Parkland clinic for women, infants reaches construction milestone

DALLAS – Parkland Health & Hospital System has completed the “topping out” of the Women’s and Infant’s Specialty Health (WISH) clinic on the new Parkland campus. When operations move into the new hospital, Parkland’s new WISH clinic will improve quality and patient care for mothers and infants.

The topping out of this clinic means that the concrete has been poured and the structure of the building has been completed. Now that workers have reached this milestone, Parkland moves a step closer toward completing the WISH clinic, and other parts of the new Parkland campus, in 2014. Parkland anticipates being able to treat patients in the new facility by spring 2015.

The current WISH clinic, which occupies 30,000 square feet, has been maxed to capacity with yearly patient volumes of 44,000 for several years. The new WISH clinic will be in excess of 100,000 square feet, giving Parkland staff greater capacity to treat more infants and mothers.

“The new WISH clinic will be substantially better than the existing overcrowded areas in the old building,” said Lou Saksen, Senior Vice President of New Parkland Construction.

The new WISH clinic — connected by a bridge to the WISH tower of the new Parkland hospital under construction — will have its own entrance, which will increase patient privacy, Saksen said.

“Our new clinic will provide a patient-centered experience for women seeking OB/GYN care,” said Paula Turicchi, Senior Vice President of WISH. “We will more than double the size of our current clinic resulting in a streamlined operation and ensuring patients are seen efficiently by our highly skilled providers and staff.”

Parkland’s WISH clinic serves pregnant women experiencing complications before delivery and postpartum care, including care for breastfeeding mothers. In addition, it houses the gynecology clinic, which offers specialty services related to cervical dysplasia, gynecologic surgery, gynecology/oncology and urology/ gynecology. Specialized ancillary services in the include OB/GYN sonography and breast imaging. The WISH clinic supplements Parkland’s nine prenatal clinics throughout Dallas County.