FORT WORTH, Texas — A new health care center is headed to Fort Worth's Las Vegas Trail (LVT) neighborhood, and it'll be a team effort between the Cook Children's and John Peter Smith (JPS) health systems.
The two hospitals announced the new facility in a joint news release on Tuesday, calling it a "first-of-its-kind partnership."
According to the hospitals, the new medical center will be built on a 3.7-acre plot of land that was donated at the corner of Calmont Avenue and Cherry Lane in west Fort Worth.
The hospitals said the new facility will provide both pediatric and adult medical services, as well as behavioral health services and social services such as a food pantry and onsite job training for health care positions.
Groundbreaking for the two-story, 40,000-square foot medical center will occur later this year, with an opening slated for 2025.
The Cook Children's Health Foundation will lead the funding for the new facility, according to the hospitals.
"We’re grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and families in our community, and to do it side-by-side with incredible partners such as JPS, LVTRise and the City of Fort Worth,” Rick W. Merrill, president and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System, said in a statement. "It’s an honor to be part of the great revitalization of the Las Vegas Trail Neighborhood and I look forward to the lasting legacy of this important work for generations to come."
"The JPS partnership with Cook Children’s and the City of Fort Worth symbolizes the significance of public, private partnerships. We look forward to serving these residents by providing health care and improving access in the Las Vegas Trail Neighborhood,” Dr. Karen Duncan, president and CEO of JPS Health Network, said in a statement."
In their news release, the hospital systems said they had identified the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood as a "health care desert" that's experienced "high levels of crime and economic distress."
"The opening of this clinic in LVT is literally a dream come true for all of those we serve in the LVT community," LVTRise Executive Director Paige Charbonnet said in a statement. "Having wrap around health care and social services within walking distance will be transformational."