Children’s HealthSM and UT Southwestern Medical Center unveiled plans in February 2024 for a new $5 billion pediatric health campus in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District. Spanning more than 33 acres, the campus will offer a patient-centric design that can meet the rapidly increasing need for more pediatric services ranging from the most common to the most complex. It will serve as a joint hub for innovation, academic research and training, and the development of lifesaving technologies to provide exemplary care for the youngest members of our community.
The approximately 2 million-square-foot hospital will have two 12-story towers and one eight-story tower to replace the existing Children’s Medical Center Dallas, significantly expanding inpatient, surgical and ambulatory capacity to meet the needs of one of the fastest-growing and largest metropolitan areas in the country. Expected to open in the next six to seven years, the facility will be built on the UT Southwestern campus at the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Mockingbird Lane, across from UTSW’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.
The new pediatric campus will address an acute need in Dallas-Fort Worth, where population growth consistently outpaces the national average. The pediatric population in Dallas-Fort Worth is currently almost 2.5 million and is expected to surpass 3 million children by 2032 and double by 2050.
The project will be funded through a combination of philanthropy, debt financing and revenues generated over time through clinical operations of both institutions.
In May 2024, the health systems announced a historic gift of $100 million from the Jean and Mack Pogue family in support of the campus project. To recognize the Pogue family gift, the site for the new pediatric campus will be named Pogue Park. The park will encompass the outdoor grounds surrounding the new facilities and will include sprawling green spaces intended to support compassionate healing and reduce stress in a restorative and natural environment.
And in September, UTSW and Children’s announced a $25 million gift from the Hamon Charitable Foundation to help build the new campus.
Highlights of the project include:
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- 4.5 million-square-feet of construction
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- 552 beds (38% increase) with space for future expansion
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- Expanded Emergency Department space (15%) and operating rooms (22%)
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- Two helicopter pads
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- A Level I pediatric trauma center, 90 ER exam rooms and 24 observation rooms
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- A connector bridge between the new campus and Clements University Hospital, ensuring continuity of care for babies with direct access to the pediatric expertise provided at the Children’s Health Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)
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- A new fetal care center to provide the region’s most advanced and accessible services for complex maternal and fetal health care, including fetal surgery capabilities at the adjoining Clements University Hospital
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- A new outpatient clinic building that will add 96 exam rooms to the 344 that will continue to operate at the existing Children’s Health Specialty Center Dallas outpatient facility on Stemmons Freeway at Medical District Drive
“For more than 110 years, Children’s Health has served the children of North Texas, adapting and growing with the needs of our community,” said Christopher Durovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Health. “This new pediatric campus, a joint investment with UT Southwestern, enhances our shared capacity to provide comprehensive care for children, including those with the most complex medical and surgical needs. It enables us to continue pioneering academic research, lifesaving treatments and industry-leading technology for pediatric patients for generations to come.”
“The pediatric campus is the next chapter in our more than 60-year partnership with Children’s Health and will elevate clinical innovation and transformative science that will benefit pediatric patients and their families for generations to come,” said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., President of UT Southwestern Medical Center. “The expertise on our campus, supported by state-of-the-art technologies and facilities, will enhance our commitment to excellence and compassion in providing the very best care for children and position us to accelerate the future of pediatric medicine together.”
The new pediatric campus will draw upon the extensive academic resources and collaborative, leading-edge research underway at UTSW. The innovative design of facilities – next door to UTSW’s globally ranked research hub – will help recruit leading pediatric clinicians, established and emerging researchers, residents, fellows, medical students and the most talented individuals in nursing, medical technology and related health professions.