Special Isolation Unit

As part of our long-term vision to care for children with the most serious and complex medical conditions, we have built an eight-bed Special Isolation Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. Designed specifically for children with highly contagious infectious diseases, such as Ebola and MERS, the unit allows the expert team to provide care to patients who are infected with communicable diseases in a state-of-the-art, safe environment. The unit incorporates all of the latest technology to care for a patient with a contagious disease.

Texas Children's is designated by the State of Texas as a pediatric Ebola treatment center.

Features

  • Texas Children’s Special Isolation Unit is the only one of its kind in Texas and the Southwest region, and among the few in the United States designated just for children.
  • Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) laboratory allows for on-site rapid detection methods to identify unusual pathogens.
  • The unit is designed for every level of isolation and incorporates all of the latest technological approaches to biocontainment.
  • Ability to treat patients with highly infectious disease including: Ebola; MERS; Marburg; Lassa; Avian Influenza ("Bird flu"); SARS; RSV; Smallpox; Monkeypox; Measles
  • Negative pressure rooms and isolated air handling
  • Observation windows into patient rooms to limit staff exposure
  • Specialized technology and communication devices to communicate as a team
  • Child life play room for patient siblings and young visitors

Location

Texas Children’s Special Isolation Unit is located on the fifth floor of Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

Special Isolation Unit Team

The unit is clinically led by Dr. Gordon Schutze, medical director, Dr. Judith Campbell, associate medical director and Dr. Amy Arrington, associate medical director along with Sondra Morris, nursing leader.

The team includes physicians, nurses, medical technologists and environmental service technicians who are trained in infection control, hospital epidemiology and management of infectious diseases in the critical care setting.