HOUSTON (August 31, 2012)

New integrated-care model will offer a variety of one-stop healthcare services

In a move that will modernize healthcare delivery for the entire family, Memorial Hermann Health System announces it will break ground on the first-of-its-kind "Convenient Care Center."

This innovative facility is slated to open in the summer of 2012 and will provide one-stop, highly coordinated access to the vast array of Memorial Hermann services in a single location. The Center will specifically provide the greater Lake Houston area with primary care (adult and pediatric), specialty physicians, lab services, comprehensive radiology services, wellness, prevention, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and a 24-hour emergency room.

"The Convenient Care Center represents a new model of care for Memorial Hermann," said Dan Wolterman, CEO and President of Memorial Hermann. "It will fit perfectly with the clinically-integrated, patient-centered medical home service that we are creating to position Memorial Hermann for the future and to meet the healthcare needs for families in the Houston region for many years."

The $7.4 million, 30,000-square-foot Center is designed to take the stress out of scheduling appointments for routine health needs by offering families convenient options such as walk-in access, extended evening and weekend hours. For non-routine and more urgent needs, the Center will include a 24-hour, seven-day a week, state-of-the-art emergency department staffed by Memorial Hermann Northeast's board-certified emergency medicine physicians and emergency-trained nurses. Patients in need of higher levels of care would be transferred to Memorial Hermann Northeast, Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center, or Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

"We are excited to be the first Memorial Hermann hospital to open a Convenient Care Center," said Louis Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital.

"We are proud to bring this unique offering to the Atascocita/Summerwood/Fall Creek and surrounding areas.""The Center will be an added value for families in this area," Smith continued. "The doctors and nurses who will staff the Center are some of the same professionals who have provided high-quality care to numerous families in this area for many years. The Center also will be able to call on the region's top medical specialists and highly specialized services at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital."

The Center will be constructed west of West Lake Houston Parkway just off the Sam Houston Tollway East frontage road, directly in front of Summer Creek High School. A ground-breaking ceremony will be announced soon.