Opening day at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands full of excitement

April 18, 2017

Opening day at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands on April 11 was full of excitement and appreciation for Texas Children’s newest full-service community hospital.

The day began at 7 a.m. with the first of more than 20 surgical cases and a succession of ribbon cuttings at the hospital’s main clinical areas. View a photo gallery of the day’s events below.

“This is the second community hospital for Texas Children’s and we are so excited,” said Michelle Riley-Brown, president of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. “This hospital will allow us to expand even more access to high-quality pediatric care in the community.”

Located off of I-45 in The Woodlands near CHI St. Luke’s and Methodist hospitals, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will serve children and families in the Woodlands, Kingwood, Conroe, Spring, Magnolia, Humble, Huntsville and beyond, and will build on a decade’s worth of relationships Texas Children’s has built in the community through our primary and sub-specialty care at Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations and the Texas Children’s Health Center The Woodlands.

The 550,000-square-foot facility offers:

  • services in more than 20 areas of specialty care
  • 32 acute care beds
  • four operating rooms
  • 12 radiology rooms with two MRIs
  • an emergency center with 25 patient rooms
  • a helipad
  • 1,000 free parking spaces
  • 28 critical care rooms (14 NICU and 14 PICU)
  • neurophysiology sleep lab
  • EEG laboratory
  • state-of-the-art infusion center
  • dining area
  • family library
  • chapel
  • playrooms on every floor

“Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands is really a comprehensive, standalone children’s hospital that’s part of a larger system that provides care across the spectrum,” said Dr. Charles Hankins, chief medical officer at the new hospital.

Designed with a “spirit of the woods” theme to incorporate the lush, woodsy landscape that surrounds it, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands offers an open and inviting setting for patients, families and staff alike.

Just inside the main entrance is a grand staircase that simulates a tree house, giving the area a safe, central location for children and families visiting Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. As you travel throughout the campus, there are images of leaves on the ceiling, rivers on the floor and trees and 1,700 pieces of art created by children in The Woodlands community on the walls.

“A lot of planning and thought went into the design of this facility,” said Trent Johnson, director of business operations and support services in The Woodlands. “It’s focused completely on our patients.”

By the end of opening day, staff at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands had treated more than 150 children seeking care at the new facility.

Opening day volume included:

  • 23 surgical cases completed
  • 41 radiology procedures
  • 6 infusion cases
  • 31 pathology lab draws
  • 42 emergency center visits
  • 2 NICU admissions
  • 1 PICU admission
  • 3 acute care admissions

Rebecca Vadala is a resident of The Woodlands and the mother of two twin girls who were transferred on opening day from the NICU at Main Campus to the one in The Woodlands.

“It’s huge for us to be able to be so close to home,” Vadala said. “We’re just tremendously grateful to be the first patients here; it’s really an honor.”