New O’Quinn Medical Tower Offers Advanced in a Patient-Centered Environment

By Doug Lawson, PhD, CEO of St. Luke’s Health

Continuing our expansion efforts across Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center McNair Campus, we are proud to announce the grand opening of our new 12-story  O’Quinn Medical Tower in Mid-may. In this unique and modern environment, the communities we serve can now receive some of the most compassionate, patient-centered health care services in the region. 

Not only is the new building visually impressive and aesthetically beautiful, but it also offers patients advanced-care in one convenient location that we hope will help promote health and healing for generations to come. 

Inside the Tower

The $426 million O’Quinn Medical Tower at McNair, which employs 300 employees, physicians and support staff from a wide range of essential services and specialty areas, represents a significant investment in the health and well-being of our community. Patients will have access to the following:

• Ambulatory Surgery Center. Relocated from our Fannin Tower, the expanded Center is located on the fourth floor of the O’Quinn Medical Tower. Home to 12 state-of-the-art operating rooms, 10 new endoscopy suites and expert surgical staff, the new Center hosts a variety of same-day surgical interventions.

• Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Spanning five floors, the Cancer Center is one of only three in Texas designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. In addition to conducting groundbreaking cancer research, the Center features an 80-bay infusion room, more than 70 exam rooms, and the very latest imaging technology, such as the SIM CT, and linear accelerators.

• Endoscopy and IR. The third floor offers expert care for patients with a range of GI needs and also supports interventional radiology, central sterilization and pharmacy services.

• Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center. Early breast cancer detection has been saving more lives than ever during recent years. We’re helping to lead this trend by offering some of the most sophisticated breast health technology available. For example, our new Breast Center has the 3 Tesla MRI for advanced diagnostic breast imaging, along with other technology designed to help better detect and diagnose breast cancer. 

• Office and Conference Spaces. At the top of the Tower is an expanded conference center. Physician office spaces are just below the conference center, keeping the lower floors dedicated to patient care.

• Pain Center. The Pain Center gives patients hope for chronic pain conditions. A variety of specialists work together to diagnose and manage pain using medication, exercise, therapy and other solutions tailored to each patient’s individual needs.

Patient Experience Matters

White coat syndrome—when a person’s blood pressure only raises during a visit to the doctor—is real. We understand patients who turn to us for medical care can be nervous, so we want to help alleviate that discomfort. When you walk through the new O’Quinn Medical Tower at McNair you’ll feel as if you’re inside a comfortable, calming, spa-like environment, not the cold, sterile medical centers of yesterday.

During the Tower’s planning and development stages, we gathered insight from patient focus groups. This exercise taught us how to design a more pleasant experience, whether you’re having infusion therapy or receiving a knee replacement. We created areas filled with natural lighting and balcony gardens to bring in the soothing elements of the outside world. Patients who visit our Breast Center for imaging can change into soft, luxurious robes and place their own clothing and valuables in secure lockers. Our goal is to always give you the VIP treatment, as if you were family.

The Tower also makes getting care from different departments a lot more convenient. Services are grouped in areas where they make the most logistical sense, often on the same floor. This strategy is helpful for patients who need to see multiple specialists during a single visit. Other services will continue to operate at our existing hospital, including orthopedic and inpatient rehabilitation services. Baylor College of Medicine physicians also use the existing tower for clinical office space. Additionally, there’s plenty of parking—including a new parking garage—and easy access to Highway 288.

We Just Keep Growing

The Tower stands next to Texas Medical Center’s 37-acre Helix Park campus. Texas Medical Center’s Dynamic One building is so close to the O’Quinn Tower that the two buildings will eventually connect via a skybridge when Dynamic One opens. This is particularly exciting, as Baylor College of Medicine is Dynamic One’s anchor tenant, putting world-renowned research a mere building away. With immediate access to their skilled team of researchers, we anticipate our level of care will continue to grow.

For those of you who’ve been tracking us through the years, you’ll find the new O’Quinn Medical Tower is one more step toward our planned expansion and ongoing investment in helping our community get and stay healthy. Because people count on Baylor St. Luke’s Health for a modern, patient-friendly environment where health care experts provide excellent service while pushing medicine into the future.