Chris Born, the president of Dell Children’s Medical Center, said the Specialty Pavilion will bring Dell Children’s cardiovascular, neurosciences, Cancer Center and the newly created Comprehensive Fetal Care Center under one roof. He said by combining services, it will eliminate the need for patients to make multiple visits to different facilities for testing, imaging and consulting.
“This is a great day for children and families in Central Texas and a great day for the teams that take care of them,” he said.
The Comprehensive Fetal Care Center will be run by Dr. Kenneth Moise Jr., offering treatment and management of rare fetal conditions, according to Dell Children's.
“It is a place of hope, hope for all those pregnant women of Central Texas who've been confronted with the news that the unborn child they carry is not the perfect child they envisioned,” Moise said.
Amber Cessac, a mother who received fetal therapy as Moise’s patient when she was pregnant 10 years ago, said receiving a negative diagnosis originally left her feeling hopelessness and helplessness for her babies. However, Moise was able to help, and her daughters have grown up to be healthy, showing how important the new center could be for expecting mothers in the community.
“There are so many mothers who just simply don't have access to doctors and a fetal care center like this,” she said during the ribbon-cutting. “There's so many other babies that aren't that aren't given that opportunity. These are not just numbers and statistics, these lives.”
Ascension Executive Vice President Craig Cordola said there are a number of additional Dell Children’s projects that are progressing by this year. The organization will be breaking ground on a new, four-story tower that will bring 72 additional hospital beds to support the Dell Children’s Medical Center in East Austin. A second Dell Children’s Hospital is also set to open this fall in North Austin, he said.
“We're very excited to continue the expansion and the growth so that we can ensure that we have the clinical services that are needed to support the patients and families of this community,” Cordola said.
