Houston Methodist Clear Lake Joins Centennial Celebration

August 1st, 2019

By Mary Alys Cherry

Houston Methodist is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, so its CEO, Dr. Marc Boom, brought the celebration down to its Clear Lake hospital June 25 so its employees could join the party.

Houston Methodist Clear Lake CEO Dan Newman welcomed the crowd with the news that they expect to break ground for the hospital’s new $40 million medical office building later this year. It will provide space for the hospital to add 30 to 40 new physicians to its staff of some 650 physicians and 850 employees, he explained.

He also introduced the crowd to Houston Methodist’s mobile Centennial Wall depicting a history of the hospital system and those who made it the success it is today. It will be on display in the lobby of the main entrance for a month before moving on to another Houston Methodist hospital.

Dr. Boom then took the crowd back in history to 1900 when a certain Dr. Oscar Norsworthy moved to Houston and established his medical practice, which on Christman Eve 1905 included the delivery of a baby who became known as Howard Hughes. Yes, the Howard Hughes.

HOSPITAL BORN
A couple of years later, Dr. Norsworthy built an extension onto his home that contained 33 beds, so he could better care for his patients.

“If I’m going to take care of my patients, I need space to do that,” Dr. Norsworthy said.

Then in 1909, Dr. Norsworthy, wanting to explore the field of radium, sold his little hospital to the Methodist Church for about $35,000 on Dec. 31, 1909 on the condition that they modernize it. They did, Dr. Boom said, and “today Houston Methodist is worth $5 billion.”

In 1924, Dr. Boom continued his happy story, “the Methodists opened a 100-bed hospital and Methodist ministers served as CEOs.”

DeBAKEY JOINS STAFF
Medical giant and a pioneer in heart surgery Dr. Michael DeBakey joined the staff in 1948, and over the next 60 years helped put Houston Methodist “on the map” and be continually rated among America’s Best Hospitals. DeBakey called Houston Methodist “a hospital with a soul,” Dr. Boom said.

Today, despite “almost going belly up during the depression,” and suffering greatly from Hurricane Allison’s 2001 flooding and the flu epidemic of 1918 when 50 million people around the world lost their lives, Houston Methodist has eight hospitals, 2,000 beds, 24,000 employees and thousands of affiliated physicians and is looking forward to an even brighter future, Dr. Boom said as he concluded his remarks and went about shaking hands.

Afterwards, employees and members of the hospital’s Women’s Advisory Board lined up for punch and hors d’oeuvres as they shared historical stories with one another.

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Houston Methodist Clear Lake honored for stroke care

July 22nd, 2019

The American Heart Association recently recognized Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital for its excellence in stroke care.

Houston Methodist Clear Lake was awarded the AHA’s Get With The Guidelines/Gold Plus Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Quality Achievement Award – a national honor presented to hospitals that meet strict quality measures related to stro

ke diagnosis, treatment and care.

Because time is critical in stroke care, AHA’s Get With The Guidelines: Stroke program gives hospitals research-based guidelines for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients, reducing the possibility of disability or death and allowing for a faster, more complete recovery. The program also works to ensure that hospitals provide patients with education and assistance to manage their health and prevent recurrent stroke.

“This is a significant honor because it recognizes the ongoing efforts our physicians and staff make to improve the quality of care for stroke patients,” said Dan Newman, CEO of Houston Methodist Clear Lake. “The use of evidence-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes is making a significant difference in stroke care across the country, and we are committed to continuing to improve and enhance not just the immediate care we provide when a patient presents, but ongoing care and education to ensure that patients can resume a high quality of life following their stroke and minimize their future risks.”

To qualify for the honor, Houston Methodist Clear Lake met a variety of quality measures designed to reduce the time between a patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with alteplase, a clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator.

According to the AHA, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

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Houston Methodist Clear Lake plans new medical office building

June 1st, 2019

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital will begin construction soon on a six-story, 150,000-square-foot medical office building on land adjacent to its campus on NASA Pkwy. – the first phase in a multi-year expansion plan.

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital will begin construction soon on a six-story, 150,000-square-foot medical office building on land adjacent to its campus – the first phase in a multi-year expansion plan.

The $40 million medical office building will be home to Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Clear Lake as well as the hospital’s physical therapy facilities. The building’s upper floors will contain office and clinic space for physicians from a broad range of specialties.

“This is a significant milestone in our long-range expansion plans as we continue to grow to serve the Bay Area and surrounding communities,” said Houston Methodist Clear Lake CEO Dan Newman. “Over the next five years, we plan to add 30 to 40 new physicians to our hospital campus – across multiple specialties – and the new medical office building gives us the physical footprint we need to accommodate that growth.”

The building will be constructed on land that previously was part of the Nassau Bay Shopping Village in the 1800 block of Upper Bay Road. The hospital purchased that center in 2015. Construction is expected to begin in August and the building will open in 2021.

“This is the first major facility expansion we are undertaking since the hospital became part of the Houston Methodist system in 2014,” Newman said. “The strategic acquisition of the shopping center land in 2015 makes it possible for us to add facilities, bring in new physicians and expand our service offerings – today and in the future.”

As part of its phase one effort, the hospital also plans to demolish the existing Fuddruckers restaurant on NASA Parkway in Nassau Bay to make way for construction of a new, more visible entrance that will improve access. That project will also include enhanced signage to make it easier for patients and visitors to navigate the growing campus.

“We are already making plans for a second phase of construction that will include an expansion of the hospital itself,” said Newman. “It’s an exciting time for Houston Methodist Clear Lake.”

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Houston Methodist Clear Lake plans new medical office building

May 2nd, 2019

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital will begin construction soon on a six-story,
150,000-square-foot medical office building on land adjacent to its campus on NASA
Pkwy. – the first phase in a multi-year expansion plan.

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital will begin construction soon on a six- story, 150,000-square-foot medical office building on land adjacent to its campus – the first phase in a multi-year expansion plan.

The $40 million medical office building will be home to Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Clear Lake as well as the hospital’s physical therapy facilities. The building’s upper floors will contain office and clinic space for physicians from a broad range of specialties.

“This is a significant milestone in our long-range expansion plans as we continue to grow to serve the Bay Area and surrounding communities,” said Houston Methodist Clear Lake CEO Dan Newman. “Over the next five years, we plan to add 30 to 40 new physicians to our hospital campus – across multiple specialties – and the new medical office building gives us the physical footprint we need to accommodate that growth.”

The building will be constructed on land that previously was part of the Nassau Bay Shopping Village in the 1800 block of Upper Bay Road. The hospital purchased that center in 2015. Construction is expected to begin in August and the building will open in 2021.

“This is the first major facility expansion we are undertaking since the hospital became part of the Houston Methodist system in 2014,” Newman said. “The strategic acquisition of the shopping center land in 2015 makes it possible for us to add facilities, bring in new physicians and expand our service offerings – today and in the future.”

As part of its phase one effort, the hospital also plans to demolish the existing Fuddruckers restaurant on NASA Parkway in Nassau Bay to make way for construction of a new, more visible entrance that will improve access. That project will also include enhanced signage to make it easier for patients and visitors to navigate the growing campus.

“We are already making plans for a second phase of construction that will include an expansion of the hospital itself,” said Newman. “It’s an exciting time for Houston Methodist Clear Lake.”

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