Blake Kretz, President, Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital

Blake Kretz, president of Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, spoke with Invest: about the hospital’s high-level services, accolades, and new technologies. He also explained the hospital’s role in the Arlington community, how it attracts and retains talent, while also touching on ways the hospital will continue to innovate and expand.

What is Arlington Memorial Hospital’s mission and what services do you offer to the community?

Arlington Memorial was started serving the community in 1958. We opened with 75 beds and we’ve grown to 369 beds. Our mission is to improve the health of the people in the community we serve. We’re a full-service hospital and tertiary-level facility that provides neurosurgery, general surgery, urology, women’s services, neurology, orthopedics, and every other major service line. We’re a level 3 trauma center, a level 3 NICU, and mother-baby unit-certified. We’re also certified as a heart attack-ready hospital by the American Heart Association. 

What are some highlights and accolades the hospital has achieved?

For the third time, we’ve received Magnet Status for nursing excellence. Not every hospital can achieve this level. We received eight “exemplaries” showcasing exceptional performance. We were recognized for our maternal childcare for the second time this year, and also the mother-baby units. 

What are some notable investments, advancements, or additions to the hospital that have been implemented recently?

We implemented a new lung nodule program. We purchased a new robot called “The Ion” that can reach small lung nodules. This helps us achieve early diagnosis and create treatment plans that increase survival rates. Over 100 cases have been successfully completed. We’re renovating and expanding our breast care center, which includes advanced procedures for breast reconstruction and customer-centric care. Renovations to the Women’s Center will begin in the first quarter of 2025. We deliver about 1,500 babies annually. We’re adding a second interventional radiology room due to increased demand. We installed a new 3-T high-field MRI unit last year and upgraded our CT scans. We have three neurosurgeons at the hospital and an Airo CT, which is a CT inside the operating room. It is a brain and spine navigation system that allows us to provide an exceptional level of service.

What makes Arlington a special location for the hospital? 

There’s a lot of opportunity in the area that allows Arlington to differentiate itself from the rest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Geographically, it’s located right in the center of the DFW area. There’s easy access to both sides of the metroplex, and the airports are close as well. We have millions of visitors who come to Arlington every year. Our hospital is located about a mile from Arlington’s entertainment district. Every time there’s a large event, we see patients come from there. Arlington’s EMS programs have done an excellent job handling big events. There were 500,000-700,000 people at the Rangers World Series parade, and it went off without any problems. We’re a part of that, to make sure everybody is cared for and safe. If they get injured or sick, we’re ready to take care of them. 

What are you doing to address the growing demand for high-quality healthcare services in the region?

Texas Health Resources spans 29 hospitals and hundreds of access points across North Texas. There are outpatient access points to make it convenient for patients to access the hospital. The emergency room isn’t always the best location for that, so we’ve added over 30 locations of Breeze Urgent Care across the metroplex. We’ve announced a new hospital under construction in Forney, Texas. There are additional beds available at Arlington Memorial, and Medical City Arlington is also expanding its bed capacity. The systems within the North Texas area continue to invest to accommodate the growing population and add programs necessary to take care of any new patients. 

How are you incorporating telehealth and other technologies to enhance patient care? 

The pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth. People are much more willing to use it, and we have a telehealth option for our patients to access care. There is an option on our website to access telehealth urgent care. It makes it easy for patients to see someone, even if it’s something minor. 

How do you collaborate with the local community, other healthcare systems, and government to help support patients?

Our hospital has been here for over 60 years and we’re a big part of the Arlington community. We sponsor parks and recreation events. We collaborate with the Arlington Fire Department to follow up on patients who may need additional assistance. We’re also active with the Chamber of Commerce for sponsorships and economic development. We sponsor Arlington School District events. We play an active role in attracting businesses to Arlington, and we’ve seen particular success in the entertainment district. 

How are you attracting and retaining talent? 

The workforce is the main part of a hospital, not the facility. We invest in the culture in our hospitals so we’re able to recruit and retain great talent. We partner with UT Arlington, TCU, and Weatherford College for nursing and radiology programs. Students get hands-on experience to help prepare them to contribute to the healthcare in our region. 

How do you see healthcare evolving over the next few years, and what are your top priorities?

Healthcare is moving quickly. We’ll continue to see healthcare move to more of an outpatient setting. Recent technological advancements allow more to be done outside of hospitals. There’s a lot of growth in urgent care. Ambulatory surgery centers will continue to grow. Technology will also play a big part as we learn how to use AI to do predictive analytics and improve community health outcomes.

We will continue to evolve our culture at Arlington Memorial. That’s one of the things that differentiates us. Our patients say this is the place they come because of the physicians and the staff. We’ll be expanding our neurology program with advanced procedures and technology. We’re going to finish the Women’s Center project next year, as well as the new IR suite. We are expanding our stroke program to include a thrombectomy component, which allows us to remove a brain clot. That technology used to only be in Dallas or Fort Worth, but now we’ll now be able to do that closer to home. As we get 8 million people in North Texas, travel times are getting tougher, so we want people to have faster access to those types of treatments. 

What makes Arlington unique?

Arlington is putting its name on the map. The city stands out as a growing hub for technology, business, and entertainment. Arlington attracts investors because it’s easy to work in and we get things done. People here are always on your side and want to do what’s best for the city and the businesses. Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital is proud to continue to care and support this great community.