Editor's note: This story was updated to include additional context.
From the colorful walls of Texas Children’s Hospital, showcasing wildlife and wonder, to the healing beats of music therapy at Dell Children’s Hospital—children are presented with more approachable and comfortable methods of treatment..
Leaders from Austin’s pediatric hospitals spoke with Community Impact to dive deeper into what makes children’s hospitals unique, approachable and healing for patients and their families.
The context
Previously, families had to travel outside of the region to seek treatment for their children in the 80’s and 90’s, said Deb Brown, chief operating officer at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Similarly, patients within the Texas Children’s Hospital network had to travel to Houston before its North Austin campus opened in 2024.
“We want to fully engage the community to... care for their children, and to care for them here,” Brown said.
What’s different?
Pediatric hospitals are constructed with intention from the ground up, Dr. Edward Buchanan, Chief Medical Officer of Texas Children’s Austin Campus explained, from the building itself being filled with colors and creatures, to the highly-trained doctors and child life specialists.
Specific differentiations between pediatric and non-pediatric medical facilities include:
A team effort: In addition to a standard team of care: a surgeon, nurse and physician's assistant, pediatric care can also include a social worker, pediatric pharmacist, child life specialist, pediatric dietician and added medical specialists.
Social support: Children and families are also paired with a child life specialist, in addition to medical support, to help explain the diagnosis and treatment process to all impacted. Specialists also offer alternative therapies, including making art, playing instruments, singing or meeting with a therapy dog.
Patient play time: Hospitals also have age-specific infrastructure, playrooms, toys and activities to aid in healing and help disarm patients and families.
Specialized programs: Dell Children’s offers over 40 specialty and sub-specialty programs to care for children with congenital anomalies. Texas Children’s specializes in multi-disciplinary care, with a neuroscience division, orthopedic and sports medicine departments and more.
Who it’s for
At pediatric facilities, healing and care is not just extended to patients, but to the entire family. Each room at Texas Children’s has a patient bed and a separate bed for family members.
Additionally, Texas Children’s in Northwest Austin recently celebrated the opening of a Ronald McDonald House at the hospital with a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 30. The new facility is Central Texas’s first in-hospital home offering free overnight stays, food and transportation for families, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
“Our families are going to be just steps away from their child's care,” said Arden Whitley, senior development director for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas. “It's going to allow them the proximity...to make a middle-of-the-night medical decision for their child.”
Ronald McDonald’s House also has a facility for families near Dell Children’s Medical Center, along with individual family rooms at several Austin hospitals.
What’s next?
Dell Children’s Medical Center is in the process of expanding services by upgrading the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center. A new physician, Dr. Dr. Alireza Shamshirsaz is now seeing patients, with his partner Dr. Oluseyi Ogunleye starting in July.
“[Moms] can deliver here at Dell Children's and then their babies can be cared for here at Dell Children's, keeping mom, baby and family in one location to... meet the needs of all of their care right in one place,” Brown said.
Additionally, Texas Children’s recently hired Dr. Tony Wen, medical director of maternal fetal medicine who specializes in pregnancies with fetal and obstetrical complications, and Dr. Sheng-Pei Wang, a pediatric dermatologist.
Texas Children’s also opened its Lakeway Specialty Clinic, offering maternal fetal medicine, orthopedic and otolaryngology services in January, continuing to grow where patients are located.
