Texas Medical Center

The Texas Medical Center, with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research of any location, is the largest medical district in the world. The center is located in Houston, Texas, USA. The center contains 45 medicine-related institutions, which include 13 hospitals and two specialty institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and other health-related careers. All 45 institutions are not-for-profit. The center is where one of the first, and largest, air ambulance service was created and where a successful inter-institutional transplant program was developed. More heart surgeries are performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world.

The Texas Medical Center receives over 5 million annual patient visits including over 10 thousand international patients. In 2006, the center employed over 73,500 people, including 4,000 physicians and 11,000 registered nurses.

Adjacent to the center are Rice University, Hermann Park, Reliant Park and the Museum District.

Founding and early years
The Texas Medical Center was established in 1945 through the generous philanthropy of businessman Monroe Dunaway Anderson. Anderson believed that a medical center that consisted of many different hospitals, academic and research institutions and support organizations should be built in Houston, next to Hermann Hospital. Anderson founded the M.D. Anderson Foundation prior to the charter of the medical center with an endowment of $300,000. The fund's first gift was a check of $1,000 to the Junior League Eye Fund for eyeglasses. Two years after establishing the M.D. Anderson Foundation, Anderson died, leaving $19 million to the organization, the largest charitable fund ever created in Texas. In 1941, the Texas State Legislature granted funds to the University of Texas for the purpose of starting a cancer research hospital. The M.D. Anderson Foundation matched the state's gift to the university by supplying funds and land to construct the hospital.

President Roosevelt approved the purchase of 118 acres from the Hermann Estate in 1944 for the construction of a 1,000-bed naval hospital in Houston. The hospital, later renamed the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, opened in 1946 and became a teaching facility for the Baylor College of Medicine. Also in 1946, several projects were approved for inclusion in the Texas Medical Center including: Hermann Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, The Shriners Crippled Children's' Hospital (now known as Shriners Hospitals for Children), and the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. The M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of the University of Texas began construction in 1953. Texas Children's Hospital admitted its first patient in 1954.

During the late 1950s, the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research opened. The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute at Houston added the Gimbel Research Wing. Texas Woman's University Nursing Program began instruction.

In 1962, the Texas Heart Institute was chartered and became affiliated with St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital. Ben Taub General Hospital of the Harris County Hospital District opened.

Recent history and developments
In 1993, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center began a $248.6-million expansion project which constructed an inpatient pavilion with 512 beds, two research buildings, an outpatient clinic building, a faculty office building and a patient-family hotel. From 2005 to present, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building, the Ambulatory Clinical Building, the Cancer Prevention Center and a new research building on the South Campus opened. The for profit Proton Therapy Center, the largest facility in the United States where proton therapy is used to treat cancer, opened in July of 2006.

The Memorial Hermann Healthcare System is constructing the six-floor, 165,000-square-foot Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute. Also recently completed is the 30-story Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, which is now the largest medical office building in the Texas Medical Center. At night, it is recognizable by its unique rainbow lantern. The new construction is part of the system's city-wide "Century Project" initiative.

Baylor College of Medicine with affiliated St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital opened The Baylor Clinic on June 29, 2005, a new adult outpatient center. A second structure, to be completed in 2008, will provide an estimated 250,000 square feet of additional space for ambulatory care.

Patient care institutions

 * Ben Taub General Hospital, part of the Harris County Hospital District
 * The Houston Hospice and Palliative Care Systems
 * Memorial Hermann Hospital
 * The Methodist Hospital
 * St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital
 * Shriners Hospitals for Children &mdash; Houston
 * Texas Children's Hospital
 * The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR)
 * The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
 * Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston

Academic and research institutions

 * Baylor College of Medicine
 * Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library
 * Houston Community College System &mdash; Health Science Programs
 * The Methodist Healthcare System
 * The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
 * Methodist DeBakey Heart Center
 * Methodist Neurological Institute
 * Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
 * Texas A&M University System
 * Institute of Biosciences and Technology
 * Prairie View A&M University &mdash; College of Nursing
 * Texas Heart Institute
 * Texas Southern University &mdash; College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
 * Texas Woman's University &mdash; Institution of Health Sciences, Houston
 * University of Houston &mdash; College of Pharmacy
 * University of Houston Health Science Center (proposed)
 * University of Houston System at Texas Medical Center (proposed)
 * Rice University
 * The University of Texas System
 * The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
 * Dental Branch
 * Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
 * Harris County Psychiatric Center
 * Institute of Molecular Medicine
 * Medical School
 * School of Health Information Sciences
 * School of Nursing
 * School of Public Health
 * The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Secondary schools

 * Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions &mdash; named after Michael E. DeBakey

Support facilities

 * John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons Building
 * City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services
 * Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center
 * Harris County Medical Society
 * Houston Academy of Medicine
 * The Institute of Religion and Health headed until his death in 2007 by the United Methodist minister John E. Fellers
 * Joseph A. Jachimczyk Forensic Center - Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County
 * John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science
 * LifeGift Organ Donation Center
 * Ronald McDonald House of Houston
 * YMCA Child Care Center in the Texas Medical Center

Housing
The Texas Medical Center operates the Laurence H. Favrot Tower Apartments; only medical professionals and other staff members of the Texas Medical Center and their dependents may live in the apartments.

Education
Residents of the apartments are zoned to Houston ISD schools:
 * Roberts Elementary School
 * Ryan Middle School
 * Lamar High School

Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, a public magnet school, is located east of the Texas Medical Center.

Infrastructure
The area is served by Metro bus service and the "Red Line" of the METRORail light rail system. Three METRORail stations are located near the center: (TMC Transit Center, Dryden/TMC Station, and Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Station).

Fire services
The Houston Fire Department Station 33 Medical Center is near the Texas Medical Center at 7100 Fannin @ South Braeswood.

Police services
The Texas Medical Center is within the Houston Police Department's South Central Patrol Division.

Postal services
The United States Postal Service Medical Center Station is located at 7205 Almeda Road, 77054-9998.