By Thayer Evans

For more than 10 years, Alvin has been trying to bring a new hospital to the city.
Those efforts started shortly after a hospital in the city closed in 1996. Since then, city leaders have been working to address the city’s medical needs.

“We always recognized that we had that void,” Mayor Gary Appelt said.

But with last week’s announcement that developers will spend $113 million to build a full-service, 86,000-square-foot hospital in the city, that void will soon be filled.

“This is long overdue,” Appelt said. “It’s just a tremendous deal and asset for the community. It’s going to change the face of Alvin.”

Rowland Companies Central and RC Healthcare Properties will build the hospital on 93 acres off Texas 35 and just north of FM 528. It will be managed and operated by Christus Health, which has more than 50 hospitals and long-term care facilities.

“This partnership will provide the citizens of Alvin with access to excellent care right in their own back yards,” said Patrick Carrier, president and chief executive officer of the Christus Health Gulf Coast region, in a news release.

The closest hospital for Alvin residents is 20 to 30 minutes away, Appelt said.

“When you have emergency-type situations, minutes count,” he said. “That’s life or death. To have something here, we deserve it. We need it.”

Besides medical care, the hospital will also have a significant impact on Alvin’s economy. It will initially create more than 275 jobs with average salaries of $45,000, Appelt said.

Over 10 years, the hospital will create 420 direct jobs and another 428 indirect jobs, which combined are projected to generate $441 million in salaries, he said.

Construction of the hospital is expected to start this summer or next fall, Appelt said. It should take 14 to 18 months to build, he said.

Instead of a tax abatement, the city has agreed to spend $3 million to $4 million on infrastructure, he said.