North Texas’ second burn center to Medical Center of Plano

PLANO – The Medical Center of Plano plans to open the first burn center in Collin County and the second in North Texas. The $10 million addition will make use of existing space in the hospital, with many areas simply repurposed from existing facilities.

The roughly 20,000-sf Burn and Reconstructive Center of Texas at Plano Medical Center will include two operating rooms, an eight-bed burn intensive care unit, ten ICU step-down beds for inpatient care and a six-room outpatient burn clinic.

Charles Gressle, CEO of the Medical Center of Plano, said the center will cater to patients from not only the immediate area but also surrounding states. He said the addition, along with Parkland’s existing facility, will make the entire North Texas region known for its excellent burn care facilities.

Dr. Fred Mullins, who will be president of the burn center upon its opening, said the facility will not only offer acute burn care but also reconstructive care — something that not all burn centers offer in-house.

Gressle said the center will also bring an economic impact to the city, with 40 to 50 nurses expected to be hired to staff the facility.

The Medical Center of Plano is a Level II Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center. Opened in 1975, it is the oldest hospital in Collin County.