Shriners Hospitals for Children-Texas
[2] In 1962 the Shriners of North America allocated $10 million to establish three hospitals that specialized in the treatment and rehabilitation of burned children.In the interim, a specialized Shriner's Burns Hospital was being constructed on land adjacent to the university, that had been donated by the Sealy & Smith Foundation.Since their orthopedic children's hospital in nearby Houston was also slated to be replaced, the organization studied combining the two institutions and basing them in the Texas Medical Center.With Galveston foundations willing to cover much of the cost of a new hospital, the Shriners agreed to remain in the island city and renewed their agreement with UTMB.In light of the cost of repairs and the economic downturn, the Shriner's National Hospital Board planned to mothball the facility in the aftermath of the storm, however the Shriners National Convention overturned the decision and voted to repair and reopen the Galveston facility.