UT Health Science Center – San Antonio and Vanguard to work together toward agreement on freestanding children’s hospital in the Medical Center

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is now taking decisive steps toward realizing the decades-long goal of building a state-of-the-art, independently licensed academic children’s hospital. This has been a need in the community for many years, and for many years organizations have debated the best way to achieve this goal.

On September 7, 2012, The University of Texas System Board of Regents authorized The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to execute an agreement with Vanguard Health Systems, owner of Baptist hospitals, to establish an academic children’s hospital in San Antonio. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the best in the nation, will join Vanguard in the administration of our new children’s hospital, while the Health Science Center will provide its faculty members and drive the hospital’s research and training programs.

The organizations have begun planning for the hospital’s regional network of clinics that will deliver top-tier pediatric care throughout San Antonio and South Texas communities. The children’s hospital itself will follow, with a timeline of about 30 months to three years before completion.

William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, president of the UT Health Science Center, called the agreement a tremendous step toward enhancing world-class pediatric care in San Antonio and South Texas. The academic children’s hospital, he said, will provide transformational educational and research experiences to the students who are our future pediatric health care providers.

We understand that there is intense community interest in this hospital, as there should be. We at the Health Science Center welcome any questions or opportunities to share our vision of this historic step for our region’s children at your community gathering. Please call Dr. Henrich’s office at 210-567-2000 to schedule a conversation.

For news on our children’s hospital, click here.