Hays County residents will soon have more convenient access to the services of the Seton Family of Hospitals with the opening of Seton Medical Center Hays at the corner of I-35 and Kyle Parkway in Kyle.

Hays county is experiencing of the Central Texas region's highest growth rates, with its population expected to grow from the present 130,000 residents to 185,000 in 2010, then climb to 285,000 by 2020. Located just five miles south of Austin in Kyle, Texas, (currently the fifth fastest growing city in Texas according the United States Census Bureau), SMCH is scheduled to open in late 2009. It will become the largest medical facility in the county and offer a full range of medical, surgical, diagnostic and maternity services.

In a recent ceremony, Bishop Gregory Aymond of the Diocese of Austin blessed the site. He was joined by area religious, business and city and county government officials.

"As a community ministry with more than 100 years of service to Central Texas, the Seton family has always considered it our responsibility to provide health care services to all the people of this region," Charles Barnett, President and CEO of Seton explained at the ceremony. "As Central Texas continues to grow, we have a responsibility to be accessible in Hays County and to provide the same level of care that is delivered throughout the Seton Family of Hospitals."

"We are proud that Seton and the City of Kyle have come together to create such a bright future, not only for Kyle, but also for Hays County," said Tom Mattis, Kyle City Manager. "Our City is the epicenter of the most significant growth corridor in Texas and we continue to demonstrate to potential developers that Kyle provides the best opportunity to reach the widest range of new people and customers. An exciting project of this scope, with such a reputable organization as Seton, will be a huge step forward in accomplishing our goal to become a full-service community where citizens can live, play and work."

Seton Medical Center Hays

The 307,000-square-foot facility will open with 112 beds in the first phase, with an additional 32 shelled beds ready for expansion as needed. Ultimately, the facility will have the ability to expand to approximately 210 beds.

Programs/Services

• Full-Service Emergency Department
• Cardiac Care Services including Open-Heart Surgery
• Digestive Care including Surgical Procedures
• Womens Services
• Labor & Delivery
• OB/GYN
• Level II Neonatal Nursery
• Critical Care Services
• Inpatient Medical Services including Oncology
• Full Range of Urology Services
• Surgical Care including Orthopedics
• Outpatient Therapies
• Diagnostic & Interventional Services

Campus/Facilities

• Medical Office Building
• Diagnostic/Imaging Center
• Outpatient Surgery Center
• 900,000-square-foot Retail Development

Seton Family Tree

A unique piece of art was handcrafted for the new facility by area local artist Joshua Farrell of Lockhart, who also is Plant Operations Manager for Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling. He has been creating metal sculptures for 16 years.

The 6 foot by 6 foot metal sculpture of an oak tree includes specially crafted leaves which were added to the artwork during the ground blessing ceremony by Hays County and Kyle City officials. It will be displayed at the new facility after it opens

To give you an idea of how grand the piece is, here's some of the work that went into it:

• 11 sketches
• 800 hand-cut, ground and welded leaves
• 300 square metal bars
• 5,000 hammer swings
• 480 pounds of sand for sandblasting
• 29 grinding/polishing wheels
• 15 cutting blades
• 150 arch welding rods
• 250 pounds - sculpture's approximate weight
• 7 individual copper and brass commemorative leaf sculptures for County and City representatives

Click here for photographs of the ceremony and the artwork. Area residents and anyone interested in ongoing information about Seton Medical Center Hays can follow its progress on it's location page.