FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth administrators and the project’s lead donor, the Jane & John Justin Foundation, this week commemorated a milestone in the construction of the new $300-million Jane & John Justin Patient Surgical Tower with a traditional tree topping out ceremony.

Roy Topham, executive director of the Justin Foundation (left); Lynn Montgomery, chair of the Justin Tower Campaign Steering Committee; and Joseph DeLeon, president of Texas Health Fort Worth.

One of building construction’s oldest customs, a tree topping out ceremony is celebrated when the last beam of the building’s framework is placed atop the structure. The evergreen is placed at the top of the building to represent good luck for future occupants.

The nine-story patient bed tower, planned for completion in early 2022, will add 144 patient beds, 15 surgical suites, and a new pre-operative and post-operative services area to the Texas Health Fort Worth campus, helping to address the health care needs of Tarrant County residents and other fast-growing communities the hospital serves.

“Our excitement continues to build as we see this tower rise,” said Joseph DeLeon, president of Texas Health Fort Worth. “This milestone marks our continued commitment to grow as our community grows. As a regional referral center that serves people from Tarrant County and other parts of the state, Texas Health Fort Worth will use this new space and advanced technologies to help expand our capacity for more complex procedures and advanced care, making it possible for people in Fort Worth and beyond to receive the care they need.”

To be mindful of COVID-19 guidelines, the ceremony was attended only by hospital administration, Justin Tower Campaign chair Lynn Montgomery and executive director Roy Topham of the Justin Foundation, who donated the lead gift to name the tower.

“Both Jane and John had great respect, admiration and gratitude for the medical community,” Topham said. “The Justin Foundation board strongly believes, as would have Jane and John, that this new surgical tower with advanced technology will help retain our top surgeons and physicians and help attract the brightest and best young doctors to Fort Worth. The board has only one mission statement and that is to support organizations and projects that Jane and John would have supported. There is no question that both would be thrilled to be involved with this project.”

Traditionally during the ceremony, a beam would be signed by Texas Health leaders and donors to the Justin Tower Campaign. To adhere to COVID-19 restrictions, over the coming weeks, donors will have the opportunity to sign a beam symbolic to the topping out tradition. The Texas Health Resources Foundation is actively raising $50 million in philanthropic support for the Justin Tower.      

“Philanthropy has been so important to the growth of this hospital campus for almost 100 years,” Montgomery said. “This still holds true today as we build this new tower. This is a significant expansion that requires a substantial investment from our community. We are very grateful to all the donors who have supported the project so far and specifically to the Justin Foundation for providing the lead naming gift. We are continuing to raise funds in support of the Justin Tower and are asking our community to join us in being a part of something that will positively impact our city and beyond for years to come.”

The Justin Tower is the largest construction project in the history of the Texas Health system. Located on the main campus of Texas Health Fort Worth, the new tower’s surgical suites are expected to increase the hospital’s daily surgical capacity by almost 30 percent. These new operating rooms will be focused on advancing the hospital’s trauma care, kidney transplant program, and its capabilities in neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery and surgical oncology.