HERE
THERE IS NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW.
Each year, thousands of families in Central Texas receive the news no parent wants to hear—your child has a serious, life-threatening disease. For these families, the words that often follow are difficult: Your child’s best chance of survival lies elsewhere. Right now, care for patients in need of advanced, specialty care often means families have to juggle impractical and expensive long-distance travel or bi-city living for long periods of time. And these are the fortunate ones. For the 70% of Dell Children’s Medical Center patients who are un- or under-insured, life-saving care may be out of their reach. To us, this is simply unacceptable.
Dell Children’s Wants To Offer The Best Healthcare In The Nation To Our Children, Right Here At Home.
HERE
What Will It Take?
Investment in our leading advanced-care lines:
Heart Care | Brain Care | Cancer Care | Fetal Care
Patients in these services have spent more than 16,400 days and nights away from home in hospitals in other cities—our goal is to reduce that number to zero. By creating, building and growing four outstanding Centers of Excellence, including Maternal Fetal Medicine, we will connect exceptional medical practitioners to our little patients. These physicians will advance the practice of medicine, build stellar medical teams and do exceptional work on behalf of our children.
GROWTH CONTINUES
COMING SOON:
New 4th Bed Tower for our most critical patients
Dell Children’s growth in specialty care has created the urgent need for additional care rooms to serve children requiring the most complex care. The 4th, and final, patient tower will provide an additional 72 rooms for acute care including Heart & Vascular, Neurosciences, Oncology/ Hematology, an intensive care unit and a general acute unit. This means that very soon, no matter the diagnosis, families will be able to remain at Dell Children’s for their care. As our community’s rapid growth continues, we must be ready to meet the tremendous need for expanded pediatric services, and we are more committed than ever to ensuring no child or family has to leave Central Texas to receive exceptional care.
Many centers, one advanced facility
With existing at Dell Children’s at capacity we have created a new four-story, 161,000-square-foot facility connected to Dell Children’s, to develop efficient Cardiovascular and Heart Surgery, Neurosciences, Maternal Fetal Medicine, and Oncology/Hematology services alongside critical support services and specialty clinics. The new facility is fostering innovative teamwork and advanced care.
Heart Care: Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease
In 2018, world-renowned pediatric heart surgeon, Dr. Charles Fraser, joined our team with the express purpose of building the best congenital heart program in the nation. Dr. Frasers’ team hit the ground running and is now well on its way to perform a record number of heart surgeries and soon will introduce Dell Children’s first heart transplants. Our goal is to make Dell Children’s the definitive destination for cardiovascular care, drawing patients from across the region, state and nation.
Brain Care: Neurosciences Center of Excellence
Dell Children’s anticipates an 18% increase in the community’s need for neurological services over the next decade. At the same time, clinical and technological advances are expanding treatment options for our community. The recruitment of nationally renowned neurologist, Dr. E. Steve Roach, anticipates these challenges and opportunities. Dr. Roach will lead the way in establishing high-level care in neurosurgery, neurology, epilepsy and neuropsychology, as well as physical medicine and rehabilitation. Locating this Center of Excellence within the new facility will not only create synergies between service lines, it will establish a pediatric health ecosystem on the Dell Children’s campus that is truly distinguished from peer institutions in our immediate region.
Cancer Care: Children’s Blood and Cancer Center of Excellence
Children’s Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC) is currently the only cancer center in the region just for children. However, patients requiring a higher level of care must travel outside the region for services. For the CBCC to become the regional leader, clinic expansion and investments in advanced diagnostics and therapeutics are necessary. As a Center of Excellence, young patients will receive all care in one place, close to home, and our Oncology/Hematology specialists will build the foundation for a stem cell/bone marrow transplant program. Dell Children’s and Dell Medical School are jointly recruiting a distinguished Section Chief of Oncology/Hematology for this Center.
Fetal Care: Maternal Fetal Medicine
Currently, after a mother gives birth to a high-risk baby who needs immediate surgical intervention, the newborn is transported to Dell Children’s, while the mom recovers in an adult facility. Family members are forced to travel back and forth between Dell Children’s and the adult hospital. And this is the best case scenario. When high-risk babies leave Austin for care elsewhere, this situation becomes even more difficult. Dell Children’s has proudly recruited birth defects expert, Dr. Kenneth Moise Jr., to lead the new Fetal Care Center.
To ensure mothers and families can stay close to their new baby and that babies have the very best chance to thrive, Dell Children’s is establishing an advanced Maternal Fetal Medicine program, which will allow healthy expectant mothers carrying high-risk babies to be cared for by comprehensive and interdisciplinary pediatric experts close to home. Our program will become one of only four in Texas to offer advanced fetal surgery and a special delivery unit fully integrated into a pediatric hospital.
WHY HERE?
Our Stories
Meet Daniel
Dell Children’s Heart Patient
Meet Parker
Dell Children’s Neurosciences Patient
Meet Harper
Dell Children’s Cancer Patient
Expertise was far, far away.
Daniel’s Story
From gravely serious to pure joy.
Kaycie’s Story
Dell offered hope beyond hope.
Harper’s Story
JOIN US IN CHANGING THE FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN
Latest News
Caring for Mothers HERE
In 2018, after struggling with infertility for nearly a decade, Laura and Blain Martin celebrated the birth of their son Henry following a complicated delivery and emergency c-section. After a short stay in the NICU, baby Henry was home with his family.
Little Baby That Could
We’re excited to share that after four months of growing bigger and stronger at our hospital, Baby Le’Lani is now home with her loving family.
A new President for Dell Children’s
Ascension Texas is excited to announce the appointment of Michael Wiggins DBA, FACHE, as the new President of Dell Children’s, which now includes Dell Children’s Medical Center as well as Dell Children’s Medical Center North.
First-Ever Endowed Distinguished Chair at Dell Children’s, Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr. MD
We are honored to share the news that Dell Children’s Medical Center, through the generosity of a $7 million transformational gift from the John L. Hern Foundation, has established the John L. Hern Foundation Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Endowed Chair in Pediatric Organ Transplantation.
11-year-old survivor of cardiac arrest thanks the heroes who saved her
Middle school athlete Sabine Barrett was playing soccer on Jan. 19, when she suddenly collapsed on the soccer field. Her father was with her at the time and called LoneStar Soccer Club coach Nick Snyder for help. Coach Snyder lept into action and administered CPR while her father called 911.
A 50/50 Chance
Baby Le’Lani was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect while in utero. Upon entering this world, she would need life-saving surgery to ensure the arteries around her heart were pumping blood properly.