Children’s Health and the UT Southwestern Medical Center are exploring the possibility of building a new pediatric hospital campus, although the project is still on the drawing board.
The size and scope of any future project have yet to be announced, but documents obtained by D CEO magazine indicate the project could cost as much as $2.5 billion, with $1.6 billion of that going toward construction.
A joint statement Tuesday from Children’s Health and UT Southwestern cited record population growth and demand for pediatric specialty services in the North Texas region as reasons they are looking into the possibility of building a new campus.
“To meet these needs, we are exploring a possible new pediatric campus. Specific details on a project of this magnitude are not final, or approved, and may not be for some time,” the statement said.
The hospitals sought inquiries from contractors in January 2022, according to D CEO. It’s unclear whether any contracts have been issued or whether the documents obtained by the magazine are still in line with plans for the project, but they do indicate the possible scope of such a project.
The original request listed a project completion goal of 2028, D CEO reported. The magazine cited a report by Strategic Partnerships Inc., which researches, analyzes and consults on public-private partnerships.
The early proposals suggested the pediatric hospital could include 532 beds, a 90-bay emergency department, more than 90 newborn intensive care unit beds and a new labor and delivery program with around 30 beds. The hospital and additional buildings would replace all other facilities at the current campus in the Medical District.
It’s unclear where the new hospital campus would be located. Children’s Health’s main campus, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, is adjacent to Parkland Health — the county’s public hospital system — and UT Southwestern’s flagship William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.
Additional plans listed in the early project description include an administrative building, a 250-room ambulatory care center, a utility plant to support the campus and at least one parking garage with 6,500 spaces.
A new pediatric campus would represent only the latest expansion by Children’s Health in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The hospital system broke ground on a major expansion of its Plano medical campus in October 2021, adding a 300,000-square-foot, seven-floor tower and expanding bed capacity from 72 to 212.
In 2019, Children’s Health announced a new medical campus in Prosper after purchasing 72 acres at the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Highway 380. The new location will join Fort Worth-based Cook Children’s newly open Prosper medical center.
Children’s Health and UT Southwestern have long partnered in treating North Texas pediatric patients. Doctors from UT Southwestern, a public medical center and school, provide much of the care at not-for-profit Children’s Health.
