital is also looking to bring on additional volunteers. For more information, visit the website memorialhermann.org/locations/katy/volunteer.

For more information on Memorial Hermann Katy, call 713-222-CARE (2273) or visit memorialhermann.org.