First community children’s hospital in the greater Houston area will
be among nation’s largest
Houston, TX (May 15, 2008) – Texas Children’s Hospital broke
ground today on its new West Campus, the first community children’s
hospital to be built in the greater Houston area. When completed,
the new facility will be among the nation’s largest suburban
pediatric hospitals and will serve one of its fastest growing child
populations.
Located on 55 acres at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Barker
Cypress, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus is designed to
incorporate the best practices in pediatric treatment environments
and to provide the special accommodations that families need in a
children’s medical facility. Staffed and equipped to treat patients
from birth to 18 years of age, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
will provide both outpatient and inpatient services, and offer the
only dedicated pediatric emergency room in greater West Houston. The
medical complex, totaling 490,000 square feet, will be built in
phases at an estimated cost of $220 million. With the completion of
the outpatient clinic building and the inpatient facility in 2010,
West Campus will have an estimated workforce of 600-800 medical
professionals and support staff.
“Our new West Campus will provide families greater access to the
same unsurpassed standard of care for which Texas Children’s
Hospital is internationally recognized,” said Mark Wallace,
president and chief executive officer of Texas Children’s Hospital.
“As part of our Vision 2010 initiative, West Campus will serve as a
premier pediatric treatment facility and as a leading community
resource center for child wellness and healing.”
The new community pediatric hospital will serve one of the nation’s
fastest growing populations of children, the area from Sugar Land to
Bryan-College Station. The area’s pediatric population is projected
to grow by 51%, reaching 400,000 within five years of the hospital’s
opening.
Phase I of the West Campus construction is scheduled for completion
in spring/summer 2010 and features a 190,000-square-foot outpatient
clinic building with physician offices. The facility will offer 15
pediatric specialty services including audiology, cardiology,
endocrine/diabetes, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology,
neurology, occupational therapy, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery,
otolaryngology, pediatric surgery, physical therapy, pulmonary
medicine, speech therapy services and urology.
Phase II of the project, slated for completion in fall/winter 2010,
features a 280,000-square-foot inpatient facility with a pediatric
emergency room, surgical suites, 48 intermediate and acute-care
patient beds, advanced imaging services including MRI and CT scans,
and a neurophysiology sleep laboratory. In subsequent phases, 48
additional beds are planned.
Designed by the architecture firm of PageSoutherlandPage, the new
facility will incorporate interior and exterior evidence-based
design elements that promote healing such as natural light, views of
water and nature, child life play areas, and outdoor park-like
settings for patient and family use. The project is being designed
and constructed following Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design (LEED) principles. The lead construction company for the
project is Tellepsen Builders.
"A pediatric hospital is vital for the growing population of
children in the West Houston community,” said Ralph D. Feigin, MD,
physician-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital. “In our 50-year
history, the new West Campus is our first hospital outside of the
Medical Center, and we are committed to providing the same level of
excellence in patient care and in recruiting and employing the very
best physicians, nurses and staff.”
The West Campus groundbreaking ceremony, held at 10 a.m. today, was
attended by Texas Children’s Hospital executives, board members and
major contributors. Speakers included Wallace, Dr. Feigin and Jim
Mulva, chairman and chief executive officer, ConocoPhillips.
Additional ceremony participants were Mr. David Wolff, chairman and
president, Wolff Companies; Mrs. David Wolff; Max P. Watson,
chairman of the board of trustees, Texas Children’s Hospital; Brad
Tucker, board president, Texas Children’s Hospital; Howard Tellepsen,
president and chief executive officer, Tellepsen Builders; Kurt
Neubek, associate principal, PageSoutherlandPage; and Texas
Children’s Hospital outpatients and area residents Miguel Machado,
Katherine Go, Nathaniel Go, Kendall Harvey and Andres Sarmiento.
A $3 million gift to Texas Children’s Hospital from ConocoPhillips
was announced at the ceremony, with $1.5 million of the funds
designated for the West Campus. Wallace also acknowledged another
major gift to the project, a 10-acre tract of site land valued at
$4.5 million that was donated by Mr. and Mrs. David Wolff.
Texas Children’s Hospital is among the largest pediatric hospitals
in the country and is dedicated to serving children and families
through excellence in patient care, education and research. The
hospital’s new West Campus development is made possible in large
part through the generous support of corporations and families in
the local community who are committed to improving the health and
well-being of its children.
