Texas Children's Hospital to build new pediatric tower in the Texas Medical Center

HOUSTON - (Jan. 13, 2015) - Texas Children's Board of Trustees has enthusiastically approved expansion and renovation plans for the hospital's main campus in the Texas Medical Center. The expansion includes reinvesting in the programs needed by the most critically ill patients, primarily in the critical care units, operating rooms, Heart Center, Emergency Center and many of the diagnostic and therapeutic services offered by the hospital.

Texas Children's will build 19 floors on top of the existing building base next to Texas Children's Pavilion for Women adding 640,000 square feet, resulting in a 25-floor tower. Slated to be completed in 2018, the new tower will house 130 beds for pediatric and cardiovascular intensive care, new operating rooms with the latest technology and will be the new home to Texas Children's Heart Center, including the outpatient clinic, cardiovascular operating rooms and catheterization labs. The total project budget for the vertical expansion is $506 million.

Following the addition of the new tower, the hospital plansto renovate the Emergency Center, as well as other areas in the hospital's WestTower. Diagnostic and therapeutic services will be expanded throughout the maincampus so care can be delivered close to the patients.

"These programs are at the core of our mission to create a healthier future for children throughout our broad community and will ensure the best possible outcomes for some of the nation's sickest children,"said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children's Hospital. "The expansion will help us deliver on our promise to make Texas Children's the best possible place to give and receive care."

The hospital has contracted with a number of design and construction professionals to see this project through to fruition including FKP Architects, Walter P. Moore, Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. and WS Bellows Construction Corporation, among others.

These facility developments will be partially supported through the hospital's $475 million Promise campaign, a fundraising effort that will help ensure the future of Texas Children's as a leader in pediatric and women's health. The goal of the campaign is to support critical care services at Texas Children's Hospital's main campus, specifically redesigning and expanding the Emergency Center, critical care and surgical areas. The Promise campaign also encompasses facility expansion projects within the Texas Children's system, such as Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, and other programmatic needs.

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 Center 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, a second community hospital planned to open in 2017. The organization also created the nation’s first HMO for children, has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country 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.