helping the hill country

Texas Children's opens new Austin facility devoted to women and children

Texas Children's Hospital building street scene

Texas Children's is making big moves.

Courtesy photo

Texas Children’s Hospital has lots of exciting news this month. Chief among its big announcements is a $4.8 million gift that will help to fund the hospital’s new behavioral health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in The Woodlands.

The donation comes from Ovintiv, a natural gas exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

The pledge makes Ovintiv the first company sponsor to join the Council of Hope, Texas Children’s new corporate giving society. The council’s fundraising priorities include supporting Texas Children’s behavioral health initiatives. Texas Children’s formed a Behavioral Health Task Force last year in order to expand and upgrade services for patients who need specialized help, hopefully preventing the necessity of in-patient care.

The IOP is expected to open early next year. It will treat patients for four or five hours a day, using individual, group and family therapy, art and music therapy programs, and yoga and recreational therapy to improve outcomes in behavioral health.

“This IOP is desperately needed in the Woodlands, and we are committed to creating it because we believe that the behavioral and developmental health of children, adolescents, and teens is just as important as their physical well-being. Ovintiv’s transformational gift will make a life-changing difference for so many patients and their families,” says Dr. Kirti Saxena, chief of psychiatry at Texas Children’s Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, in a press release.

The Woodlands, however, isn’t the only city seeing the debut of a new facility from Texas Children’s. Last week, Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women announced the grand opening of its obstetrics and gynecology clinic in North Austin. The location welcomes patients for fertility management, prenatal and preventative care, and a full spectrum of gynecological services.

That’s just the beginning for Texas Children’s and its reach in central Texas. In addition to the new OB/GYN clinic, Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin will open its doors in early February. It will provide care for women and children, especially in the areas of maternal-fetal medicine, and fetal intervention and neonatology.

Additionally, the Houston hospital has been named a Center of Excellence in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) by bioMerieux, a world leader in in vitro diagnostics. Texas Children’s is one of three in the United States to net the honor, and the only one that specializes in pediatrics.

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Getting Deep

Popular Austin deep massage clinic opening new location near Westlake

Photo courtesy of AUSTINDEEP

AustinDeep is known for an intensive approach that gets results.

A gentle massage can be lovely, but some stressed Austinites need some extra oomph. They can get it at AustinDeep, a local massage clinic that specializes in a propriety technique called the Deep Method. There will soon be a third location in the Barton Creek neighborhood — the farthest outside of Austin and the largest so far.

The new location will be at 2700 Barton Creek Blvd., Ste. 110. It'll span 3,000 square feet at the Barton Creek Village, which is near the Barton Creek Country Club, St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt. This is a new market for the brand, since the existing two locations are relatively close to each other on Congress Ave and Lake Austin Boulevard.

Jessica Price AusitnDeep Masseuse Jessica Price developed a proprietary technique for AustinDeep.Photo courtesy of AUSTINDEEP

The Deep Method targets the fascia, the connective tissue that holds our muscles and other organs together. Ideally, the fascia should be flexible, but sometimes it gets tight from inactivity, overuse, or other issues, causing pain or soreness. When masseuse Jessica Price opened AustinDeep in 2002, she used her background in myofascial release — a very gentle technique — to create a new process that starts with a warming technique, and then adds in deep tissue and trigger point therapy.

The result is more rigorous and may leave clients sore afterwards. As AustinDeep practitioners explain, breaking up all that fascia is an intense workout, even though the therapist is doing much of the work. Price also learned from physical therapists, so this exacting approach that prioritizes results makes a lot of sense.

That might not sound relaxing (and fans of any intense massage techniques will confirm that they usually aren't), but the aftermath is where things start to open up. This clinic calls it getting "Massage Drunk."

Jessica Price AustinDeep Clients may leave feeling drunk.Photo courtesy of AUSTINDEEP

Despite a tough-love massage approach, the new location sounds cushy: There will be 10 therapy rooms with electric lift tables; a lounge with relaxing music and a bar for tea, wine, or even custom flower arrangements; a veranda to enjoy nootropic drinks (brain supplements) or wine; and a retail selection.

The interior design also reflects the departure from the potentially sterile massage clinic norm with lots of plants and jewel tones.

So far there is no opening date set, but AustinDeep is sharing updates when they're available on Instagram. Services start at $85 for 30 minutes. More information is available at austindeep.com.

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helping the hill country

Texas Children's opens new Austin facility devoted to women and children

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