Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital celebrates 20 years of serving the community
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital opened in March 1998 with 22 beds and 160 employees - but it soon became evident that the rapidly growing community needed more.
“The strategy at the time was to offer a few services locally and provide a gateway to Houston Methodist in the medical center,” said CEO Chris Siebenaler. “But it became clear early on that our community had higher expectations. People in Fort Bend wanted a full-service hospital close to home, one that could provide the same level of care as hospitals in the medical center.”
Since then, Houston Methodist Sugar Land has continued to expand its physical footprint and the range and breadth of its offerings.
“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, Houston Methodist Sugar Land has become part of the community, providing the highest quality health care across a wide range of specialties,” Siebenaler said. “The hospital has achieved multiple Fort Bend County medical firsts, and developed centers of excellence – cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosciences and women’s services which are well-established leaders, performing the most complex, sophisticated procedures and treating patients from across Fort Bend and surrounding counties.”
The hospital’s campus now includes three patient towers that hold 347 medical, surgical and intensive care beds along with 27 operating rooms; a stand-alone orthopedics and sports medicine facility and Cancer Center; comprehensive Heart & Vascular Center, Neuroscience & Spine Center and Breast Care Center; an expanding Childbirth Center and three medical office buildings.
The growth of the hospital mirrors the rapid population growth in Fort Bend. In 1998, the county was home to around 332,000 people. Twenty years later, that population has more than doubled.
As a result, in its first year, the hospital treated fewer than 7,000 patients. In 2017, more than 225,000 patients were treated at Houston Methodist Sugar Land.
“Our growth is driven by the needs of our community,” Siebenaler said. “As the population has grown and changed, and our service area has expanded, we’ve continued to invest in facilities, technology and people to ensure that we are providing the types of services and level of care that are needed. That will never change.”
In 2017 Houston Methodist Sugar Land received official designation as a Magnet® hospital from the American Nurses Credentialing Center—the highest and most respected national recognition for nursing excellence. Only 7 percent of U.S. hospitals are Magnet certified, and Houston Methodist Sugar Land is the only Magnet hospital in Fort Bend.
“What sets us apart from other hospitals are our I CARE values – integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence,” Siebenaler said. “Those I CARE values define our behaviors and how we care for people every day – our patients, families and even each other.
Siebenaler said that the hospital’s milestone anniversary is both an opportunity to celebrate and a springboard for new ideas. For example, one focus is identifying unique ways to increase the amount of care delivered outside of the traditional hospital setting.
“Medicine is always evolving and we’re going to evolve with it,” Siebenaler said. “We’ll continue to get better at what we do and improve our ability to provide the most up-to-date care and technology possible. It’s exciting to think about what the next 20 years may bring.”
For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 to find a doctor in your area. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.