Техасский медицинский центр: крупнейший медицинский комплекс мира

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrated in a triangular area between Brays Bayou, Rice University, and Hermann Park, are members of the Texas Medical Center Corporation—a non profit umbrella organization—which constitutes the largest medical complex in the world. The Texas Medical Center employs over 106,000 people, hosts 10 million patient encounters annually, and has a gross domestic product of US$25 billion. The Medical Center / Astrodome area, highly populated with medical workers, is home to over 20,000 people. The TMC is served by the METRORail Red Line, a north south light rail route which connects the district to Downtown Houston and NRG Park.

The Texas Medical Center contains 54 medicine related institutions, with 21 hospitals and eight specialty institutions, eight academic and research institutions, four medical schools, seven nursing schools, three public health organizations, two pharmacy schools and a dental school. All 54 institutions are not for profit. Among the affiliated medical schools are the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Texas A&M College of Medicine. Some member institutions are located outside the city of Houston. In 2016, more heart surgeries were performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world with 13,600 heart surgeries annually. 180,000 annual surgeries were performed. The TMC performed one surgery every three minutes. Over 25,000 babies were delivered each year, more than one baby every 20 minutes. The Texas Medical Center offered over 9,200 total patient beds. The Center receives an average of 3,300 patient visits a day, and over eight million annual patient visits, including over 18,000 international patients. The TMC has over 750,000 ER visitors each year. In 2011, the center employed over 106,000 people, including 20,000 physicians, scientists, researchers and other advanced degree professionals in the life sciences. The TMC has over 160,000 visitors each day. The Texas Medical Center houses the world's largest children's hospital (Texas Children's Hospital), as well as the world's largest cancer hospital (MD Anderson Cancer Center).

In 1993, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center began a $248.6 million expansion project which constructed an inpatient pavilion with 512 beds, two research buildings, an outpatient clinic building, a faculty office building, and a patient family hotel. From 2005 to present, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building, the Ambulatory Clinical Building, the Cancer Prevention Center and a new research building on the South Campus opened. The Proton Therapy Center, the largest facility in the United States where proton therapy is used to treat cancer, opened in July 2006. In 2001, the Texas Medical Center was devastated by Tropical Storm Allison, which flooded basements and the first floors with 18 inches of water. This resulted in retrofitting of storm doors and barriers to prevent future flooding. The Memorial Hermann Healthcare System constructed the six floor, Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute. Also recently completed around 2006 was the 30 story Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, which is now the largest medical office building in the Texas Medical Center. At night, it became recognizable by its unique rainbow lantern. The construction was part of the system's citywide "Century Project" initiative. In 2005, Baylor College of Medicine opened the Baylor Clinic. The Texas Children's Hospital announced the largest investment and program expansion ever by a single pediatric organization. The $1.5 billion, four year initiative was targeted for completion in 2010 and focused on research and accessibility. Major projects included the development of the neurological research institute ($215 million), the formation of a maternity center ($575 million), and the expansion of existing research facilities ($120 million). Texas Children's was undertaking the development of one of the largest pediatric hospitals in a suburban setting ($220 million). The remainder of the expenditures were earmarked for new equipment and information systems. In 2010, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, including the John Sealy Hospital, became the 49th member of the Texas Medical Center and the first member institution located outside the City of Houston. Texas Medical Center–West Campus, serving residents of greater west Houston and adjacent areas, opened in January, 2011. Representing an initial investment of more than half a billion dollars, and almost 1.2 million square feet of healthcare development, the first two facilities to open in the new campus were the Texas Children’s Hospital and The Houston Methodist West Hospital. Texas Children’s West Campus is among the nation’s largest suburban pediatric hospitals. In 2012, Texas Medical Center added the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Galveston, which treats pediatric trauma burns, as its 50th member institution. In 2016, Texas Medical Center added San José Clinic, the community's leading charity care clinic, as a member institution. Denise Castillo Rhodes, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Texas Medical Center, as well as a volunteer for San José Clinic noted when it became a member of TMC: "San José Clinic serves a very important role in our community. Thus, it is a natural next step for the Clinic to join the Texas Medical Center as its newest member, as it continues to grow and provide extraordinary healthcare and education at affordable prices.". In 2020, Texas A&M announced plans to build a $550 million complex on the southern side of the TMC including academic, medical office, and housing buildings. On June 24, 2020, The Texas Medical Center released data showing a 97% capacity in its ICU facilities due to the Covid 19 crisis. The Texas Medical Center has been a forefront of helping COVID 19 victims in Houston during the pandemic.

The Texas Medical Center is a dense agglomeration of hospitals, schools, and ancillary businesses clustered on a triangular piece of land bordered by Rice University and the neighborhood of Southampton to the west, Brays Bayou to the south and east, and Hermann Park to the north. With 106,000 employees, the TMC has an employment density of approximately The Texas Medical Center Corporation has compared its dense cityscape to the Chicago Loop and Lower Manhattan. The core of the TMC is serviced by three large arterial roads. Main and Fannin streets run southwest to northeast, while Holcombe Boulevard runs west to east. The Texas Medical Center is one of the few employment centers in Houston which is not directly serviced by a freeway; the nearest freeway is Texas State Highway 288, located to the east of Hermann Park. To compensate, the TMC has developed strong transit connections; the entirety of the district is serviced by the METRORail Red Line, which runs along Fannin. Rail stops in the Medical Center include Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo, Dryden/TMC, and the Texas Medical Center Transit Center, which doubles as a hub for local bus routes. These three stops are the busiest stations on the Red Line; ultimately, the district's bus, light rail, and shuttle services deliver nearly 65,000 trips per day to and from the area. In the 2010s, rapid development within the Medical Center began to strain existing transportation infrastructure; the average daily traffic on Fannin Street and nearby arterial Kirby Drive is expected to double by 2035. New development during the first half of the decade is expected to require an additional 50,000 parking spaces to meet demand.

The Texas Medical Center Corporation is headquartered at the John P. McGovern Campus on Holcombe Boulevard southeast of Hermann Park, adjacent to the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The United States Postal Service operates the Medical Center Station on Almeda Road, and Harris County Public Library operates the Texas Medical Center Library near the Baylor School of Medicine. The Houston Fire Department Station 33 Medical Center, a part of Fire District 21, is near the Texas Medical Center at 7100 Fannin at South Braeswood Boulevard. The original Firehouse 33 was one of the last stations to be housed in an original volunteer fire station. The original Station 33 was the city hall/fire station of Braeswood. The City of Houston annexed the area in 1950. The current Fire Station 33 opened one block from the original station in August 2004. The city relinquished its ownership of the original fire station. The Texas Medical Center is within the Houston Police Department's South Central Patrol Division.

Formerly TMC had its own employee housing, Laurence H. Favrot Tower Apartments, which accommodated TMC employees and their dependents. On August 31, 2012 the complex closed. Dependent children living there were within the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and zoned to Roberts Elementary School in Southgate, Ryan Middle School in the Third Ward, and Lamar High School in Upper Kirby.

Formerly known as the Doctors Orchestra of Houston, the Texas Medical Center Orchestra was established in November 2000 and is one of the few orchestras in the world that originated from health professions. Members of the orchestra include physicians, dentists, nurses, medical students, biomedical scientists, social workers and other health professionals. The mission of the orchestra is to provide health care professionals with a high quality outlet for creative expression through the world of symphonic music; perform regularly at affordable concerts that are open to the public and in an accessible venue; attract a diverse audience by commitments to select popular programming reflecting Houston’s diversity; and bring public attention to, and provide programmatic support for, medically related and/or educational charities. Organizations which have received contributions include: The University of Texas Medical School for heart research; The Ben Taub BOOKS programs; The H. O. M. E. S Clinic; Making a Mark Art Program at Texas Children’s Hospital; HISD's DeBakey High School for Health Professions; Eye Care for Kids Foundation; The Greater Houston Chapter of the American Red Cross; The National Space Biomedical Research Institute; San Jose Clinic; Haddassah; and The Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation. In an effort to increase appreciation for classical music in young audiences, Texas Medical Center Orchestra has developed a close relationship with the charter school, KIPP SHARP of KIPP Houston. By coordinating efforts with KIPP SHARP teachers and administrators, TMCO has integrated its musical programming into the school's curriculum. Works that the orchestra performs are taught and discussed in history, art and music classes. The students are invited to display artwork and essays in the Wortham lobby at TMCO concerts, and they are encouraged to attend with their families. TMCO has included KIPP choirs and orchestras in concert performances.

The main TMC area is within the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Melinda Webb School, a private school for deaf infants to 7 years old, is located in the TMC; it is operated by the Center for Hearing and Speech and was previously at 3636 W. Dallas. The school serves as a day school for children not yet mainstreamed into regular classrooms and a speech and therapy center for those that are. Previously known as the Houston School for Deaf Children, it was given its current name, after a deaf girl, in 1997. The girl died of leukemia circa 1958; a former student of the school, she had been the first area deaf child to be mainstreamed into a public school, as she began attending one in Texas City in 1954. Her father, Frank Webb, donated $1 million to what became the Melinda Webb School in 2002. catered to employees working in the Medical Center, and had the Montessori method, used until grade two. Its specialty as of 2003 was foreign languages. It was not located near the TMC area but in the Westbury area. In 2014, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that the school's performance was insufficient and that it sought to revoke its charter.

Christian churches near the TMC include City Life Church, Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, St. Mathew's Lutheran church, and St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church (of the Galveston Houston Archdiocese). Nine churches established the Church Apartment Ministry, which maintains three apartment complexes for families visiting hospitalized patients. There is a Jewish house of worship, Medical Center Chabad House, which maintains the Aishel House program. The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) maintains the Al Ma'adah Musalla (Medical Center Musalla), a prayer area.

The Weekley Family YMCA is in the area. It opened in 1951 as the Southwest YMCA, in West University Place. The current facility in Braeswood Place, Houston broke ground in 2001.