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Children’s Health And UT Southwestern Plan New $2.5 Billion Dallas Pediatric Medical Campus

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Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center are in the planning stages of a new pediatric campus in Dallas.

The two entities estimated a $1.6 billion construction budget and a total project cost of $2.5 billion, according to original solicitation documents obtained by D CEO Magazine. (The project was first reported last year by the website Strategic Partnerships Inc., which follows large procurement projects across the country.)

The hospitals released the solicitation documents seeking contractors in January 2022 and had a goal of completing the project by 2028, according to the original solicitation.

“The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health System of Texas, on behalf of the Joint Pediatric Enterprise, are soliciting statements of qualifications for selection of an Architect/Engineer firm for the New Pediatric Campus,” the executive summary reads.

The documents describe a new pediatric hospital with 532 beds, an emergency department with 90 bays, more than 90 newborn intensive care unit beds, and services to support a new labor and delivery program with approximately 30 beds. Neither health system responded to an email requesting confirmation of those specifics. Because the project is in its early stages, the specs are likely to change. The existing Dallas main campus has 490 beds.

In an internal email to UT Southwestern staff last fall, President Dr. Daniel Podolsky mentioned the new campus among other developments in the works at UTSW.

Dr. Podolsky wrote: “The planning for the new pediatric campus will accelerate as our joint pediatric experience enables our two organizations to work together to provide care to children and support their families. The new hospital and expanded ambulatory services will advance our pediatric care strategic plans and strengthen our longstanding partnership with Children’s.”

An agreement with a vendor was supposed to have been executed last May, and an 18-month planning and design process was set to commence last June. According to the UT Southwestern supplier bid portal, that RFQ has been awarded. A UT Southwestern spokesman did not respond to an email requesting comment on “design and other related services for a new children’s hospital in Dallas” on Monday.

Children’s Health and UTSW released a joint statemen that read: “Our joint pediatric enterprise is always pursuing opportunities to bolster capacity to provide care in response to record population growth and demand for pediatric specialty services in North Texas. To meet these needs, we are exploring a possible new pediatric campus. Specific details on a project of this magnitude are not final, or approved, and may not be for some time. We look forward to sharing accurate, finalized, information with the community if it is approved by both our institutions and associated boards.”

According to the original timeline in the documents, “schematic design documents” were supposed to be presented to the Board of Regents for approval next month. Final “design development documents” were to be submitted to the regents in August, and construction was originally planned to begin next year. A new timeline for the project was not immediately available.

The original solicitation documents also say that the new facility is set to replace all the services offered in the current hospital and bring services from other facilities to the new campus. The project description included plans for a new master plan for the campus, an administrative building for clinical and support staff, an ambulatory care facility with 250 exam rooms, a utility plant to support the campus, at least one parking garage with 6,500 spaces, and other infrastructure elements. Whether these details make it into the final plans is yet to be determined.

Children’s Health was founded in 1913, growing and expanding into its location in 1967 with 130 beds. In 2008, Children’s approved the construction of a campus in Plano, which now has 72 beds. In 2014, the organization rebranded to Children’s Health. It currently serves 800,000 visits annually.

The hospital is unlikely to be built in the exact location of the existing campus to avoid any interruptions in service, but the joint venture with UTSW makes the new site likely to be located somewhere in the Medical District. The area has several open spaces, especially north of the current campus near Inwood Boulevard and Harry Hines Boulevard. Final design plans have not yet been approved.

The Medical District has been bustling with construction projects. In December, the state broke ground on a new psychiatric hospital across the street from the Children’s Health Dallas. The project received $282.5 million from the state, and Children’s Health donated $200 million to support a pediatric psychiatric wing. It will have 296 beds, with 96 reserved for children. That state hospital is set to finish construction in 2025.

A Texas Public Information Act request to review documents related to the new pediatric hospital submitted has yet to be fulfilled by UT Southwestern.

 

Source: D CEO Magazine

Texas Health Rockwall’s $92.3 Million Expansion Serves Growing North Texas Region

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An estimated $92.3 million expansion and renovation at Texas Health Hospital Rockwall is nearly doubling the size of the hospital and bringing a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a Cardiac Catheterization Lab and an expanded Emergency Department to the growing North Texas community.

By expanding, Texas Health Rockwall, a joint venture between Texas Health Resources and area physicians, is increasing healthcare services to Rockwall and nearby communities.

“We are growing Texas Health Rockwall to better serve our patients and their families,” said Cindy Perrin, president of the hospital. “We are especially proud of our new NICU, which will help meet the health needs of our tiniest patients closer to their homes. Proximity to a hospital that can address critical care needs will bring greater comfort to families living in the communities we serve.”

A new two-story addition transforms an inpatient wing into a four-story bed tower. The project will add 32,000 square feet of new space and 51,000 square feet of renovated interior areas. These additions and renovations are being constructed in phases, with final completion expected in summer 2023.

Once the project is completed, the hospital is expected to deliver an estimated 1,200 babies a year, up from 400 or 200% today.

The project is an investment in the future health of families and residents in a high growth area. The hospital, which began as a small community hospital with a focus on surgery in December 2007, serves patients and families from various counties, including Rockwall, Kaufman, Hunt, eastern Dallas County and southern Collin County.

“Our caregivers live in these communities,” said Jason Linscott, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Texas Health Rockwall. “We want to provide the best care for our neighbors, friends and family members. This expansion allows us to bring greater access to medical services to families living east of Lake Ray Hubbard.”

The estimated population of Rockwall County was listed as 116,381 according to 2021 U.S. Census figures, an increase of more than 38,000 since the 2010 Census. Rockwall and nearby communities have been attracting businesses as North Texas continues to grow.

The new eight-bed NICU includes two private rooms and a separate room for parents who need to stay overnight to care for their babies. This addition brings a NICU to the hospital for the first time.

The NICU and other renovated areas have spacious waiting rooms in light blue and gray tones. Wave features are painted on the walls, alluding to the nearby lake. These features are intended to instill a sense of calm.

Most of the first floor is being renovated or refreshed. The facility’s front-line caregivers provided input into the design based on needs that came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once completed, Texas Health Rockwall’s project will include:

  • • New NICU
  • • Ten new Labor & Delivery Rooms in an expanded Labor & Delivery area – up from seven
  • • Two C-Section rooms up from one
  • • Twenty-four postpartum rooms up from 10
  • • Twelve Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds up from six
  • • Renovation of the Post Anesthesia Care Unit
  • • Expanded Emergency Department with 14 emergency room beds – up from seven
  • • New Cardiac cath lab and Interventional Radiology lab
  • • New kitchen
  • • New central plant and additional parking

 

Source:Blue Ribbon News