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| Vol. 21, No. 5 |
| March 15, 1999 |
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Texas Children's Hospital Launches Largest Building Project In Texas Medical Center History by Steve Sievert Texas Children's Hospital Texas Children's Hospital, already the largest pediatric hospital in the U.S., will nearly double its structural space with the most ambitious expansion project in the history of the Texas Medical Center.
On March 14, officials of Texas Children's announced the expansion project that will include a new 15-story inpatient addition to the hospital's existing West Tower, the construction of a new 15-floor outpatient center, and the renovation of the existing Feigin Center into a dedicated research hub. The project, which is expected to add more than 1.2 million square feet to the hospital's existing facilities, is scheduled for completion in 2002. "This expansion is Texas Children's most significant undertaking since our founding in 1954," says Mark A. Wallace, chief executive officer of Texas Children's Hospital. "We are committed to providing quality health care to our patients, and this project will allow us to grow, adapt, and implement new customized services to continue to set the highest standards for pediatric medicine."
The $345-million, four-year expansion project will be one of the nation's largest building projects for a healthcare facility. In the area of research, the project will provide Texas Children's with an additional 105,000 square feet of space for state-of-the-art pediatric investigation into areas ranging from childhood cancer to molecular medicine. "This effort touches each part of the hospital's mission of patient care, research and the training of general pediatricians and pediatric sub-specialists," says Dr. Ralph Feigin, physician-in-chief at Texas Children's and president of Baylor College of Medicine. The Texas Children's West Tower building, currently the hospital's primary inpatient facility, has been part of the hospital since 1991. Expansion plans call for 15 new floors to be added to the existing structure, increasing the tower to 20 floors. Eight new operating rooms will be added to increase surgical space. The Texas Children's expansion will also emphasize several leading family-centered care concepts, including:
The West Tower will also house the Texas Children's Heart Center on floor 15 and floors 18 through 20. The Heart Center will include two new cardiovascular operating rooms, two catheterization laboratories, a recovery area and 29 cardiology patient beds. "Texas Children's is a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of complex childhood heart ailments," says John B. Howenstine, chairman of the board of TCH. "This new Texas Children's Heart Center will localize all its services in one cohesive unit." The Texas Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the nation's largest, will be renovated as part of the project. All of its Level II nurseries will now be located on the same floor to help facilitate patient care. Beds in all of the Level II and Level III nurseries are designed for acutely ill premature babies who require around-the-clock care. Another component of the West Tower expansion is the relocation of existing beds from the Abercrombie Building, the original Texas Children's Hospital structure. Beds in Abercrombie will be shifted to the new tower, with the old space slated to be renovated for administrative use. A completely new from-the-ground-up 15-story building to be constructed on what is now known as the S-Lot, will house all of the Texas Children's outpatient clinics. The more than 780,000-square-foot building will be located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Fannin and Holcombe, next to the Children's Nutrition Research Center. When this building is completed, all Texas Children's outpatient clinics, and their associated offices, will be relocated from the Feigin Center. The Texas Children's Cancer Center will be expanded as part of the S-Lot Building. Renovation of the center will include 25 areas for outpatient chemotherapy treatment. The redesign will allow the center to meet increased demand for services. More than 15,000 outpatient visits are expected at the center in 1999. The S-Lot Building will also feature larger waiting areas for families, more spacious activity areas for patients, a food court, and a four-level underground parking garage. The Texas Children's Feigin Center, currently serving outpatient needs, will be converted to a research-only facility. This portion of the expansion is scheduled for completion in 2002. The renovation of the building, named after Dr. Ralph Feigin and his wife, Dr. Judith Feigin, will allow the hospital to significantly expand its research programs, which have resulted in dramatic advances in treatments and outcomes of pediatric illnesses. "Research, in particular genetic research, holds the key to developing cures for a variety of illnesses," says Wallace. As part of the expansion, pedestrian bridges will be built to allow easy access between all Texas Children's facilities. FKP Architects, Inc., is the architectural firm for the Texas Children's project. W.S. Bellows Construction Corp., is the general contractor. Funding for the project will be generated with a combination of debt and private donations.
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmc-info@tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/03_15_99/page_01.html |
