Methodist Healthcare has officially put shovels in the ground on a new 11,175-square-foot freestanding emergency room at 12479 U.S. Highway 90 in the Medina Valley area of San Antonio. The facility, set to be called Methodist ER | Medina Valley, is planned to operate 24 hours a day and treat both adult and pediatric patients. It will include 12 treatment rooms, an on-site laboratory, and CT and radiology imaging, and Methodist officials say it will function as an extension of Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills in an effort to cut down drive times for nearby residents.
Construction on the site began in March 2026 and is projected to wrap up by March 2027, according to News 4 San Antonio. “As our region continues to grow, so does the need for fast, reliable access to emergency care,” Megan Cool Amalakuhan, chief executive officer of Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills, said in a statement to the station. The health system told News 4 San Antonio that the Medina Valley facility will bring its total number of freestanding ERs in the area to 11.
What a freestanding ER means for patients
A freestanding emergency room is a full-service emergency center that sits apart from a traditional hospital campus but is designed to deliver the same level of emergency care, according to SAHealth. Methodist’s neighborhood ERs are built for fast access and shorter waits, with established transfer protocols for patients who need a higher level of hospital care. The idea is to keep lower acuity emergencies close to home while preserving hospital capacity for more complex cases.
Timeline and local reach
Methodist told News 4 San Antonio that ground was broken in March, with an anticipated opening around March 2027. At 11,175 square feet, the Medina Valley ER will be one of the larger neighborhood sites in the system and will feature advanced imaging and an on-site laboratory to speed up diagnostics. Because it operates as an extension of Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills, patients who require inpatient care will be transferred to the hospital under existing coordination protocols.
What residents should know about coverage and costs
Convenience is not the only factor to weigh. Methodist’s Texas pricing disclosure notes that “a facility or a physician providing medical care at this facility may not be a participating provider in the patient's health benefit plan provider network,” according to SAHealth. In practical terms, that means patients are encouraged to ask about network status and potential costs when it is safe to do so before seeking non life threatening care. More details on Methodist’s emergency room locations are available at SAHealth.
.jpg){kind=link}