Ben Taub General Hospital

Ben Taub General Hospital is part of the Harris County Hospital District and provides care for indigent or low income families who depend primarily or totally on the district for their health care. The hospital has a pediatric inpatient service of approximately 60 medical and surgical beds and admits approximately 3,200 pediatric patients annually. An 8-bed intensive care unit and an intermediate care unit are incorporated into the pediatric inpatient service. Rotation through Ben Taub provides residents with exposure to many common pediatric problems, especially infection, malnutrition and trauma. For a variety of socio-economic reasons, these conditions often are seen in very late and very severe form.

Of the approximately 6,000 infants delivered annually at Ben Taub, approximately 10 percent are low-birth-weight infants, and many more are high-risk for other reasons. Newborn follow-up includes a low-birth-weight clinic, a high-risk clinic, and specialty clinics such as cardiology, birth defects, and a clinic for infants born to drug abusing mothers. Rotation through these clinics provides residents with a unique opportunity to assess the impact of neonatal problems on early development.

There are approximately 40,000 pediatric outpatient visits in the Ben Taub Children's Center each year. The Children’s Center provides access to 21 pediatric subspecialty clinics, including the only children’s Injury, Lead, Special Needs, and Tuberculosis Clinics located in the Texas Medical Center.

Residents have ample opportunity to care for a variety of medical problems, including those commonly seen in pediatric practice. All types of medical and surgical emergencies and walk-in problems are treated, and specialty clinics are held regularly to broaden the scope of health care and resident training.