Susan and Fayez Sarofim: Lifting Houston

Susan and Fayez Sarofim’s unprecedented gift paved the way for our new home of trauma and critical care.

Nearly seven million people. That’s the population of the Houston metropolitan area Memorial Hermann serves. Experts say that number could more than double, to 14 million, by 2050. So how does a hospital system that provides an elite level of critical care keep pace?

Part of the answer lies in finding a way to condense time and space, to deliver care without a single wasted motion. It’s no easy task. But, due in great part to an unwavering commitment from generous donors, Memorial Hermann is on the verge of opening a facility that will do exactly that.

Built to save time

When it opens in 2020, the Susan and Fayez Sarofim Pavilion will be home to the legendary Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann-TMC, one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in Houston, along with the John S. Dunn Burn Center, Memorial Hermann Life Flight® and other critical care services.

Its 17 stories add more than a million square feet to the hospital. The design of the space provides a logical, efficient flow from entrance – at street level or from the four-space roof helipad – to the 16 new emergency room bays, the 25 state-of-the-art surgical suites and the 148 new beds. Seven shelled floors can be customized to accommodate future needs.

Nothing left to chance

Planners analyzed specific health conditions to determine how to lay out the new space. Treating a comprehensive stroke patient, for example, requires the quickest door-to-balloon time. That led to the strategic placement of surgical suites.

Unprecedented donation

The September 24, 2018, topping-out ceremony provided an opportunity to thank the donors and bring them together with some of the medical professionals who provide trauma and critical care to Houston. The evening was a chance to recognize Susan and Fayez Sarofim in particular. The couple donated $25 million for the project, the largest gift Memorial Hermann has ever received. Susan worked tirelessly raising funds for the new tower, both in her capacity as chair of the Memorial Hermann Foundation board between 2015 and 2017, and when she passed along duties to Jim Postl, the new chair, who helped secure funding for the relocation of Life Flight to the pavilion.

Real-life reminder

The Sarofim Pavilion allows us to streamline the treatment process. It is also designed with family members in mind, who are so important to healing patients.” - Greg Haralson - Senior Vice President & CEO, Memorial Hermann-TMC

The ceremony itself included several planned activities, but one unplanned event drove home the importance of the new tower. A Life Flight helicopter carrying a critical care patient touched down in the middle of the celebration.