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Dream Tree initiative launched to celebrate
topping out of new West Campus facility
HOUSTON, Texas – (May 15, 2009) – The dream of building a pediatric
community hospital in West Houston to help children live happy and
healthy lives is coming true for Texas Children’s Hospital. Now,
area children are invited to share their dreams with Texas
Children’s. To celebrate an important construction milestone, the
hospital is collecting dreams that area children wish for
themselves, their family or friends.
A colorful ribbon
representing each child’s dream will be tied to the “Dream Tree,” a
loblolly pine, which will be raised to the top of the West Campus
building in early July. In a construction tradition, a tree is
raised to the building’s highest point during the topping out, a
ceremony held when the overall structure of the building is
complete.
Six lucky children will be
selected in a random drawing from all dream submissions to
participate in the topping out ceremony and help elevate the Dream
Tree. After the ceremony, the Dream Tree will be planted on the
grounds of the West Campus, in line with design plans that include
park-like settings, water features and other elements to promote a
serene, natural healing environment.
When fully completed in
winter 2010, the West Campus, Houston’s only community hospital
designed and built exclusively for children, will be among the
nation’s largest suburban pediatric hospitals and will serve one of
the country’s fastest growing child populations. The topping out
ceremony is scheduled for late June.
“We are excited to build a
hospital for the community’s children,” said Michelle Riley-Brown,
assistant vice president, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.
“Soon, we will be topping out our hospital, but more importantly,
we’ll be closer to completing a medical facility that will provide
an innovative healing environment for the children and families we
serve in West Houston.”
Beginning May 21, children
in the greater West Houston community are invited to submit their
dreams in one of two ways. Parents can submit their child’s dream
online by visiting
www.westcampus.texaschildrens.org or completing an official
Dream tree submission form at any of the five West Houston area YMCA
locations. The deadline to submit dreams is June 30. Many of the
dreams will be displayed on the Texas Children’s Hospital West
Campus web page and a wide selection will appear in a commemorative
print advertisement in mid July.
“We’re very excited to
have reached this point in our construction,” added Riley-Brown.
“It’s very important for us to involve the community’s children in
this ceremony for a hospital that is being built to benefit all
children in the West Houston area.”
Located on 55 acres at the
intersection of Interstate 10 and Barker Cypress, Texas Children’s
Hospital West Campus is designed to incorporate the best practices
in pediatric treatment environments and to provide the special
accommodations that families need in a children’s medical facility.
Staffed and equipped exclusively to treat patients from birth to 18
years of age, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus will provide
both outpatient and inpatient services, and offer the only dedicated
pediatric emergency center in greater West Houston. The medical
campus will be built in phases, totaling 534,000 square feet. The
outpatient clinic building and the inpatient facility are scheduled
to open in 2010. For more information, visit
westcampus.texaschildrens.org.
Texas Children’s Hospital
is among the largest pediatric hospitals in the country and is
dedicated to serving children and families through excellence in
patient care, education and research. The hospital’s new West Campus
development is made possible in large part through the generous
support of corporations and families in the local community who are
committed to improving the health and well-being of its children.
Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy
children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education
and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough
developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children’s is
ranked in the top ten best children’s hospitals by U.S. News &
World Report. Texas Children’s also operates the nation’s
largest primary pediatric care network, with over 40 offices
throughout the greater Houston community. Texas Children’s has
embarked on a $1.5 billion expansion, Vision 2010, which
includes a comprehensive neurological research institute, the
formation of a maternity center, and the development of the new West
Campus, Texas Children’s first pediatric hospital in a suburban
setting.
o operates the nation’s largest primary pediatric care network, with
over 40 offices throughout the greater Houston community. Texas
Children’s has embarked on a $1.5 billion expansion, Vision 2010,
which includes a comprehensive neurological research institute, the
formation of a maternity center, and the development of the new West
Campus, Texas Children’s first pediatric hospital in a suburban
setting.
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