Houston, Texas, Nov. 3, 2017 – HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division announced today that, due to extensive damage from Tropical Storm Harvey, it will not reopen East Houston Regional Medical Center, a campus of Bayshore Medical Center, located at 13111 East Freeway, Houston, Texas 77015.
The hospital has been closed since all patients and staff were moved to safety two days before Harvey made landfall. Although it is equipped with flood gates designed to withstand three feet of water, East Houston Medical Center took nearly six feet of water during the storm.
The hospital is located in a low lying area, and prior to Harvey was severely damaged by flood waters in 2001 by Tropical Storm Allison as well as by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Given this history and the likelihood of future flooding problems, HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division has determined that the most prudent course is to close the facility.
Past patients of East Houston Regional Medical Center may obtain their medical records from Bayshore Medical Center and are encouraged to consider the hospital, located at 4000 Spencer Highway, for their healthcare needs. Physicians at East Houston Regional Medical Center have privileges to practice medicine at Bayshore Medical Center. HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division will continue to assist East Houston Regional Medical Center physicians interested in practicing medicine at Bayshore Medical Center and seeing their patients at the facility.
“For over 40 years, we have been treating patients at East Houston Regional Medical Center. Though the facility has been damaged in the past, we have rebuilt many times. We’ve endured three floods since 2000,” said Troy Villarreal, HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division president. “Our team looked at every potential option for continuing to treat patients at the facility. In the interest of safety, we have determined there was no way to continue operations at this current site. It’s just not the safest way forward for our patients or our employees. We remain committed to the East Harris County community, and encourage patients to seek care at our Bayshore Medical Center and Clear Lake Regional Medical Center facilities, both of which are close by.”
Management and human resources teams are working closely with East Houston Regional Medical Center employees to identify career opportunities in one of the 17 facilities within the HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division and throughout HCA.
HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division will work with a local realty firm to determine the future of the East Houston Regional Medical Center property.
About HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division
HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division is a comprehensive network of hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, emergency centers and diagnostic imaging facilities. It offers a complete continuum of specialized health programs and services that meet the needs of Greater Houston and South Texas’ residents and businesses. HCA Healthcare affiliated facilities in the Gulf Coast Division include: 17 hospitals, 9 ambulatory centers, 7 off-campus emergency centers, and a regional transfer center that provides one-phone-call access and support for patient transfers into and out of the HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division Affiliated Hospitals, as well as access to ground and air transportation within a 150-mile radius. For more information, visit online at www.hcagulfcoast.com.