The Friendswood Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the arrival of Friendswood Community Hospital, the city’s first hospital, with festivities that included live performances from Clear Lake and Friendswood High School students, a helicopter flower petal drop, and a wide spread of food. The event also featured a major announcement: a $100,000 teacher’s fund dedicated to supporting educators in both Friendswood ISD and Clear Creek ISD. Dr. Suchmor Thomas, the hospital’s founder, was joined by family, friends, clients, employees, Chamber members, the Ambassadors Team, Friendswood EMS, and numerous city officials to mark the occasion.
For generations, Friendswood residents have had to travel outside city limits to receive inpatient medical care. While the city has long had urgent care, pediatric clinics, primary care offices, and emergency rooms, it has never had a hospital within its borders.
Dr. Thomas, an emergency care physician, is changing that with the opening of Friendswood Community Hospital, a $25 million microhospital located at 3201 FM 528 in a former Walgreens building. Construction began in late 2023, with operations expected to ramp up by late 2024.
“Recent additions like Dr. Thomas’ facilities and the hospital enhance the landscape, promoting potential further development to ensure health care accessibility and quality for all Friendswood residents,” said Friendswood Deputy City Manager Steven Rhea.
Friendswood Community Hospital will offer a range of specialized medical services more commonly associated with the Texas Medical Center in Houston. These include emergency care with targeted wait times of less than five minutes, cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, internal medicine, orthopedics, and radiology. The hospital will be staffed by more than 25 physicians, 40 registered nurses, and 75 ancillary medical professionals, with facilities that include 12 ER beds, three critical care beds, and five inpatient beds.
Beyond health care access, the hospital is expected to play a major role in the community’s growth. Dr. Thomas said the project will bring more than 100 jobs to Friendswood, allowing more residents to both live and work locally. In addition, the facility is projected to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual property tax revenue, though exact figures have yet to be finalized.
The hospital will be located within a 10-minute drive of nearly 90,000 people—a number expected to grow by 2.8% in the next five years.
Dr. Thomas said he hopes the hospital will not only improve access to medical care but also strengthen the city’s identity as a place where residents can both live well and stay well. Friendswood Community Hospital is now welcoming tours. For more information, call 281-767-4357 or visit www.friendswoodhospital.com.
For details on Chamber of Commerce networking opportunities, call 281-482-3329, email info@friendswoodchamber.com, or visit www.friendswoodchamber.com.
