On Sept. 29, leaders from UT Southwestern and Children’s Health joined with patients, community stakeholders, and care teams to mark a major moment in the construction of the New Pediatric Campus: placement of the final beam on the frame of what will become Moody Children’s Hospital. The “topping out” on North Campus, complete with ceremonial beam signings and a musical performance by young patients, a UTSW faculty member, and a Children’s Medical Center Foundation executive, came two years after work began on the $5 billion construction project – one of the largest in healthcare in the country.

The campus, located directly across from William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, will span more than 5 million square feet and feature the 12-story Moody Children’s Hospital, with 552 beds across three towers. Projected to open in 2031, the campus will significantly expand inpatient, surgical, and ambulatory capacity to meet the needs of North Texas’ growing pediatric population.

“We’re all very excited because this really is a promise of a lifetime,” said Maeve Sheehan, M.D., M.B.A., Physician Executive for Moody Children’s Hospital as well as Associate Vice President of the Pediatric Group Practice and Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. “Years of work have gone into developing a campus that will provide generations of care to children.”