PORTLAND, Texas — Driscoll Children's Hospital has purchased approximately 140 acres in Portland, Texas, for a new healthcare campus — a development years in the making aimed at bringing comprehensive medical services to residents on the north side of the Harbor Bridge.
Former Portland Mayor Cathy Skurow announced the land acquisition at the city's State of the City address.
"I'm proud to say that Driscoll Children's Hospital finally closed on 140, approximately 140 acres in Portland, Texas for a healthcare campus," Skurow said.
The project is designed to address a longstanding gap in medical access for North Bay Area residents, who have historically had to cross the Harbor Bridge to reach doctors and medical facilities.
Portland City Manager Randy Wright said the campus will serve a wide range of patients.
"We're talking about a number of disciplines that a full range of people could use, not only pediatric but all the way up to geriatric services, and we wanna provide a wide range of medical services for people in the North Bay Area," Wright said.
Plans for the 140-acre development could include medical office buildings, a freestanding emergency room, and outpatient surgical facilities. Beyond medical services, planners envision the campus also featuring commercial properties, hotels, and senior living facilities.
Wright said the project is also expected to create jobs and educational opportunities.
"Everything we do is to try to bring new people, new jobs to the area, so this new campus will not only provide services for our residents, it'll also provide jobs and it'll also provide some potentially some clinical experience for some of our schools in the areas that have medical associated programs," Wright said.
For people who work in Portland, the development is welcome news. Rena Firestone, manager of City Chix Boutique, said easy access to local medical care would make a real difference for the community.
"Driving over the bridge, it's not something that people like to do all the time, so for them to be able to do that and stay here in Portland is good," Firestone said.
City officials say there is no concrete timeline yet, but they are moving as quickly as possible on the project to serve Portland's growing community.
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