As Harris Health embarks on its $2.9 billion capital facilities initiative, part of its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, a significant pillar of the plan is construction of a new Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital that will benefit the residents of northeast Harris County, and has the potential to affect millions counting on vital regional trauma services in southeast Texas.
The new $1.6 billion LBJ Hospital replaces the existing structure with a state-of-the-art facility with nearly double the number of hospital beds. Opening with 390 private patient rooms and a potential build-out of 60 additional private rooms, the hospital promises great things for residents.
“The new hospital will be built on the current campus, while keeping the current LBJ Hospital open during the entire process,” says Patricia Darnauer, executive vice president and administrator, LBJ Hospital, Harris Health. “It’s important that we keep the existing hospital open to serve the community during the construction process.”
In addition to constructing the new hospital, Harris Health will invest $400 million into the existing facility once the new LBJ Hospital opens in 2028. The investment also means the existing structure can still serve the community with services such as inpatient mental health and rehabilitation and physical medicine.
“After reviewing our locations across the area and the condition of our resources, a new strategic plan was put into place,” Darnauer says of how Harris Health determined its facilities plan. “Due to population shifts occurring in Harris County, where we aren't physically present, a revitalization of the existing facilities and the development of new sites of care were needed.”
A far-reaching positive impact of the new hospital is its ability to become a Level I trauma center. Pending a rigorous accreditation process by the American College of Surgeons and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, a new Level I trauma center at LBJ Hospital would become only the third such adult facility in greater Houston, and first outside of the Texas Medical Center.
“We will likely be a Level III trauma center on day one, but build it as a Level I trauma capable hospital meaning we're constructing it with additional and necessary capabilities,” Darnauer said. “We plan to offer services such as interventional cardiology, comprehensive stroke care and neurologic intervention. Harris County, unfortunately, is underserved in its trauma access for patients. Our current capabilities as a Level III means there are patients we know we cannot effectively treat. By designing the hospital to have those new interventional services, we will be able to give patients the care they need more quickly and have a more positive health outcome.”
Harris Health’s strategic facilities plan addresses the growing health care needs of the community, population shifts and better aligns its services for the uninsured and the most vulnerable residents of Harris County for decades to come.
In Harris County, 1 in 4 residents is uninsured — equating to nearly 1.2 million residents potentially needing Harris Health services. To complicate matters more, the number of uninsured residents is expected to grow to more than 1.5 million by 2050.
Because both Harris Health hospitals — Ben Taub Hospital and LBJ Hospital— currently operate at 90%-100% daily occupancy, additional hospital beds are urgently needed. An optimal level of occupancy is 85% or less to more effectively offer medical care. Under the facilities plan, LBJ Hospital goes from 215 current beds (mostly double occupancy rooms) to 390 private patient rooms. Additionally, plans call for 120 new private patient rooms on the Ben Taub Hospital campus, adding to its current total of 402 beds.
To help Harris Health with its long-term facilities plan, the system has requested a $2.5 billion bond proposal from Harris County Commissioners Court. If approved by the court, the item would be placed on the upcoming ballot during the November election.
Aside from a new LBJ Hospital, the strategic facilities plan includes:
- $400 million to make renovations to the existing LBJ Hospital.
- $500 million toward improvements at existing community clinics and the opening of new community clinics in underserved parts of the county.
- $400 million to make renovations at Ben Taub Hospital.
“Harris Health is on a journey to balance the inequality of health care and issues that currently arise across the community and especially for the population that we serve. It’s immensely important for us to consider taking these steps for the future, understanding that it's not just for today, but for tomorrow and for future generations,” says Aown Syed, vice president, operations, LBJ Hospital, Harris Health. “This facilities plan will allow us to move further to help support our patients and their families beyond what we are doing currently. The key thing about LBJ Hospital is that we are very family oriented. This is how we operate and how we've been from day one, and how we will continue to be.”
