University Health Women's & Children's Hospital opened in San Antonio Dec. 5, adding 300 beds for specialized care upon completion of a project that began in 2019.
The 14-story hospital builds upon the existing services for mothers, babies and children at University Health, which delivers an average of 400 babies a month.
The new hospital is located on the same campus of 700-bed University Hospital. It includes a level 4 maternity center, 70-bed level 4 NICU and dedicated pediatric emergency room. Construction of the hospital began in 2019, with the reported total cost near $750 million.
Hospital staff coordinated and transferred patients — premature babies, pediatric patients and expectant mothers — on Dec. 5.
"This kind of move requires an extraordinary amount of planning and collaboration," Irene Sandate, DNP, chief nursing officer of the new Women's & Children's Hospital, said. "We've been working on this plan for many months — the dedication of multiple teams shows in how we've been able to execute it."