One of the fastest-growing cities in America gets one of the nation's leading children's hospitals

Texas Children's Hospital announces it will build a freestanding hospital in Austin to meet Central Texas families' needs

News provided by

Texas Children's Hospital

May 20, 2020, 08:30 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital, the only nationally ranked hospital in Texas – tied for #3 as the best pediatric hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report – continues to deliver world-class pediatric services to Austin, one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. The hospital remains dedicated to families in Austin and Central Texas, both amid the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future. In their ongoing desire to serve, today, Texas Children's announced plans to build a freestanding children and women's hospital in Austin. This $450 million project will bring a top tier children and women's hospital to the city. To learn more, visit https://texaschildrensaustin.org/.

"Texas Children's came from humble beginnings, opening in 1954 with a 106-bed pediatric hospital. From there, we grew into the preeminent hospital we are today, delivering the highest quality care possible by serving the needs of the children of Texas and beyond," Texas Children's President and CEO Mark A. Wallace said. "Texas Children's, like Austinites, dwell in possibilities. Every facet of our new hospital will be designed, engineered and tailored with your family's needs and desired experience."

Texas Children's knows how to grow and deliver excellence in patient care. The organization has six specialties nationally ranked in the top three, including cardiology and heart surgery (#1), pulmonology (#1), gastroenterology and GI surgery (#2), nephrology (kidney disorders) (#2), cancer (#3), and neurology and neurosurgery (#3).

When Texas Children's first announced its plans for establishing a presence in Austin, the organization shared it would bring 18 primary care pediatric practices, four pediatric urgent care clinics, three pediatric specialty care locations and two maternal-fetal medicine practices across the city within five years. The organization is already well on its way to delivering on this plan. Additionally, as a testament to this intense desire to serve where care is needed most, in December 2019 Texas Children's closed on the purchase of two plots of land – Presidio to the north and Estancia to the south.

This freestanding children and women's hospital will further deliver on that vision and promise. Set to open in Q4 2023 on the North Austin Presidio property, the 48-bed, 360,000 square-foot hospital will provide: neonatal intensive care; pediatric intensive care; operating rooms; an epilepsy monitoring unit; sleep center; emergency center; labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum care; diagnostic imaging; acute care; an on-site Texas Children's Urgent Care location; and approximately 1,200 free parking spaces. It will also offer expert care for numerous pediatric subspecialties – including heart, cancer, brain, lung, gastroenterology, and rheumatology care, among others, as well as a dialysis unit and a Maternal-Fetal Medicine clinic.

"At Texas Children's, our breadth and depth of expertise allows us to provide the full-spectrum of health care services which we believe helps improve the overall health and well-being of Austin children, women and families," Michelle Riley-Brown, Executive Vice President at Texas Children's, said. "Our promise to Austin remains strong – to deliver specialized care closer to you through our multiple locations across the city so children and women can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time."

Texas Children's will work closely with general contractor McCarthy Building Companies and architect Page to design and build this state-of-the-art facility specifically for the children and women of Austin and Central Texas. Texas Children's will participate in the Austin Green Building Council program to design, build and sustain healthy facilities for Austin communities. Currently Texas Children's has 84 employees and 25 physicians in Austin and the organization looks forward to continuing to grow and expand its Austin-based family. This project will bring an estimated 400 new jobs to the Austin area.

The organization's first health care location in Austin, Texas Children's Urgent Care Westgate, opened in March 2018 and provides high-quality, efficient and affordable pediatric-focused care after hours and on weekends. Located at 4477 South Lamar Blvd., suite 400, board-certified pediatricians and nurses staff Texas Children's Urgent Care, 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 seven sites in Austin that 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. Building upon its 20 plus years of experience working with community pediatricians, Texas Children's Pediatrics continues to partner with existing pediatric primary care practices in the region. Currently, Texas Children's Pediatrics locations in Austin include:

TCP Austin Pediatrics at 5625 Eiger Road, Ste. 225
TCP Pediatric Partners of Austin at 3410 Far West Blvd, Ste. 130
TCP Longhorn Pediatrics at 2911 Medical Arts Street, Ste. 20
TCP Dawson and Ramirez at 1111 W. 34^th Street, Ste. 102
TCP JoAnne Wise Edoka, MD at 2911 Medical Arts Square, Ste. 7
TCP Lone Star Pediatrics at 12120 Ranch Road 620 North
TCP Round Rock Pediatrics at 1050 Meadows Drive Ste. 307

In October 2018, Texas Children's Specialty Care Austin opened. Located at 8611 North MoPac, suite 300, Texas Children's Specialty Care increases 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. Texas Children's will add additional pediatric subspecialties in the coming months to help serve the growing needs of Austin and the state of Texas.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; Texas Children's Pediatrics, the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Contact: Jenn Jacome
832-824-2679
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital