The Seton Family of Hospitals of Austin, Texas, and the LHP Hospital Group of Plano, Texas, have formed a joint venture to build a $100 million hospital in Harker Heights, Texas.
The partners plan to break ground on the 83-bed Seton Medical Center Harker Heights in the next several months. It will provide women's services, cardiology, surgical services, oncology, neurosurgery, intensive care and other acute services. It will have an emergency center and medical office building. The campus will open in late 2012.
Seton will have 50 percent representation on the board and a 20 percent stake in the medical center, with LHP controlling the remaining stake. LHP will manage Seton Medical Center Harker Heights.
Thomas Gallagher is the senior vice president of business development for the Seton Family of Hospitals. He said that entering into this joint agreement enables Seton to extend the Catholic health ministry into this fast-growing central Texas area without having to put up all of the capital. Seton Medical Center Harker Heights will be a Catholic facility that maintains the same charity care practices of Seton's other facilities.
Gallagher mentioned that the addition of this medical center is part of an Ascension Health plan to expand its presence between Austin and Waco, Texas. This facility will be about halfway between those cities. St. Louis-based Ascension Health is the parent of Seton.
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