Texas Children's Hospital, one of the top pediatric organizations in the world, recently announced that it will invest $1.5 billion over a four-year period in initiatives to secure its role as a pre-eminent pediatric institution and to anticipate the future of children's health regionally, nationally and internationally. This is the largest expansion program ever by a single children's hospital.

The planned initiatives, all of which are targeted for completion by 2010, focus largely on research and accessibility, two areas which the Texas Children's board and its leadership believe are the keys to rapidly translating science into quality clinical care for children, as well as making that quality care accessible to all patients. Major capital projects include the creation of a comprehensive neurological research institute ($215,000,000), the formation of a maternity center ($575,000,000), expansion of existing research facilities ($120,000,000) and the development of one of the largest pediatric hospitals in a suburban setting ($220,000,000). Other dollars ($370,000,000) are earmarked for new equipment and information systems to support quality improvement.

"This investment is not about buildings; it is about the responsibility we as a leader in pediatrics have to accelerate the translation of research from bench to beside," said Mark Wallace, chief executive officer of Texas Children's Hospital. "It is very obvious to our board, our medical staff and our employees that there is a significant need in our backyard, in our country and across the world for research and development in key areas. Access to the highest quality pediatric care will suffer without an ongoing commitment to cutting-edge research; at Texas Children's Hospital, we will not allow that to happen."

Texas Children's Neurological Research Institute
One of the most notable projects to come out of this landmark investment will be the Texas Children's Neurological Research Institute (NRI). The institute will be the first comprehensive pediatric neurological research center of its kind in the world devoted to collaborative, unified efforts to understand the unique issues of the child's brain structure, development patterns and related diseases.

Disorders including autism and other neuro-developmentally handicapping conditions are on the rise at alarming rates, with neurological diseases, including cerebral palsy and epilepsy, estimated to exceed more than a half-trillion dollars annually in health care expenditures, lost productivity and other economic costs. Brain-related disorders account for the majority of our nation's long-term care costs, and when combined with psychiatric disorders, account for more hospitalization and prolonged care than almost all other diseases combined.

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