It doesn’t hurt a bit that Coastal Texas hospitals continue to be centers of health-care innovation.

Facilities such as CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, Corpus Christi Medical Center and Driscoll Children’s Hospital all deliver cutting-edge treatments and top-level expertise throughout the region, allowing patients to receive high-level care close to home. For example, Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi has become a leader in pediatric care, thanks to its skills in 30 medical specialties.

All for the Kids

Driscoll admits more than 6,500 children annually for inpatient treatment and cares for another 130,000 with outpatient services, and was the first hospital in South Texas to perform an organ transplant. The hospital employs 1,800 people, serves a 33-county area and frequently invests in new services, technology and treatments.

That includes recently spending $2.7 million to upgrade its Cancer & Blood Disorders Center. The expanded center opened in April 2011.

“We’re lucky to have a children’s hospital here in Corpus Christi to serve all of South Texas, and the generosity of the community to help fund our medical efforts never ceases to amaze me,” says Dr. Cris Johnson, medical director for the Cancer & Blood Disorders Center. “Our young patients have had their lives altered by the diagnosis of cancer, and dozens of groups and numerous individuals contribute funds to help Driscoll Hospital do what we can for these kids.”

Community Kindness

Johnson says the old Cancer & Blood Disorders Center was too small and antiquated for the growing number of patients that the hospital sees, so various fundraisers helped secure the funds needed to upgrade the facility.

“A Fiesta de Los Ninos, plus private donations raised money to completely remodel and expand the center,” she says. “For example, we were able to install sound control measures wherever we administer chemotherapy, because it’s vital to have absolute quiet conditions to be totally accurate with chemotherapy. I can’t thank the Coastal Bend community enough for what they do for us here at Driscoll.”

Six Hospitals for CHRISTUS

Meanwhile, CHRISTUS Spohn Health System blankets the region with a three-campus presence in Corpus Christi, and is known for having a nationally ranked cardiovascular program, along with a world-renowned cancer treatment center. CHRISTUS also has hospitals in Alice, Kingsville and Beeville, and the Beeville campus has a HALO-Flight helicopter based on site.

“A lot of major highways go through Bee County, including Interstate 37, U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. 181, all of which have busy interchanges,” says Jerry Rodriguez, vice president and chief operating officer at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville. “From Bee County, HALO-Flight can quickly transport patients to CHRISTUS Spohn, as well as other facilities in Corpus Christi or San Antonio, depending upon the severity of their injuries.”

Among the Nation’s Best

At Corpus Christi Medical Center, its four hospitals, including a 72-bed heart hospital, employ more than 1,200 people and their services range from neonatal intensive care to cancer treatment. CCMC was the first hospital in South Texas to install the CARTO 3 System, the most advanced technology available for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia, commonly known as irregular heartbeat.

CCMC was also named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals for 2011 by Thomson Reuters.

“This is an exclusive award designation, and it acknowledges the staff and physicians at Corpus Christi Medical Center for making a difference and setting the standards in patient care in South Texas,” says Edward Lamb, CCMC chief executive officer.