July 26, 2021

Texas Children’s has just announced a phased, multi-year expansion plan for the Pavilion for Women that will allow us to continue providing the highest-quality care possible as one of the preeminent women’s health care destinations in the country.

“This expansion plan will not only allow us to increase our delivery volume by about 30 percent, but will also allow us have more space for specialized clinics and specific programs that will cater to women at every stage of life,” said Dr. Michael Belfort, OB/GYN-in-Chief.

Since its opening in 2012, the Pavilion has consistently fulfilled its vision to deliver exceptional care to mothers and their babies and now exceeded delivery capacity with unmatched clinical outcomes. In addition to Texas Children’s Fetal Center – a national leader in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormalities in unborn and newborn infants – the facility is home to a level IV neonatal intensive care unit.

The new expansion includes transforming the former Baylor Clinic at 6620 Main Street in the Medical Center into part of Texas Children’s campus and renaming it Main Tower, providing Texas Children’s with an additional 190,000 square feet of usable space. There will be three phases of the project, with Phase 1 expected to be completed in spring 2022 and full completion expected in 2024.

“Patients come from all across the country and the globe to access our world-renowned medical experts and the full continuum of care we offer mothers and babies,” Belfort said. “We are looking forward to increasing our capacity to offer the best care to every woman and child, from the healthiest to the sickest.”

To read more about the expansion planned for Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, click here.

May 18, 2021

This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he celebrates the groundbreaking of Texas Children’s Hospital in Austin, and why this marks a new hope for generations to come. Read more

May 14, 2021

On May 14, President and CEO Mark A. Wallace and Texas Children’s Hospital leaders, supporters and special guests celebrated the groundbreaking of our new hospital serving the Austin community.

Career Opportunities now available

We are excited to share with you that we currently have leadership opportunities available for our hospital in Austin. To learn more, search our internal job openings through the Careers page on Connect. Please stay tuned for more available positions as our new hospital gets under development.

A first look at our new hospital in North Austin

Texas Children’s Hospital is excited to reveal images of its freestanding hospital for children and women in Austin, offering the public a first look at this innovative, state-of-the-art facility. The hospital is also excited to share the address of its new hospital: 9835 North Lake Creek Parkway.

Set to open in Q1 2024, this $485 million project will bring a top tier children and women’s hospital to the city. Recently, the hospital made multiple public notices as construction and building plans continue toward an anticipated spring 2021 groundbreaking.

The renderings – created by design, architecture and engineering firm, Page – give a first look at the 365,000-square-foot, 52-bed hospital. To address the need for expanded pediatric, fetal and Ob/Gyn care in the Central Texas area, the hospital will include neonatal intensive care, pediatric intensive care, operating rooms, epilepsy monitoring, sleep center, emergency center, fetal center for advanced fetal interventions and fetal surgery with a special high risk delivery unit, state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, acute care, an on-site Texas Children’s Urgent Care location and more than 1,200 free parking spaces.

Additionally, an adjacent 170,000-square-foot outpatient building will connect patients and families to Texas Children’s numerous subspecialties including cardiology, oncology, neurology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, fetal care, and dialysis, among many other subspecialties.

Texas Children’s first entry into Austin was in March 2018 with the opening of Texas Children’s Urgent Care Westgate. This location provides high-quality, efficient and affordable pediatric-focused care after hours and on weekends. Located at 4477 South Lamar Blvd., Suite 400, Texas Children’s Urgent Care is staffed by board-certified pediatricians and nurses, with facilities and equipment designed specifically to meet the needs of children and adolescents up to age 18.

Additionally, Texas Children’s Pediatrics, the nation’s largest pediatric primary care network, currently has 10 locations in Austin, which provide full-service care for children including, among other offerings, prenatal counseling; newborn and infant care; well and sick child visits; immunizations; and hearing and vision screenings; as well as camp, school and sports physicals.

In October 2018, Texas Children’s Specialty Care Austin opened bringing the hospital’s own subspecialty pediatric care to the Austin community. Located at 8611 North MoPac, Suite 300, Texas Children’s Specialty Care helps increase access for children and families in need of allergy and immunology, cardiology, clinical nutrition, diabetes and endocrinology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, and pulmonology, among other subspecialties.

The new hospital is yet another example of Texas Children’s commitment to expand their expert pediatric and maternal care to more conveniently serve the families of Central Texas. View our photo gallery for renderings of the hospital below. For more information, please visit www.texaschildrensaustin.org.

May 11, 2021

With more and more children seeking compassionate and reliable care to manage chronic pain, Texas Children’s has now opened the West Campus Pain Clinic to bring much-needed pain management services closer to home for families in west Houston and surrounding areas.

Frequently defined as lasting greater than 3 months or longer, chronic pain is recurrent, persistent and often affected by biological influences and psychological and sociocultural factors. Pain Medicine providers at Texas Children’s routinely see children and adolescents with low back pain, chronic daily headache, chronic pelvic pain, fibromyalgia and many other conditions that drastically affect quality of life.

Led by Dr. Laura Torres, the Medical Center Pain Clinic has been running at capacity for the last year. The ever-increasing number of patients prompted clinical and administrative leaders to consider how best to improve access to pain medicine, while also offering new options for segments of our patient population that had been underserved.

“Expert diagnosis and treatment for painful conditions in children is a major problem,” said Anesthesiologist-in-Chief Dr. Dean Andropoulos. “Although we have had a successful Pain Clinic at the Medical Center for a number of years, this patient population continues to grow and we needed to expand. West Campus is the perfect location for this new clinic because of the availability of space and time, and the presence of additional expertise.”

Opening new doors for pain management

The West Campus Pain Clinic is led by Dr. Henry Huang, an anesthesiologist with extensive fellowship training in Pediatric Anesthesiology and in Pediatric and Adult Pain Medicine. Huang is trained to perform some procedures not yet offered by the Anesthesiology Department, which will inevitably allow more patients to experience improved relief.

The clinic also includes a dedicated psychologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist and nursing staff to enhance the level of support provided.

“Chronic pain is commonly debilitating for families and remarkably complex to treat,” said Dr. Chris Glover, division director for Anesthesia Services at both West Campus and The Woodlands. He noted that opening a clinic at West Campus proved to be the ideal solution from multiple perspectives, including the ease of wayfinding and availability of parking.

“The clinic provides an intervention-based option along with traditional-based approaches for families, which complements the current service in the Medical Center,” Glover said. “West was an easy choice in broadening our reach.”

Endless potential for growth

As with any major undertaking at Texas Children’s, the opening of the West Campus Pain Clinic was handled with a thoughtful, patient-centered approach.

“The multidisciplinary approach to care ensures that we are caring for the whole child and not just a fraction of their concerns,” said Kara Abrameit, director of Outpatient and Clinic Support Services at West Campus. “The team quickly jumped behind this opportunity by having collaborative brainstorming meetings, thinking outside of the box and challenging one another to ensure we were able to find solutions.”

Over the course of many months, the diverse group of stakeholders worked together to better understand patient needs; recruit and align the right providers, including incorporating therapists from the Clear Lake Specialty Care; identify and secure the needed space with social distancing in mind; and resolve every decision that made the clinic a reality.

“Many of our patients have to deal with chronic pain issues and should not have to drive all the way to the Medical Center to receive treatment,” said Vice President Matt Timmons. “Offering this service at West is a huge step in serving this patient population closer to home.”

With limited pediatric chronic pain clinics in the United States, many children are unable to receive the pain management services they need – and few clinics can apply the same interventions and guidance now offered at West Campus. The team anticipates more growth and success ahead.

“This is only the beginning for Texas Children’s Pain Service,” said practice administrator Kelly Crumley. “This expansion from the Medical Center out into the greater community is the first step in our growth plans. It is our priority and responsibility to care for these children’s chronic pain needs, and we will continue to creatively enhance this service and our reach to do so.”

To make patient appointments at the West Campus Pain Clinic via Epic Inbasket, use WC PPC for scheduling. Referrals can also be placed, with sooner scheduling if referrals are directed specifically to Dr. Henry Huang. To contact the clinic by phone, call 832-227-0010.

March 30, 2021

Texas Children’s own Dr. Lisa Hollier recently traveled to the Texas State Capitol to testify on behalf of a proposed bill that would extend Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers across the state, providing them with more access to lifesaving care.

Hollier delivered her testimony to lawmakers on March 23 during a House Committee on Human Services hearing on House Bill 133, which was authored and filed by State Rep. Toni Rose.

In addition to her role as Chief Medical Officer and Sr. Vice President of Texas Children’s Health Plan, Hollier is also chairwoman of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. The committee released a report late last year that noted that most pregnancy-related deaths in Texas are preventable.

To help reduce the incidence of pregnancy-related deaths and maternal morbidity in the state, the committee recommended increasing access to comprehensive health services not only during pregnancy – but also in the year after pregnancy, and throughout the preconception and interpregnancy periods.

Hollier and other advocates of HB 133 agree that lengthening insurance coverage would go a long way toward saving the lives of new mothers who experience pregnancy-related complications within a year of giving birth. Currently, coverage drops off after 60 days.

“By extending Medicaid with a more comprehensive set of services, we would be able to reach more women and address their needs,” Hollier told legislators, as quoted in an article in the San Antonio Express-News.

A board-certified OB-GYN and leading expert in maternal health, Hollier is the immediate past president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). She was elected to the post in 2018 and immediately pledged to focus on reducing preventable maternal mortality during her term.

Hollier was also selected to receive the 2019 Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership Award.

If you’re a Texas Children’s team member who has been asked by an advocacy group, legislative staff member or other organization/entity to provide public support or testimony on legislation, please contact Government Relations before responding or taking any additional action. You can reach the team by phone at 832-828-1021.

March 9, 2021

Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Ward highlights key messages from her Nursing Town Hall presentation last week including a recording of the event for nurses to watch at their convenience. Read more

March 2, 2021

The countdown clock is ticking. Texas Children’s Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Ward, DNP, RN, NE-BC, will host her first nursing town hall since assuming her new leadership role. Don’t miss out – the town hall will be hosted virtually via Microsoft Teams Live from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3.

During Jackie’s presentation, she will highlight her vision for nursing including her strategic plan that will build upon our nursing team’s past successes in advancing patient care, quality and safety outcomes through nursing excellence. The town hall will also include time for responses to pre-submitted questions. Any unanswered questions will be responded to via individual email or the “Ask the CNO” feature on the Voice of Nursing blog.

As always, patient care is our first priority, and we know not all nurses will be able to watch the livestream of the town hall. However, nurses can still participate by viewing the town hall on-demand. The link to the town hall recording will be available on Voice of Nursing after the event.

For more details and instructions on how to access the livestream, click here to view the flyer.