UT Southwestern Medical Center dedicates new Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical center

Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center

On June 1, the UT Southwestern Medical Center dedicated it’s new, three-story, 111,000 square foot multispecialty outpatient facility named the Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center in the Fort Worth Medical District. The facility will open to patients and to the public on June 5.

The facility was named for W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr., and his father Monty Moncrief and is the first named campus outside of Dallas. The new center will provide specialty medical assistance to patients under Southwestern Medical Center’s care.

“When I first discussed our hope that we might be able to develop a medical center in Fort Worth, Tex was immediately supportive and enthusiastic,” said Daniel Podolsky, M.D, president of the UT Southwestern Medical Center. “When I said to Tex, having had support for it, we need a name for it, his immediate response was the W.A. Monty Moncrief Medical Center… I think there is nothing more fitting than his name and that of his father which will for all the years ahead be there for Forth Worth to appreciate what made this all possible.”

Referring to the fact that the center was made possible in part by a $25 million donation and commitment from himself, W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr. said. “I asked Dr. Podolsky what I had to do to maybe name this facility after my dad and he said well surprise, surprise, a little money,” which was followed by laughter from those in attendance of the dedication.

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Moncrief then told the story of how his son Dickey said he and his grandfather were two peas in a pod, and Moncrief, being his father’s right-hand-man for 44 years, deserved his name on the building as well, as Monty and Tex.

Following this, Moncrief got to thinking about his own sons, and how his son Charlie has been his right-hand-man for 31 years.

“Charlie has been a mighty fine son and he’s like one of those peas in a pod to me,” Moncrief said. And it’s because of this that Moncrief and Podolsky are naming the lobby of the medical center after Charlie Moncrief.

“It is a very special moment to know that this center will be associated with three generations of Moncriefs and their impact in so many ways,” Podolsky added, calling Charlie and Tex, among others to come to the front for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Thank you all for being here on a day UT Southwestern will always remember as a milestone.”

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Located in the Fort Worth Medical District at 600 S, Main, the new Moncrief Medical Center will offer services in the following specialties and subspecialties: allergy and immunology, audiology, dermatology, endocrinology, laboratory services, neurology, occupational therapy, ophthalmology, optometry, otolaryngology, pharmacy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, rheumatology and urology. With patient and community needs being determined as they go, the center expects to expand this list in the future.

“As it opens next week for patients, there are over a dozen medical specialties, Podolsky said. “But they were not included in any kind of random assortment. We spoke to the physicians in this community, as well as the patients, to understand where there were unmet needs and where there was need for expanded expertise across these specialties and that’s what we’re bringing to Fort Worth at the Moncrief Medical Center.”

Under the neurology specialty programs for MS, ALS, epilepsy and eventually Parkinson’s will also be offered. There will also be post-concussion and post-stroke programs offered under the physical medicine and rehabilitation and physical therapy specialties. In the fall, a new program will be introduced to manage the care of liver transplant recipients.

The clinic also includes a gym for rehab where patients can work to overcome their joint and/or neck pain without having to undergo surgery or be placed on a long-term medication.

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“I truly believe access to strong health care that can cover all kinds of needs is what makes a city foundation very firm, and it makes for strong neighborhoods when people can get out and see that,” Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said. “The beauty of Southwestern is that they didn’t just bring a Dallas facility to Fort Worth, they came and looked at the community and understood that the needs of Fort Worth are not the needs of another community … and I think that is what is going to set this clinic apart from all the others.”

The clinic will initially be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but can extend those hours as community and patient need is determined. There will be a full retail pharmacy for patients to use that will offer prescription, specialty and over-the-counter medications. There will also be a full time financial counselor at the disposal of the patients to help them with the financial process during their time at the center.

Additionally, there will be a hall art gallery on the second floor which will be visible from Pennsylvania through the ceiling-to-floor windows.

“I think [the opening of this center] is a fabulous opportunity for us,” Vice President for Medical Affairs Mack Mitchell, M.D. said. “The Fort Worth community is a very exciting place to be. It’s really giving us a chance to be a part of a transformation that will put services in close proximity to where people live, work, play and get their health care.”

Physicians at the UT Southwestern Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth have hospital privileges at nearby Texas Health Resources Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, as well as at UT Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in Dallas.

UT Southwestern ties to Fort Worth range from historic affiliations with John Peter Smith Hospital to the recent formation of Southwestern Health Resources, an integrated network with Arlington-based Texas Health Resources that includes 31 hospitals and 300 clinics and spans a 16-county service area residents.

Over the years, the Moncrief family also has contributed nearly $14 million from the William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Foundation and from Tex Moncrief in direct support of UT Southwestern programs and facilities on its Dallas campus, including the W.A. Monty & Tex Moncrief Radiation Oncology Building. This is in addition to the $75 million given to the Moncrief Cancer Foundation to support the UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth.

The UT Southwestern Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth complements UT Southwestern’s existing local presence at the neighboring Moncrief Cancer Institute, which also encompasses a satellite of UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.