Healthcare
Brackenridge Hospital
601 E. 15th St.
324-7000
www.seton.net
Brackenridge Hospital, a major referral center for Central Texas, is an acute care hospital and outpatient facility. The SETON Healthcare Network manages the publicly owned hospital through an historic lease agreement with the City of Austin.
Brackenridge blends a 115-year tradition of caring for Central Texas with advanced technology. Major renovations over the last several years have brought a new look, leading-edge equipment, and expanded services to this Downtown campus. In 2002, the Brain & Spine Center was opened, providing for regional access to state-of-the-art neurosurgical, orthopedic spine, and imaging techniques. Through the Center, patients have access to high-quality care, including two additional and newly dedicated neurosurgery suites, a new state-of-the-art interventional neuroradiology suite, and a neuro-nursing floor dedicated to brain and spine patients with access to rehabilitation services. Several enhanced procedures are performed at the Center, including a new interventional technique for aneurysms, new brain scanning techniques, and the insertion of tiny catheters and catheter-based instruments directly into the brain, where they are tracked by real-time imaging and guided to the appropriate location for treatment.
Brackenridge Hospital is the only Level II Trauma Facility serving the Central Texas area and is an accredited Teaching Hospital affiliated with Austin Medical Education Programs and UTMB Galveston.
The facility has been recognized as one of the nation's top 100 hospitals by Solucient, an Evanston, Illinois-based healthcare information company, four times: 1996, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Very few U.S. hospitals have accomplished this benchmark. Facilities are recognized for demonstrating superior clinical, operational, and financial performance.
In addition, Brackenridge is one of four Magnet hospitals in the SETON Healthcare Network. Magnet is the highest honor bestowed on nursing services in healthcare organizations by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, an arm of the American Nurses Association. The four-year designation is given to organizations that are committed to sustaining excellence, improving professional practice, and transforming the culture of a work environment. Magnet designation provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care they can expect to receive.
History
Opening its doors in 1884, Brackenridge Hospital was then known as the City's County Hospital. It wasn't until 1929 that the hospital was officially named Brackenridge Hospital by the City Council. It had been called "Brackenridge's Hospital" by many before that, in honor of Doctor Robert Brackenridge, one of the outstanding physicians of his time. Dr. Brackenridge championed the notion of building a new hospital, promoted the idea to the public, and eventually saw this idea for a new and improved hospital turn into a reality. Brackenridge Hospital is the oldest public hospital in Texas and has long been known for its commitment to providing safety net care for the community, a commitment shared through SETON's mission.