Covenant Children’s is partnering once again with Cook Children’s, this time to bring high-quality neonatal intensive care to families across West Texas.
Starting Saturday, Covenant and Cook’s will partner with Pediatrix Medical Group and Midland Memorial Hospital to enhance NICU services in the Midland/Odessa region.
“The partnership between Cook Children’s and Covenant Children’s has benefitted our patients by providing them with exceptional quality cardiovascular and neurological care,” Covenant Children’s CEO Dr. Amy Thompson said. “Now we have been given the opportunity to expand that partnership by teaming up with Midland Memorial Hospital to provide the highest level of NICU services to families all over West Texas, while keeping them close to home. We are proud to see hospitals across the state coming together to provide the best health care services to Texas kids.”
Patients requiring higher levels of care will be evaluated and transported to either Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock or Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth via a pediatric ambulance or Covenant Children’s Kite Flight pediatric emergency transport helicopter.
“Since 2018, Covenant Children’s and Cook Children’s have collaborated to provide the highest quality of care to families in West Texas,” said Rick W. Merrill, President and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System. “We are pleased that our unique partnership, which is built on the desire to improve the health of children, has been so successful and that we are able to expand it to serve the neonatal services needs of Midland Memorial.”
Midland Memorial Hospital currently has a Level II NICU and is seeking Level III status. Covenant Children’s and Cook Children’s both have a Level IV NICU, the highest level of designation.
“This alignment of quality healthcare organizations combines the services and compassionate care of MMH with the experience, specialty expertise and dedicated physicians to care for our tiniest patients,” said Stephen Bowerman, President of Midland Health. “We see this as a key step in advancing neonatal care to the next level for greater Midland.”
Mike Dwyer, M.D., market president for Pediatrix Medical Group, added, “We are excited this venture allows us to expand our valued partnership with Cook Children’s and renew our partnership with Covenant Children’s. For more than 20 years, we have collaborated to provide the highest quality neonatal care for the most vulnerable infants in west Texas. We look forward to extending these services to Midland to ensure families of critically-ill and preterm babies have access to the specialized care they need.”
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