By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling
North Texas’ unprecedented growth presents the region with the challenge of addressing the growing and increasingly complex health care needs of our children, the number of which is expected to double by 2050. Children’s Health and UT Southwestern have joined forces to construct a state-of-the-art $5 billion new pediatric campus in Dallas.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, at the T. Boone Pickens Biomedical Building at UT Southwestern, the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) hosted the top leaders from Children’s Health and UT Southwestern to share more about the project. Below are some takeaways from their conversation.
The latest collaboration between two medical institutions
The new pediatric campus will not be the first collaboration between Children’s Health and UT Southwestern. This is only the latest development in their 60-plus-year relationship.
“We made the very sound decision to refresh [our] affiliation agreement in 2019,” said President and CEO of Children’s Health Christopher Durovich. “I’m personally delighted that not only were we able to accomplish that, but we got that done before the pandemic. That has given us the springboard to have the conversations that we’re having today as we jointly create the new children’s medical center here in Dallas.”
Collaboration and existing medical partnerships will be beneficial to the new center
The Dallas Region already has a well-established health care ecosystem that the new pediatric facility will draw on.
“Collaboration is important, as demonstrated by what Children’s Health and UT Southwestern are doing,” said Steve Love, President and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. “We’re very blessed in this community that all the hospitals collaborate and work together. I only point to the pandemic to show you how they worked collectively, so they could serve the needs of the people of North Texas.”
A new type of pediatric facility
According to Durovich, the pediatric facility will be different from other medical institutions, and it will help set Dallas apart by reimagining what care can look like.
“We’re going to incorporate the most cutting-edge science and lay the groundwork to be sure we’ll continue to make the technology available for the children cared for there, state of the art,” said President of UT Southwestern Medical Facility Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky. “This is the opportunity to build a hospital and a facility differently, form following function. And that’s the real opportunity.”
Children’s Health and UT Southwestern also collaborated on the new state behavioral health hospital
They also recently collaborated on UT Southwestern’s Texas Behavioral Health Center, Texas’ first state behavioral health hospital. Children’s Health provided more than 90 beds for youth psychiatric treatment via a $200 million donation.
The DRC also helped to secure funding in the 88th Texas Legislative Session for the Behavioral Health Center.
“We’re very proud to have been part of the coalition that worked for the last few legislative sessions to get funding for the UT Southwestern-operated Behavioral Health Hospital that will serve the Dallas Region,” said DRC COO and CFO Angela Farley. “One of our favorite things about living and working here in the region is these kinds of collaborations.”
To learn how to become a part of the DRC’s Executive Circle, email us at memberinfo@dallaschamber.org.