"Texas Children's Hospital, our employees, medical staff and leadership team continue to carefully monitor the ongoing active transmission and increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the greater Houston area and across the State," the hospital said in a statement, according to Senior Public Relations Specialist Caroline Timm. "We are committed to doing our part to assist the city as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. Specifically, Texas Children’s is committed to providing additional capacity through ICU and acute care beds across our hospital campuses to take on both pediatric and adult patients."
According to information from Texas Medical Center, as of June 22—the most recent date available—COVID-19 patients occupied 26% of base ICU capacity in the Houston area, an increase of 10% since June 14. Gov. Greg. Abbott's initial guidelines regarding hospital capacity, issued April 28, stated that hospitals should reserve at least 15% of their ICU capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
TMC reported seven days of consecutive positive average growth in daily case trends and projected the current COVID-19 caseload growth trajectory would exceed ICU capacity within two weeks, according to the most recent information available from June 22.
Timm said the hospital urged residents to take health precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
"We know COVID-19 has not gone away," the hospital release stated. "We implore you to take responsible actions—practice appropriate social distancing, wear a mask or face covering anytime you leave your home, wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your face."
Texas Children's Hospital campus locations in the Greater Houston area include:
- Texas Medical Center: 6621 Fannin St., Houston;
- West Campus: 18200 Katy Freeway, Houston; and
- The Woodlands: 17580 I-45, The Woodlands.
