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The Texas Medical Center is the largest and one of the most successful medical care and research facilities in the world. |
When complex medical issues arise, patients go to Houston for leading-edge treatment. Houston has earned an international reputation as a leading center for medical science, research, and patient care. The Texas Medical Center is the focal point of the medical community, providing state-of-the-art cardiac care, cancer research and therapy, trauma care, and innovative treatments in hundreds of specialties. The Texas Medical Center is the city's largest employer, with a staff close to 50,000 and an operating budget of more than $4 billion.
The Texas Medical Center was conceived in 1941. M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute admitted its first patient in 1944. More than 55 years later, the 600-acre Texas Medical Center is home to 41 institutions and close to 100 buildings, including the Texas Heart Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Hermann Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, and the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children. Today, without a doubt, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is one of the most respected and productive cancer centers in the world. Treatment advances developed at M. D. Anderson have set the world standard for cancer care, making a difference for more than 350,000 patients. The center is one of only 27 comprehensive cancer centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute.
An estimated 110,000 people visit Texas Medical Center daily, as patients, family, visitors, faculty, students, or staff. Patient visits total more than 2.3 million annually. Physicians and medical researchers from all corners of the globe go to Houston to learn about new medical technologies and exchange information regarding treatment innovations. Annually, some 17,000 foreign patients receive treatment at Texas Medical Center institutions.
Texas Medical Center includes more than 6,500 licensed beds, two medical schools, and four nursing schools. There are facilities for a complete spectrum of nonprofit medical and health education, patient care, research, and support for all services.
The founding entity of the Methodist Health Care System in Houston is the Methodist Hospital; its legacy of medical milestones has attracted patients from around the world for more than 75 years. Methodist is the primary, private, adult teaching site for Baylor College of Medicine, one of the nation's leading centers for medical education and research. In 1996, the Methodist Health Care System was established to extend Methodist's health services beyond the hospital's Texas Medical Center presence and into local communities throughout Houston and southeast Texas.
Established in 1925, Hermann Hospital was the first hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Providing 24-hour emergency and trauma care to more than 40,000 patients a year, it is a certified level-one trauma center, one of only two in the Houston area. Hermann is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Texas--Houston Medical School.
Hundreds of medical firsts in almost every specialty have been made in the Houston region. Houston's most famous doctors, Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley, are considered pioneers in vascular and cardiac surgery. DeBakey performed the first successful implant of an artificial left ventricle in Houston in 1966, and he introduced the use of Dacron as a substitute for human tissue in repairing blood vessels. Cooley is known throughout the world for his work in open-heart surgery. In 1968 at St. Luke's Hospital in Houston, he performed the first American heart transplant operation. In 1969, he implanted the first artificial heart. Cooley founded the Texas Heart Institute, which continues to set the pace for modern-day cardiac care. Today, hospitals throughout the world perform open-heart surgery, heart transplants, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac treatments developed in Houston.
Advances in cancer research and treatment have been achieved at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center over the past 50 years. The concept of interdisciplinary team work, both in patient care and research, was pioneered at M. D. Anderson, and experts in radiotherapy and physics designed the first cobalt-60 unit, which eventually was used in hospitals throughout the nation to treat cancer. M. D. Anderson operates the largest cancer outpatient center in the world; more than 300 patients each day receive chemotherapy at the Ambulatory Treatment Center. New cancer-fighting drugs are evaluated year-round at M. D. Anderson.
Many lifesaving procedures for modern-day trauma care were developed in Houston. A group of Houston physicians, including Texas' cowboy doc James H. "Red" Duke, founded the concept of the Life Flight air ambulance service.
Houston's medical community continues to distinguish itself. Recently, Park Plaza Gastroenterology, a 20-year-old facility in the Texas Medical Center, created Hem RX to offer state-of-the-art treatment for patients who suffer from hemorrhoids. The treatment involves electrodesiccation, an outpatient procedure that can be completed in a few minutes without complications or pain.
Tovas Hair Studio and Day Spa offers the ultimate retreat to beautify and revitalize in contemporary luxury. |
Houston is also a center for plastic and cosmetic surgery. Dr. E. Fred Aguilar III performs a variety of procedures for patients seeking cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Serious complications from cosmetic surgery are rare, and it can be a rewarding procedure for women and men, helping them heighten their self-esteem, change their wardrobe, change others' perception of them, make them more productive, and give them the opportunity for a far more enjoyable life.
Cosmetic surgery is a gratifying field for physicians because they are able to help their patients achieve the look they are seeking. Today's cosmetic surgery patients are seeking natural, healthy looks, according to Fred J. Bressler, a Houston-based board- certified facial plastic surgeon. The best patients already feel good about themselves, are in good health, and usually just have a minor feature that bothers them. Most aren't looking to do something extraordinary to their bodies. Rather, they are interested in tweaking a feature that will create harmony in their appearance. Women and men who opt for cosmetic surgery are often entering a time for personal growth, according to Bressler.
In all, Houstonians are considered a health-conscious lot, perhaps because the finest health-care facilities in the world are so convenient to them. One aspect of wellness that Houstonians and visitors to the city enjoy immensely is the spa experience. Spas are proven to be great stress relievers, according to Ace Kindred, who with his wife, Tova, owns and operates Tovas Hair Studio and Day Spa in Houston.
A visit to Tovas, where a sparkling waterfall provides the soothing sounds of gurgling water, is a total well-being experience for men and women. Patrons can choose from a variety of traditional and leading-edge spa treatments, including the Energy Activator, which utilizes the same premise as acupuncture without the needles. A small battery-operated tool works with pressure points to stimulate the nervous system and blood supply. Seaweed body wraps provide a detoxifying process that cleanses the body of impurities, removing excess water, and starts the process of softening the fatty accumulations in the body.
"Our whole concept is pampering," said Kindred. "We want our clients to feel like they are being pampered from the moment they reach the receptionist's desk."
