DALLAS — Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Dallas Business Journal here.
A new pediatric health campus is set to rise in the Southwestern Medical District.
Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center unveiled Feb. 7 plans for the $5 billion project on more than 33 acres. The campus is intended to "meet the rapidly increasing need for more pediatric services" in Dallas, as well as a hub for research and development.
The complex will replace the existing Children's Medical Center Dallas, which is at Harry Hines Boulevard and Medical District Drive and will remain open while the new facility is under construction a little over a mile away at Harry Hines and Mockingbird Lane. The new facility will be adjacent to William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, and the two will be connected by an elevated walkway.
The new campus will span 5 million square feet, with 2 million square feet of hospital construction across two 12-story towers and a single eight-story tower, according to the announcement. Construction could begin later this year and be completed in 2031, according to the two health care institutions.
The campus "enhances our shared capacity to provide comprehensive care for children, including those with the most complex medical and surgical needs," Children's Health President and CEO Christopher Durovich stated. "It enables us to continue pioneering academic research, lifesaving treatments, and industry-leading technology for pediatric patients for generations to come."
The new hospital would have 552 beds, a 38% increase from the current hospital, plus room to expand. The emergency department and operating room space would also be increased by double-digit percentages.
Dr. Daniel Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern, said the campus "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."
As the population continues to surge in Dallas-Fort Worth, so too does the child population. The pediatric population was pegged by Children's Health and UT Southwestern as nearly 2.5 million today and is expected surpass 3 million by 2032 and to double by 2050.
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