Hospital in Clear Lake area prepares to expand

Clear Lake Regional Medical Center said Monday it will spend nearly $92 million to expand and renovate its 595-bed hospital in Webster.

The construction project, set to break ground this summer, will include a new 154,470-square-foot patient tower and renovations to the Women's and Children's Center.

The work is expected to take about two years.

Retaining doctors

Randy Gross, chief operating officer, said he hopes the expansion will help retain and attract physicians, as well as draw patients who live in the Clear Lake area who otherwise might seek care elsewhere.

"We're committed to being a full-service provider," he said.

The HCA-owned Clear Lake Regional Medical Center provides inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty services, including neonatal intensive care and open-heart surgery.

The hospital, which employs 1,700 people and has a medical staff of more than 600, has been around since 1972.

A three-level addition

Architecture firm Perkins  + Will is designing the four-story building, which will include operating and recovery rooms and a 20-bed adult Intensive Care Unit. Plans allow for a three-level addition to the structure.

A general contractor has not been named.

In addition to the new building, the project includes nearly 80,000 square feet of renovations to other parts of the facility, which is at 450 Medical Center Blvd. The improvements include an upgraded Women's and Children's Center with new birthing suites, a new newborn nursery and private patient rooms.

Economic boost

Besides improving services, the hospital's expansion also is important to the region's economy, said Bob Mitchell, president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership.

"It indicates to businesses and site selectors who are considering this area for growth or relocation that our economy is more than capable of supporting this kind of expansion, not only for the medical center but for them, as well," he said in a statement.

Since 2007, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center has invested $164 million in projects to expand and renovate its facility, including a $55  million heart and vascular hospital.

nancy.sarnoff@chron.com