The Center for Hearing and Speech breaks ground on new campus
The Center for Hearing and Speech broke ground today on a new 42,000-square-foot campus in the Texas Medical Center. The new facility, which will be located near State Highway 288 and MacGregor Way, will dramatically increase the number of children the organization can serve.
“It’s really exciting that we will finally have a facility that starts to match the passion and expertise that we have within our walls right now,” said Kyle Swift, CEO of The Center for Hearing and Speech, who addressed the crowd assembled for the groundbreaking. “Today, a common goal brings us together. By taking part in making this a reality, you are helping us create a center of excellence that offers innovative services and support for children with hearing loss in decades to come.”
In addition to the expansion, the new campus will also house medical professionals from Texas Children’s Hospital, including ear, nose, and throat physicians. This arrangement will streamline services and should increase both organizations’ reach for children in the community with hearing loss.
“We think this is a fantastic opportunity to continue the collaboration of care and ultimately provide better care and more thorough care,” said Anna H. Messner, M.D., chief of pediatric otolaryngology at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Today’s groundbreaking ceremony also included remarks by Alan L. Smith, chairman of the board for The Center for Hearing and Speech and president and CEO of Rockcliff Energy, and Abbey Roberson, vice president of planning for the Texas Medical Center.
The new facility is slated to open in the fall of 2020. A portion of the $22.5 million capital campaign raised for the new campus will go towards lab equipment, program expansion support and an endowment for building upkeep and maintenance.
The Center for Hearing and Speech, which became a member of the Texas Medical Center in 2017, offers an audiology clinic, a speech-language pathology clinic, and education through the Melinda Webb School, which provides oral deaf education for children ages 18 months to six years. It is the region’s most comprehensive center for children with hearing loss.
