Introducing CHRISTUS Children’s to San Antonio and Beyond

The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio announced a new name today to best reflect and encompass all the services provided to San Antonio, nearby communities and beyond: CHRISTUS Children’s.

What started as a hospital located in the heart of downtown San Antonio has grown into a network of freestanding emergency centers, multi-specialty, maternal and pediatric clinics as well as outpatient rehabilitation centers located throughout all parts of the city and New Braunfels. Patients and families come from all over the U.S. and the world to access care from 200 pediatric and maternal experts.

“The name might be new, but CHRISTUS’ reputation for trusted care is not,” said Chief Executive Officer Cris Daskevich. “CHRISTUS Children’s remains committed to providing outstanding care focused on families. For more than 10 years, we have provided hope and healing to the San Antonio community as the first and only freestanding hospital dedicated solely to children and expectant women.”

The new name is just the beginning of a whole-campus transformation that will include the addition of colorful murals, enhanced signage wayfinding and a sense of cohesion between all of the buildings around the hospital.

In 1869, the ministry was founded by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, which answered a call to care for children who were sick and orphaned during the cholera epidemic.

“The founding congregation saw a need and truly stepped up,” said Sister Yolanda Tarango, congregational leader of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. “Being able to care for some of the most vulnerable in our community has been a blessing from God. I’m not sure the Sisters could have imagined that the ministry they began 154 years ago would grow into what it is today.”

In 2018, the hospital became the first children’s hospital in South Texas to earn Magnet Designation for nursing excellence and received recognition as a baby-friendly hospital, meeting the highest standard of care for infant nutrition. CHRISTUS Children’s also is the only hospital in the U.S. to maintain the Gold Level Beacon Award in both our pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.

“We are committed to ensuring families do not have to leave San Antonio for the best, comprehensive pediatric care,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Norman Christopher. “This is why we continue to bring the best and brightest maternal and pediatric specialists to this community to care for all of the patients and families we are blessed to serve. We have been here for decades, caring for the most vulnerable patients, and I assure you, we will continue to do so.”

Nearly 6,000 children and maternal patients have been inpatients so far this fiscal year. There have been just under 5,000 surgeries performed and 105,000 emergency department visits. More than 180,000 children and expectant mothers received care in more than 50 outpatient specialty clinics in 15 locations, all part of the CHRISTUS Children’s network.

CHRISTUS Children’s is a part of CHRISTUS Health, an international non-profit Catholic health system made up of more than 600 centers throughout Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mexico, Chile and Colombia. The system’s mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

“CHRISTUS Children’s will continue to carry out this mission every day by living our core values and providing excellent care to all the women and children seeking compassionate care,” said CHRISTUS Health President and CEO Ernie Sadau. “This is what sets CHRISTUS Health apart from any other health care system. CHRISTUS Children’s has a bright future ahead with plans for growth into new communities, new providers, and new services.”