Medical City Plano Tops Out $108M Sarah Cannon Cancer Hospital Tower

Medical City Plano reached a major construction milestone with a topping-out ceremony for a $108 million vertical expansion of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Hospital patient tower, the hospital said. The project will add about 131,700 square feet through a four-story vertical expansion and is billed as one of the largest growth projects in the hospital’s history.

Hospital materials say the expansion will add patient capacity, with the Medical City Healthcare newsroom reporting 90 additional patient beds. Local reporting offers a different figure: Plano Magazine describes 60 additional medical and surgical beds and shell space to allow future bed additions. The hospital‘s release and other coverage also diverge on schedule and helipad plans. Medical City Plano’s newsroom lists an expected completion in spring 2027 and describes relocating ground helipads to the roof; other reports project a 2026 finish and describe rooftop helipads that would complement existing ground-level pads, with one outlet specifying three rooftop helipads. Hospital officials did not provide one consolidated figure for bed types or a final helipad disposition in the public statements.

Ben Coogan, CEO of Medical City Plano, framed the work as part of a long-term commitment to the region. “Achieving this milestone reflects our ongoing commitment to advancing the future of healthcare in North Texas. Every phase of this project is designed to bring leading-edge technology, modern clinical environments and enhanced capabilities to our patients and caregivers. This project is one of the most significant expansions in our hospital’s 50-year history, and we are proud of the progress this transformative investment will have on our patients and community.”

The expansion sits atop a campus that opened its current patient tower in 2019 and serves as Collin County’s only Level I Trauma Center. Medical City Plano is also part of a systemwide capital program: the hospital’s newsroom ties the tower project to Medical City Healthcare’s more than $1.5 billion in capital improvements over five years. The newsroom also notes a related $25.8 million renovation of ancillary support areas - environmental services, supply chain, laboratory and the food and nutrition kitchen - that hospital materials expect to complete this fall.

Local economic effects include construction jobs and longer-term staffing needs. Project profiles cite that Medical City Plano employs over 2,400 staff and 1,800 physicians, underscoring the hospital’s role as a major employer in Collin County.

Residents can expect more inpatient capacity and expanded emergency access once work is finished, but specific details on the final bed mix, helipad configuration and the definitive completion date remain inconsistent across public reports. Hospital leaders say the project will bring advanced care closer to home; the next milestones will clarify how many new beds open when and how rooftop helicopter access will change emergency logistics for Plano and the surrounding communities.