The Community involvement and Genecis program in children’s Health

About the Study

Children's Health is a North Texas pediatric health care system comprised of two hospitals, Children's Medical Center Dallas and Children's Medical Center Plano, as well as seven specialty facilities and 19 pediatric clinics spread across the region. Children's Health is a private, not-for-profit organization that provides pediatric health, wellness, and acute care services for children aged newborn to 21. Services include specialist care, primary care, home health, a pediatric research Centre, and community outreach.

Children's Health is the sixth largest pediatric healthcare provider in the United States, according to Beckers Hospital Review. Children's Health also has a Level 1 trauma Centre and a pediatric kidney, liver, heart, bowel, and bone marrow transplant clinic.

Children's Health was previously known as Children's Medical Center Dallas until 2014. It rebranded as Children's Health, formally recognised as Children's Health System of Texas, in September 2014.

Children's Health dates back to the summer of 1913, when a group of nurses founded the Dallas Baby Camp on the lawn of the old Parkland Hospital in Dallas. The Dallas Baby Camp evolved into the Bradford Hospital for Babies in 1930, and in 1948 it joined with the Children's Hospital of Texas and the Richmond Freeman Memorial Clinic to become what is today known as Children's Medical Center Dallas. In 1964, Children's Medical Center merged with the University of Texas South-Western Medical Center. Children's Medical Center expanded into in 2014.

Health and wellness alliance for children

Children's Health formed the Health and Wellness Alliance for Children, a coalition of more than 60 hospitals, social service organizations, faith-based organizations, school districts, government entities, and families dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children in Dallas and Collin counties. The alliance's initial target areas include asthma, the leading cause of emergency department admissions at Children's Health, and weight control.

Local school programs

Children's Health collaborates with local school nurses through the TeleHealth initiative to provide access to physicians without requiring parents to leave work to take their child to the doctor. Children's Health also provides routine check-ups and vaccines to children during regional events.

Rees-Jones center for foster care excellence

The Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence at Children's Medical Center Dallas provides support for children living with relatives, foster parents, or in a group home. To facilitate children's rehabilitation from neglect and abuse, the clinic focuses on support for foster parents and children, care coordination, and child welfare and health.

Dallas children's health holiday parade

The Dallas Children's Health Holiday Parade originated in 1987 as a collaboration between Adolphus Hotel and Children's Medical Center, both of whom were celebrating their 75th anniversaries at the time. With marching bands, famous characters, festive floats, and balloons, the parade kicks off the city's holiday season. More than 400,000 people attend the procession. Children's Health stopped funding the parade in 2016, but it has continued with the help of other community organizations.

GENECIS program

Children's Health announced the inauguration of the GENECIS clinic in May 2015. GENECIS (Gender Education and Care, Interdisciplinary Support) offers treatment, examinations, and puberty-blocking drugs to children and teens suffering from gender dysphoria. Ximena Lopez, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children's Medical Center Dallas who has been treating patients with gender dysphoria for several years, founded the clinic. It is the Southwest's first pediatric transgender clinic. Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center announced in November 2021 that they would no longer provide puberty suppression or hormone therapy, removed all references to the Genecis program from their websites, and stated that any remaining services would be provided by other departments within the hospitals.