Emergency Department renovation, expansion to benefit patients, community

(San Antonio, TX) - Doctors, nurses, EMS first responders and leaders at St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital in the Medical Center donned hard hats and wielded sledgehammers this spring as they knocked down walls in their Emergency Department to kick off $18 million in renovations. These upgrades will transform 5,500 square feet of space into a newly modernized ED that will help reduce wait times for patients, further advance stroke patient treatment in association with the hospital’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, and meet the growing demand for immediate and outstanding emergency care in the Medical Center area.

St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital, located at 7930 Floyd Curl Drive, has one of the busiest EDs in San Antonio, seeing more than 1,600 patients each month.

Renovations to the ED will include:

• Addition of two additional EMS bays to total four EMS bays
• Addition of three ED beds to total 10 beds
• Addition of eight Medical-Surgical patient beds to total 41 Med-Surg beds
• Addition of “Right Care, Right Place” Rooms to total three Right Care, Right Place rooms
• (Right Care, Right Place rooms ensure a patient is placed in the most suitable room in the hospital tailored to his/her specific medical needs).
• New, more spacious, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing waiting area

Vicki Gulczewski, CEO of St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital, said the enhancements represent Baptist Health System’s continued commitment to the Medical Center community and are the result of a careful assessment of evolving trends in health care and emergency care delivery.

“We are proud to make improvements that will benefit our neighborhood’s most vulnerable patients – those in need of emergency care,” Gulczewski said. “Our patients deserve immediate care close to home in a modern, safe and high-quality environment. We are meeting that need,” she said. Renovations are scheduled for completion in May 2026.