The William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital integrates research and education with clinical care. The new 12-story third tower brings the hospital’s bed count to about 750, adds operating rooms, and increases the capacity of the emergency department by more than 50 percent. Serving as the new clinical home for the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, the tower includes specialty units for acute stroke care, epilepsy monitoring, and specialized psychiatric services.
Surgical areas in the third tower provide a team-based clinical environment with technologies coalescing around the patient. Features include 19 new operating rooms, three angiography suites, as well as intraoperative MRI, Gamma Knife, and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technologies that enable physicians to utilize a noninvasive method to treat tumors and other diseases typically treated with radiation or surgery.
The third tower includes an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) designed to enhance patient safety while giving specialists access to the latest research tools. A central command center allows clinicians to observe patients’ brain activity or seizures in real time. Rooms are also uniquely outfitted with harnesses suspended from the ceiling to help patients independently move around their rooms with less risk of falling.
The psychiatric unit, formerly at Zale Lipshy Pavilion, has been expanded at Clements University Hospital. The larger unit can treat more complex psychiatric conditions, with 23 private patient rooms. The additional space also includes outpatient services, such as group therapy centered around specialized psychiatric offerings. The unit takes a holistic approach to treating mental health, featuring 5,000 square feet of outdoor space and a wellness garden designed to provide a positive-care environment and recreation. In addition, the psychiatric unit features 5,000 square feet of outdoor space and a wellness garden designed to provide a recreational space for patients.
Clements University Hospital was built with the idea that it would be expanded in 10 to 15 years, but growing demand for care at UT Southwestern, moved up the timeline.