Constructing Tomorrow's Healthcare

The North Texas Infrastructure Evolution

May 20, 2025

Healthcare Conference | Event Date: May 15, 2025

The North Dallas Chamber's Healthcare Conference concluded with a panel discussion on the evolution of healthcare infrastructure. Moderated by Laura Barnett of AXXESS, the discussion examined how North Texas is adapting its healthcare infrastructure to meet the demands of explosive population growth and technological advancements.

Key Takeaways

North Texas experiences extraordinary growth with 487 people moving to the region daily
Patient-centered design focuses on environmental control and evidence-based elements like natural light
Personalized medicine requires new facilities, with cell and gene therapies needing manufacturing spaces adjacent to patient care
Infrastructure challenges include energy needs and cybersecurity threats
Dallas ranks fourth nationally for clinical trials, behind only Boston, New York, and Houston

Building for Unprecedented Growth

Nearly 500 people move to Dallas-Fort Worth daily. "Over the course of the year, you're looking at an addition of a suburb, like an additional Garland," explained moderator Laura Barnett.

Steve Love, President and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, noted that North Texas was "the third fastest growing region of the United States" in 2024. With population approaching 8.3 million, hospitals have invested $3.9 billion in capital improvements over two years.

The economic impact is substantial: North Texas hospitals inject $38.4 billion into the economy annually.

Beyond Traditional Hospital Walls

Healthcare delivery is expanding beyond inpatient facilities. "A lot of healthcare has moved into the outpatient arena, to the home arena," Love observed. Construction now includes medical office buildings and urgent care centers.

Eric Danielson of NextPoint is transforming the former EDS headquarters in Plano into the Texas Research Quarter, a life sciences hub focused on commercial-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing.

"Our role is to provide commercial scalability for product manufacturing," Danielson explained. The development includes 1.6 million square feet of existing space with potential for 40 million additional square feet.

Evidence-Based Design for Patients

Healthcare facility design now emphasizes patient experience through scientific research. Jason Aboujeib of HDR highlighted evidence-based design principles focusing on natural light and patient orientation.

Most importantly, "What patients want is control over their environment," Aboujeib noted.

Steve Love provided an example: specialized sexual assault examination units that "look more like a home environment. It is warm, so that you can help the anxiety level of the person who's been sexually assaulted."

Infrastructure Realities

The 2021 Texas winter storm highlighted critical vulnerabilities. When marketing to pharmaceutical manufacturers, Danielson reported their top questions concern "power availability, water availability, what's your wastewater system."

North Texas has advantages: "the number one skilled manufacturing workforce in the state of Texas." However, electrical engineering and automation engineering remain constraints for biomanufacturing.

Cybersecurity Threats

Modern healthcare facilities face invisible challenges. "One ugly thing we still have to deal with is cybersecurity," Love warned.

He shared an example: "A hospital CEO said they were down for one month because the site was insecure. Even the radiology department couldn't function."

Barnett reinforced this with her experience of a hospital CEO who traveled to Dallas to purchase $17,000 worth of bitcoin as ransom after hackers locked electronic medical records.

"It is not a matter of if we're going to have problems like that, it's a matter of when," Danielson agreed.

The Personalized Medicine Revolution

Cell and gene therapies are creating facilities that blend healthcare spaces with pharmaceutical manufacturing. These therapies require proximity between patient care and production.

"What's unique about cell therapies is when cells are extracted from you before they get put back into your body, the proximity to having a patient immediately adjacent to how a therapy is produced is now really important," Danielson explained.

This creates facilities where traditionally separate functions operate under one roof. Companies are "seeing patients on the front end, doing blood draws, diagnostic work, modifying those cells inside their laboratory environment, and then putting those cells back into a single patient. They're doing all that in one place."

Dallas: A Clinical Trial Leader

North Texas has become a clinical trial powerhouse. "Dallas is an amazing place because of that growing population, because of the diversity across that population," Danielson explained.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area ranks fourth nationally for clinical trials, "behind only Boston, New York, and Houston, but ahead of Atlanta, San Diego, San Francisco."

This positioning creates opportunities for the region to establish itself as a life sciences hub, particularly for personalized medicine.

Looking Ahead

North Texas faces both opportunities and challenges in healthcare infrastructure development. Danielson mentioned the promising Texas-based Dementia Prevention Research Institute, building on cancer research successes.

However, Love offered caution about policy impacts: "Changes with Medicare can affect capex. Hospitals are very capital-intensive. If you have tremendous cuts there, you're going to see cuts to capital budgets."

Despite potential headwinds, the panel conveyed optimism about healthcare infrastructure evolution in North Texas. The vision centers on patient experience, embraces technological advancement, and positions the region as a leader in next-generation healthcare delivery and life sciences innovation.

Speaker Information & Links

Laura Barnett (Moderator)
Vice President of External Affairs, AXXESS
LinkedIn Profile

Laura Barnett brings extensive communications and healthcare expertise to her role at AXXESS, a technology company serving the home health and hospice industry. Her unique background includes experience as a news anchor at KTXS in Abilene, giving her valuable perspective on effective communication of complex healthcare topics.

Steve Love
President and CEO, Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council
LinkedIn Profile

Steve Love leads the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, representing 90 hospitals across the region. His organization focuses on public policy, data, workforce development, and patient safety initiatives. With extensive experience in healthcare policy and economics, Love provides valuable insights into the macro trends affecting healthcare infrastructure in North Texas.

Eric Danielson
Managing Director, Real Estate Development Team, NextPoint
LinkedIn Profile

Eric Danielson leads the development of the Texas Research Quarter in Plano, transforming the former EDS headquarters into a life sciences hub with a focus on pharmaceutical manufacturing. His expertise bridges the worlds of real estate development and biopharmaceutical innovation, with a particular focus on creating spaces that support advanced therapies and clinical trials.

Jason Aboujeib
Healthcare Design Expert, HDR
LinkedIn Profile

Jason Aboujeib advises major healthcare systems on facility design, bringing evidence-based approaches to creating spaces that enhance patient outcomes and caregiver experiences. His work spans multiple healthcare systems across North Texas and nationally, focusing on creating adaptive, flexible environments that can accommodate evolving technology and care models.

Event Sponsors

Platinum Sponsor Scottish Rite for Children

Silver Sponsors Bank of America | Parker University | UT Southwestern Medical Center | West Coast University Texas

Bronze Sponsors Tenet Health | Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council | SMU Cox School of Business