Foundation of a Healthy Texas

Many of Texas’ teaching hospitals are Level I trauma centers, meaning they are ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to care for Texans experiencing a traumatic injury, whether from a single-person car accident or a mass casualty event, such as a hurricane or mass shooting. Smaller hospitals do not have the resources or staff to be able to provide such complex care and depend on us to treat and care for their seriously injured pediatric and adult patients, from surgery through rehabilitation. Level I trauma centers also deploy robust community injury prevention programs.

University Health is the only hospital in San Antonio and South Texas verified by the American College of Surgeons as both a Level I trauma center and a Level I pediatric trauma center. In January 2020, University Health established the Institute for Trauma-Informed Care to provide training, technical assistance and coaching opportunities to organizations that want to become certified in Trauma-Informed Care (TIC).

UMC El Paso is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in a 280-mile radius of El Paso and is home to the region’s only Level 1 Stroke Center and Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, able to treat and care for the most complex brain injuries. No other hospital in West Texas, the entire State of New Mexico or anywhere in Southern Arizona has this certification.

Harris Health System has both a Level I and a Level III trauma center. With an international reputation for excellence, the Ben Taub Hospital Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center is one of only two Level I trauma centers in Harris County. Staffed by physicians from Baylor College of Medicine, this Houston trauma center provides the highest level of comprehensive care for patients with serious injuries or illness. Affiliated with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital Level III trauma center provides comprehensive medical and surgical services to patients in northeast Houston who do not require neurosurgical consult or treatment. Emergency physicians and nurses assess, resuscitate, stabilize and initiate a transfer, if necessary.

In another foundational role, teaching hospitals are cornerstones of the state’s public health infrastructure.

Parkland Health targeted COVID-19 testing in areas of greatest health disparity identified through its Community Health Needs Assessment. Providing more than 50 percent of testing in Dallas, Parkland’s testing was concentrated in areas of greatest health disparity. With geo-mapping and health department partnerships, Parkland identified community hot spots and worked with trusted local leaders to promote and make vaccines available locally in maximally convenient ways to high positive, low vaccination rate areas.

Midland Health teamed up with United Way of Midland to promote and deliver COVID-19 vaccinations to Midland’s underserved Hispanic community. Community volunteers and local Spanish language churches helped Midland support vaccine outreach and delivery.

Harris Health is the backbone agency of the Impacting Maternal and Prenatal Care Together (IMPACT) Collaborative, partnering with local organizations and improving the health and well-being of women and babies in Harris County. The program reduces adverse birth outcomes by eliminating barriers, to preconception, prenatal, and interconception care. The IMPACT Collaborative advocated successfully for passage of a Texas Senate bill that ultimately created Texas’ statewide Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force.

Click on the links below to read more about the many facets of Texas’ teaching hospitals.

Teaching Hospitals of Texas

Teaching Hospitals of Texas is the state’s principal voice and advocate for hospitals and health systems that teach, train, and mentor the next generation of physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals and are united in their commitment to supporting policies and funding to ensure healthcare access for all Texans.

View our members here.