Health Care - Health Care And Wellness

If you find yourself in need of top-rate medical care, you’ll be glad you’re in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Recent research from the University of North Texas’s Center for Economic Development and Research in Denton shows that the health care industry keeps the metroplex economy strong, employing nearly 170,000 people with a $4.1 billion annual payroll. What’s more, the health care industry generates more than $13 billion in volume here, accounting for more than 10 percent of the area’s gross product.

Across the North Texas area you’ll find nearly three-dozen general-care hospitals and a vast number of outpatient clinics with the most advanced technology available. In fact, it’s the fine medical care and readily available research that help give Dallas–Fort Worth its superior standard of living. Specialties for which is the area is known include trauma and burn treatment, advanced cardiac care, cancer care and treatment, spine care and surgery, neuroscience and surgery, and cosmetic surgery.

The North Texas medical and health community ranks among the nation’s strongest, due in part to the presence in Dallas of the prestigious University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, which claims four Nobel laureates. On the UT Southwestern campus, there’s Zale Lipshy University Hospital, a highly specialized private adult referral hospital offering up-to-the-minute research in medical applications to patients. Nearly 70 percent of dentists practicing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area are graduates of the Baylor College of Dentistry, an institution established in 1905, which also offers a prestigious school for dental hygiene training.

Hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth known for pediatric care are Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (Dallas) and Cook Children’s (Fort Worth), with specialties ranging from cancer treatment to open-heart surgery to reconstructive surgery. All three of these hospitals have undergone impressive growth in recent years, with newly constructed facilities accommodating a huge number of patients.

You can find large and small group practices and single practitioners, whether you need treatment for asthma, depression, eczema, or thyroid problems. The local medical societies are sources of information and assistance. The Dallas County Medical Society, which was established in 1876, counts local physicians, medical students, and residents among members. Part of its work concerns addressing public health issues, including immunizations, preventing obesity, and supporting smoke-free cities.
Society physicians are known nationally for their research on weighty matters such as Gulf War syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re looking for a doctor, the local leading referral systems are found at the medical societies. Search the Dallas County Medical Society physician finder at www.dallas-cms.org/finder/physicianfinder.cfm and the Tarrant County Medical Society’s system at www.tcms.org. If you know someone who needs but cannot afford medical care, check with Project Access Dallas, a volunteer system of 700 physicians and partner hospitals and labs that will help. You can learn more by visiting www.projectaccess.info.

Staying fit is a snap, thanks to weather that stays mild most of the time. In addition to an increasing number of parks with fitness trails, there are fitness centers on almost every corner. If you like running or walking, biking, in-line skating, playing racquetball or tennis, participating in aerobic classes, or lifting weights, there are lots of workout options available near your home or business.