Dell Children's Medical Center Coming To Williamson County

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Dell Children’s Medical Center officials on Thursday revealed plans to build a new children’s hospital and medical office building in Williamson County along with continued expansions on the Mueller campus.

The new hospital in North Austin, and planned expansions at Dell Children’s Medical Center and the recently announced Dell Children’s Specialty Pavilion, are part of a comprehensive, ongoing plan to continue expanding pediatric care in Central Texas over the next five years and beyond, company officials said in a news release.

Dell Children’s is part of Ascension Texas, which includes 14 hospitals and more than 100 clinic locations across Central Texas.

“Our goal is to make it so that children and their families never need to leave Austin for their critical care needs, which has become increasingly important in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Andy Davis, president and CEO of Ascension Texas, said in a prepared statement. “In partnership with Dell Medical School at The University of Texas and community physician partners, Dell Children’s will continue to focus on ambitious growth to become a destination for all levels of pediatric care by strengthening existing specialties and developing additional pediatric complex care programs.”

Development of new children’s hospital

The new, full-service children’s hospital will be located on 34 acres at Avery Ranch Boulevard in Williamson County. Encompassing more than 135,000 square feet, the hospital will include 36 beds and emergency and trauma services, with two operating rooms, endoscopy and procedure rooms, and sleep labs, and shelled space for future growth, according to the news release. The north campus will also include a 60,000-square-foot medical office building and dedicated free parking, officials added.

“The ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic have made it even more evident that we must continue to focus on expanding access to pediatric care so that families in Central Texas never have to leave home to receive exceptional care, especially for the most complex cases,” Christopher M. Born, president of Dell Children’s Medical Center, said in a prepared statement. “We are excited about this next phase of growth at Dell Children’s, as we have seen a tremendous need to continue expanding pediatric services since opening Dell Children’s Medical Center in 2007, and we remain committed to growing alongside our growing Central Texas communities.”

Construction on the new hospital will begin February 2021, and it is expected to open in November 2022.

Planned Dell Children’s Medical Center expansions

Dell Children’s Medical Center will also expand the existing hospital by adding a four-story tower, totaling 72 beds with room for additional growth, officials continued. The tower will include one floor dedicated to pediatric critical care, one floor for hematology/oncology inpatient services, and another floor dedicated to general acute inpatient services, with a fourth floor shelled for future expansion, according to information sent to Patch.

In partnership with Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, Dell Children’s is developing a maternal fetal medicine program within the hospital, which will include the addition of a delivery unit and neonatal intensive care unit expansion, officials said. Dell Children’s will have capacity for more cardiac intensive care unit beds, allowing the pediatric heart team to perform more surgeries and expand the program to include heart transplants for children in the near future, officials added.

Additionally, plans call for three parking garages for Dell Children’s Mueller campus, which will include a total of 2,600 parking spaces.

Continued development of Dell Children’s Specialty Pavilion

Dell Children’s broke ground for the Dell Children’s Specialty Pavilion on March 4. As officials announced in February, the Dell Children’s Specialty Pavilion is a new pediatric outpatient facility located on the Dell Children’s campus adjacent to the existing hospital. The new outpatient facility will house world-class cardiovascular, neurosciences, and cancer programs to care for Central Texas children and families close to home. The project includes a four-story, state-of-the-art pediatric outpatient facility totaling more than 161,000 square feet. It is expected to open in spring 2021.

The Dell Children’s Specialty Pavilion expansion is made possible through a substantial investment from Ascension, and a $30 million matching grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to help ensure that all children can be treated at home in Central Texas, officials noted.

Officials said Dell Children’s Foundation, with the generous support of community donors, is spearheading the HERE campaign to raise vital funds to support the growth at Dell Children’s, including the new Specialty Pavilion. To learn more about the Dell Children’s HERE campaign or make a donation, visit SupportDellChildrens.org/HERE.

WilCo reacts to news

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell lauded the plans, noting the sheer economic development impact of the project: “Ascension Texas has invested heavily in Williamson County, and we are extremely grateful that they have decided to continue that investment by selecting Williamson County as the location for their second Dell Children’s hospital,” Gravell said in a prepared statement. “It’s the greatest type of economic development project to be a part of because we haven’t spent a penny of taxpayer dollars.”

The judge added how the having the hospital in the county's midst will benefit his consituents: "In addition to bringing good jobs to the county, it also brings a huge peace of mind to our residents that our children and grandchildren can receive world class health care right here in Williamson County.”

About Ascension Texas

In Texas, Ascension operates Ascension Providence and Ascension Seton, which includes Dell Children’s Medical Center, the region’s only comprehensive children’s hospital and pediatric Level I trauma center, and Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, the region’s only Level I trauma center for adults. Ascension Seton partners with Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and shares a common vision of transforming healthcare through a focus on quality and value. Serving Texas for 115 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., operating 2,600 sites of care – including 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org and www.dellchildrens.net.