Collin County boomtown welcomes its first hospital

CELINA, Texas — A high-tech drone show with a hometown theme illuminated the night sky above this Collin County boomtown on Wednesday as members of the community got their first look inside Methodist Celina Medical Center.

The city's first hospital — and the 13th within Methodist Health System — will welcome its first patients at 7 a.m. Monday, March 17. Its debut comes nearly two years after work began on the 240,000-square-foot facility, located on 40 acres of Blackland prairie beside the northern reaches of the Dallas North Tollway.

"Celina, it took us 97 years to get here but we're darn glad we're here," said Chief Executive Officer James C. Scoggin, Jr., paying tribute to Methodist's near-century-long mission serving the southern sector of Dallas and now well beyond. "We go where there's need, and we meet that need. We run to it."

Among the city leaders in attendance was Celina Mayor Ryan Tubbs, who thanked Methodist executives and board members, physicians on the medical staff, and other team members who celebrated the hospital's grand opening shoulder-to-shoulder with the community.

"You've built not just a hospital but a cornerstone of our community's future," Tubbs told a crowd of about 200 who toured the state-of-the-art hospital during the grand opening. "To the healthcare professionals who will bring this facility to life, you are the heart and soul of what Methodist Celina Medical Center will become."

Wednesday night's celebration was steeped in the history of Celina, nicknamed Rollertown after its industrious residents loaded their homes and businesses onto rollers to move closer to a new rail stop at the turn of the 20th century. In recent years, the city has flourished, serving notice as one of America's true boomtowns.

"As our population has nearly tripled since 2010 and we've become the fastest-growing city in North Texas, Methodist saw our future before others did," Tubbs said. "Your presence here represents a vote of confidence in what Celina is becoming."

On Saturday evening, Methodist Celina will once again roll out the red carpet to Rollertown during a family-friendly community celebration. And two days later the hospital will swing into action, offering trauma and emergency services, specialized cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, women's services, orthopedics, and robotic surgery.

"Two years ago, this was just a big field, full of longhorns," said Pam Stoyanoff, president and chief operating officer of Methodist. "This gorgeous $237 million hospital will open next week with 51 beds and the ability to expand beyond that in the years to come."

Methodist Celina is led by Cody Hunter, who as the hospital's president helped hire over 200 healthcare professionals. Their mission now is to win the trust of their neighbors, he said.

"Trust is part of the framework of Methodist," Hunter said. "We’ll have the opportunity to earn that trust from Celina and the surrounding communities – day after day, patient after patient, and moment after moment."

That mission took root more than two years ago when Methodist's outreach efforts began, even before the hospital's groundbreaking proceeded unfazed by a winter storm.

"You’ve seen us participating at community events and celebrations, you’ve seen us at Bobcat Football games, and you’ve seen us contributing to the local economy," Stoyanoff said. "Methodist has a long history of embracing the communities we serve."

Before the light show began, Hunter closed his remarks with a nod to the illuminated crosses that dominate the hospital's four-story glass and steel façade, reflecting the faith-driven purpose behind Methodist Celina's lifesaving mission.

"When you see those blue lights on the horizon and the glowing crosses facing west and north," he said, "know that starting at 7 a.m. March 17, 2025, this community can trust Methodist."

For your convenience, here is a Dropbox link with a media reel of Wednesday's celebration, video of the drone show, and photos from inside and outside the new hospital. Please credit Methodist Health System.

Methodist Celina, by the numbers

• 40-plus acre campus

• 200,000-square-foot medical center

• 40,000-square-foot Professional Office Building

• 51 beds in all, including 16 in the emergency department

• 3 operating rooms, including a da Vinci surgical robot

• Cardiac catheterization lab