Expansions and Renovations to Covenant Children’s
Covenant Children’s is pleased to announce it is expanding beds to meet growing pediatric and neonatal patient needs.
Currently, Covenant Children’s has 212 licensed beds. This renovation will add 36 beds, 27 Pediatric and 9 Neonatal Intensive Care, for a total of 248 beds post-renovation.
Covenant Children’s is the region’s only freestanding, licensed children’s hospital between Fort Worth and Albuquerque.
“Simply put, we’re starting to outgrow the number of beds we have,” Covenant Children’s CEO Dr. Amy Thompson said. “We can’t and don’t want to turn these patients away. Thankfully, this expansion will help prevent that from happening as often.”
Substantial growth of our patient population over the past few years is partially due to the creation of Kite flight, our emergency transport program for our neonatal, pediatric, and maternal patients. In 2019, Kite Flight transported just under 100 patients. In 2024,
it is on track to transport nearly 900 patients.
Covenant Children’s is investing over $6.6M into the renovation. The hospital was gifted $1 million from a generous donor to specifically support a unit with the ability to cohort immunocompromised pediatric patients. These patients are especially susceptible to communicable conditions such as flu, RSV, etc.
Construction has begun on the Pediatric bed expansion, with targeted completion by end of year 2024. The NICU expansion is expected to begin soon, with completion targeted for mid-2025.
Along with this renovation, Covenant Children’s has updated its NICU web-camera system. More than six years ago, Covenant Children’s was the first facility to bring this technology to Lubbock, allowing families the ability to see their babies in the NICU using a camera.
“Our old NICU webcams have served us well,” Dr. Thompson said. “In a 12-month period, we saw over 60,000 uses. But technology has advanced since we first implemented NICU webcams in 2018 and it was time to upgrade our system. Not to mention, our new cameras offer a much-improved experience for a child’s caregivers, as well as for our staff.”
The 43 upgraded NICU webcams offer best-in-class technology: with 8MP cameras – offering over twice the resolution – as well as allowing high-definition streaming. The
new camera system also includes a video screen to help the nurses and unit staff more accurately position the cameras.
“When we began offering NICU webcams in 2018, it was a chance to help a newborn’s caregivers feel a bit more at ease with what is a challenging situation for any family,”
highlights Lucas Divine, executive director of strategy. “We know many families can’t be bedside 24/7, but they can feel much more at ease with the ability to check-in on their newborn via the webcams. These cameras also make it possible for family and friends living in other states to share in the journey.”
The upgraded NICU webcams have been generously supported by the Covenant Health Foundation – with support from the community at large – since their inception.
Other improvements made to the hospital include renovations to the antepartum dayroom and Lindsey’s playroom.
Antepartum mothers are sometimes in the hospital for days, weeks, and months before their little one is born. This newly renovated space, graciously made possible because
of a generous donation from the Garrison Family Foundation, allows mother’s a space to spend time outside of their personal rooms. Families can gather to share a meal or quality time. This space is also used to host a coffee time for mothers in similar situations to meet and mingle, as well as our group therapy classes with mental health counselor, Kara Pepper.
On the third floor, in our pediatric unit, Lindsey’s Playroom also received some updates including new flooring. The updates were made to focus on inclusivity, ensuring every child feels welcome and is given the opportunity to interact socially, learn, and grow.
“This updated vibrant and accessible space is designed to cater to children of all abilities, ages, and medical conditions,” said Dr. Christine Neugebauer, manager of integrative care. “It’s more than just a play area—it’s a nurturing environment where children can engage in therapeutic group activities, enjoy play and arts-based experiences, and continue to thrive and reach important developmental milestones.”
Updates to Lindsey’s playroom were made possible thanks to various private and community donors, including the Lindsey Callaway Toy Drive Fund.
Both the Garrison Family Foundation and the Lindsey Callaway family are generous long-time supporters of Covenant Children’s. Many of our initiatives could not be
completed without their continued support.
About Covenant Health:
Covenant Children’s is the only independently licensed, freestanding, children’s hospital in West Texas and eastern New Mexico and is one of only eight members of the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas and is the only one in our region. As the home of compassionate care and health excellence, it is Covenant Health’s vision to create
Health for a Better World. Covenant Health is home to the only free-standing children’s hospital in West Texas, the only certified stroke center, and the best hospital in the Panhandle Plains region as voted by U.S. News & World Report. For more than 100 years our pioneering spirit has been moving us forward, bringing world-class research and the most advanced treatments to West Texas and eastern New Mexico. Our connected health network of eight hospitals, and more than 6,000 caregivers allows us to provide our patients with the excellent care they deserve, with more locations, doctors and specialists. To learn more about Covenant Health, please visit covenanthealth.org or our Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, pages.
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