ICYMI, St. David’s invests to expand

This past Friday, St. David’s HealthCare announced that it would be investing more than $275 million in the region over the next two years. That money will help pay for a new $135 million hospital in North Austin, a $20 million investment in a new Leander hospital and expansions of St. David’s Medical Center and St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. According to a press release about the investment, the new hospital will have “40 patient rooms, including 12 VIP rooms; 10 operating rooms; a six-bed intensive care unit (ICU); and an emergency department, in addition to other hospital, clinical and support functions” and is expected to create more than 150 jobs in the first five years. St. David’s has also acquired 52 acres of land in Leander, with plans to eventually bring a full-service hospital to the area, and will expand its medical center with a $70 million investment and its south medical center with $50 million in funds. The release notes that the investment “will be paid for out of St. David’s HealthCare operations. No debt will be incurred by the healthcare system, and because of St. David’s HealthCare’s business model, no philanthropic dollars will be used to support the project.”