Employees and volunteers touted Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton’s growing footprint with a celebration that honored the past while ushering a new chapter of service. 

The Center for Women, which replaces the existing women’s center, opened July 26 as part of a $128 million expansion. The project is meeting growing healthcare needs in Denton and its surrounding areas.

“It’s a momentous time,” Jeff Reecer, president of Texas Health Denton, told employees gathered at a ceremony on July 13. “It’s a time to celebrate and be thankful.”

Texas Health Denton ushered a new era with a special tree planting ceremony.

“Trees can represent life and new beginnings,” reads a plaque dedicated to The Center for Women’s staff.

Reecer, employees and volunteers also buried a time capsule that included mementos from the former Center for Women. The time capsule is scheduled to be opened on July 26, 2042.

Ready to begin

Melissa Buffington, RT, (R), (M) (ARRT), Team Lead Mammographer at Texas Health Denton’s Breast Center, said she is impressed with every detail.

“We are loving every bit of this,” Buffington said.

The new tower was much anticipated by the hospital staff and Denton community.

“We are so excited,” said Melissa Winans, DNP, MBA-HCM, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, chief nursing officer for Texas Health Denton. “Our community is growing. The volume is only going to continue to grow. The housing that's coming into the market caters to families and we are looking forward to being able to serve them. What we are building will serve generations to come.”

The new Center for Women was planned with a focus on the comfort and convenience of new mothers and their families. Moms in Denton were included in the construction process, providing input on the design. The facility includes 12 labor and delivery rooms, 23 postpartum rooms, six antepartum beds and two surgical suites dedicated for cesarean deliveries.

Texas Health Denton’s expansion brings the latest in healthcare innovation and technology to the campus. Additions include new service areas, including an updated breast center, renovated spaces for Rehabilitation Services and Cardiac Rehabilitation and a new education center. The Emergency Department will bring 10 additional beds – raising the total at Texas Health Denton to 40.

This expansion project also includes a simulation lab with medical manikins that will allow for continued training of doctors, nurses and other caregivers. The life-like interactive manikins can be programmed to simulate healthcare scenarios such as a stroke or baby delivery. The manikins respond to caregivers, follow commands, talk and can even be programmed to cry in pain.

“It’s nice to see our hospital grow with Denton,” said Mylene Flores, R.T. (M) (ARRT), a mammographer at the Texas Health Denton Breast Center.