By Edmond Ortiz
Methodist Healthcare aims to bolster its footprint in the South Texas Medical Center with the recent opening of a women’s services and midwifery clinic, while the organization’s nonprofit arm plans to develop a hotel to serve area patients, caretakers and medical employees.
Midwifery services grow
Methodist Hospital officials and staff gathered June 25 to formally celebrate the launch of Methodist Physicians | Women’s Services and Midwifery Clinic at 4458 Medical Drive, Suite 705.
According to a press release, this facility – the second local midwifery clinic opened by Methodist Healthcare this year – is designed to provide comprehensive, personalized maternity care for women and families across South Texas.
This move, Methodist Healthcare representatives said, is part of a larger effort by Methodist Hospital to provide women with more choices throughout pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum recovery, and lifelong women’s healthcare.
The practice of midwifery blends personalized, relationship-centered approach of certified nurse midwives with the state-of-the-art resources available through Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital, the release stated.
Methodist Healthcare officials said patients here receive care from certified nurse midwives working with obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, nurses, and neonatal experts.
“At Methodist Healthcare, we are continually looking for ways to meet the evolving needs of the families we serve,” Rachel Goldsmith, CEO of Methodist Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services, said in a statement.
“Every family deserves access to care that meets their unique needs and preferences. By bringing hospital-based midwifery services to Methodist Hospital, we are expanding access to compassionate, personalized maternity care while providing the confidence that comes from delivering within a system equipped to care for the most complex maternal and newborn needs.”
Methodist Healthcare officials said the organization is placing emphasis on certified nurse midwives, who extend comprehensive prenatal, labor and delivery, postpartum, and women’s health services, with a focus on education, shared decision-making, and personalized support.
“Midwifery care is rooted in education, partnership and empowering women throughout their pregnancy and lifespan,” Jana Sullivan, certified nursing midwife and women’s services director, said in a statement.
“Our collaborative model allows patients to benefit from the personalized care of certified nurse midwives while having immediate access to obstetric physicians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and advanced hospital resources whenever needed.”
Ministry Park to help patients, supporters, staff
Methodist Healthcare Ministries announced plans June 11 to build Ministry Park, a hotel complex that will host affordable lodging for patients and families traveling long distances for specialized medical care unavailable in their home communities.
According to a press release, Ministry Park will be located on a 16-acre tract between Wurzbach Road, and Floyd Curl and Medical drives.
Ministry Park will be developed in two phases. Phase I will involve construction of a 250-room dual-branded Home 2 Suites and Hilton Garden Inn.
Phase II will include a public park containing 15,000 square feet of public, accessible green space, including a 2,400-square-foot central lawn for gatherings of up to 150 people, a shaded arrival plaza, nature exploration areas, a rain garden, a water feature, and a boardwalk. An additional streetscape at the entrance along Wurzbach Road would have shade trees.
Representatives with MHM said Ministry Park will help to address a critical need for affordable lodging for thousands of people who are referred to San Antonio-area medical facilities for specialized care, with such journeys often requiring extended, expensive stays.
MHM officials said a dedicated number of guest rooms will be offered at reduced rates – up to and including no cost – for eligible families of patients receiving care at Medical Center-area hospitals.
MHM officials added the Ministry Park hotel will emulate similar places such as the Ronald McDonald House and American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, which provide affordable, long-term lodging options for patients’ loved ones.
“This is an exciting development for the South Texas Medical Center that will create a place of restoration and hope for those traveling to the area for much needed care, as well as those working and living in the area,” Jaime Wesolowski, MHM’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Ministry Park will help make the Medical Center’s renowned services more accessible to patients and families traveling long distances for specialized care.”
MHM created MHM Realco, a faith-based, real estate company, to handle planning, development, and oversight of the Ministry Park property. The nonprofit is tentatively planning to hold an August 2026 groundbreaking ceremony to share a construction schedule and additional project details with the public.
“This is more than a real estate project, it’s a long-term investment in community health,” Christian Oviatt, MHM Realco’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are curating this property to create a place where patients, families, healthcare professionals, and the broader community can thrive.”
Richard Perez, San Antonio Medical Center Foundation president, said Ministry Park will prove beneficial in the Medical Center, which remains the city’s main hub of medical activity.
“The exceptional hospital and specialty care found in the South Texas Medical Center, combined with the unparalleled and rapidly expanding research have made the Medical Center an important center for compassionate healthcare, healing and discovery,” Perez said in a statement.
“The Ministry Park development will help fill that critical gap that still exists for affordable lodging for individuals and families facing therapy, treatment and recovery.”
