In just a few weeks, the city will have its first hospital exclusively for women.

University Medical Center of El Paso will unveil its first women-only hospital at 11 a.m. today at University Medical Center, 4815 Alameda. Public tours of the facility will run until 2 p.m.

Housed on the first five floors of the 10-story east tower, the $103 million Women's Pavilion and Outpatient Center will feature 90 private rooms, three operating suites and two nurseries. Outpatient services, situated on the first floor, will include a physical rehabilitation center, a chemotherapy and infusion center for cancer treatments, a laboratory and an imaging center.

The first floor, servicing outpatient care, is expected to open in the second week of November. The rest of the building, consisting of the women's labor, delivery and post-delivery services, will open at a later date. The hospital will be staffed by specialists such as urologists, gynecological oncologists, obstetricians, gynecologists and physicians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies.

"This is an area that is just for women and focuses on women's issues," city Rep. Emma Acosta said. "Currently, most women may go to a regular hospital. What we're seeing right now is the evolution of that whole area (Central El Paso) and how it's catering more and more to the individuals in our community."

Plush armchairs, flat-screen televisions and semi-private areas for chemotherapy treatment can make patients receiving treatment more comfortable.

"Right now, our patients are receiving chemotherapy infusion inside of a trailer outside of a parking lot," said Edward Lightbourn, spokesman for the medical center. "It's cramped in there and there aren't any windows, so this will be a better place. Family can come in with them as well."

Expectant mothers and their families will be accommodated with large delivery and private recovery rooms, complete with several drawers for personal items, a desk, flat-screen TVs and personal bathrooms.

On the fourth floor, a nearby nursery allows recovering mothers and their newborns to stay closer together to create a greater bond between mother and child.

For patients or doctors seeking a moment of peace, a meditation room, complete with a running fountain and warmly painted images on the walls and ceiling, is available on the first floor. Well-wishes and sentiments can be written and inserted into several paintings that line the room's walls.

In addition to its specialized services, the Women's Pavilion and Outpatient Center will have a good economic impact, Acosta said.

"The medical field is just booming, and this is a positive for our economic development," Acosta said, "because with every doctor that comes in, they bring five to seven staff people that we need. Its opening will bring in jobs."

The opening of the Women's Pavilion and Outpatient Center is the first phase of unveiling the rest of the wing, which will hold the El Paso Children's Hospital.

Officials expect that part of the wing, which will be located on the remaining five floors above the Women's Pavilion, to open in February 2012.

Alex Hinojosa may be reached at ahinojosa@elpasotimes.com; 546-6137.