On November 4, Texas Children’s Heart Center® leaders, alongside President & CEO Mark A. Wallace, gathered for an intimate ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the hospital’s first-of-its-kind facility for adults with congenital heart disease.
The 27,000-square-foot space, situated on the 24th floor of Texas Children’s Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower, includes a 16-bed inpatient unit, outpatient clinic, cardiac rehab gym, diagnostics lab and more.
“This is the #1 Heart Center in the world and it just got even better,” Wallace said. “Only at Texas Children’s is this possible, especially during this time and this era.”
That same day, the outpatient clinic saw its first patients in the new, state-of-the-art space.
“Texas Children’s has always been innovative in the treatment of congenital heart disease with Drs. Denton Cooley, Dan McNamara, Edward Singleton and others paving the way for this population that’s increased over time,” Dr. Peter Ermis, medical director of the Adult Congenital Heart (ACH) Program, said. “We’re picking up their mantle and carrying on their legacy, and I think it’s appropriate that we’re doing so in the Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower. We’re seeing some of those exact same patients they cared for as kids.”
The new facility is a game changer for this patient population. About 1.6 million adults currently live with congenital heart disease in the United States, but they are a rare patient within an adult hospital environment. Treatment for these patients within an adult hospital does not allow them to get the unique care they need. In a children’s hospital, the majority of cardiac patients have congenital heart disease, and these adults with congenital heart disease are not as unique.
“Until now, patients have been managed somewhat ad hoc – either in pediatric environments or in adult environments with teams that are not particularly experienced in managing congenital heart defects,” Dr. Ed Hickey, surgical director of the ACH Program, said. “That’s all changing here at Texas Children’s. This vision that we’ve realized has come from the top down. Mr. Wallace himself realized that it’s our responsibility to care for these patients irrespective of age, complexity or location.”
The two leaders are excited for the future as Texas Children’s combines the incredible facility, dedicated team and resources to provide the best possible care to adults with congenital heart disease.
The inpatient unit on the 24th floor will open in January 2021. To learn more, visit texaschildrens.org/ACH.