TTUHSC Receives $1 Million Gift from Children’s Miracle Network to Expand and Enhance Pediatric Care in the Panhandle

Several people stand in the Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics waiting room in Amarillo while holding an oversized presentation check.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine leaders accepted a $1 million philanthropic gift from Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) of Amarillo and the High Plains Region on Tuesday (Oct. 13) marking a transformational investment in pediatric care for the Texas Panhandle.

The gift will support the TTUHSC Pediatric Fund for Excellence; a $10 million fundraising initiative designed to close critical gaps in pediatric specialty care and strengthen services provided by Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics in Amarillo. The investment will allow TTUHSC to respond to the evolving healthcare needs of children and families across the region for years to come.

This marks 43 gifts to the fundraising initiative and brings the effort’s total raised to $3,426,536. 

“This gift is about looking beyond the needs of today and investing in what pediatric healthcare can look like in the Texas Panhandle for years to come,” Brooke Rodriques, CMN director, said. “Our hope is to help TTUHSC continue growing pediatric specialties, recruiting exceptional providers and creating greater access to high-quality care for children right here in our region.”

Philanthropic investments like this gift from CMN can help support:

  • Provider recruitment and retention
  • Outreach programs and pediatric health clinics
  • Clinic renovation and expansion
  • Initiatives that address health disparities and promote preventive care
  • Expansion of local subspecialty care for medically complex children

“Having a child who needs pediatric specialty care is incredibly stressful for families, especially when that care requires long-distance travel,” said Shannon Herrick, M.D., regional chair of pediatrics at TTUHSC. “At Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics, our goal is to keep families local for their children’s healthcare whenever possible.”

Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics plays a vital role in the region’s healthcare landscape. Physicians, mid-level providers, residents and nurses provided more than 41,000 outpatient visits and cared for more than 16,000 unique patients last year. For many families, Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics is a medical safety net as the largest provider for Medicaid and underinsured children and often the only source of care for children with special needs, medically complex conditions, those in foster care and victims of abuse.

“Families turn to Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics knowing their children will receive the specialized care they need close to home,” TTUHSC President Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., said. “Without continued community investment, thousands of children could face significant challenges accessing the care they need. These investments provide critical funding for education, recruitment and research, helping us attract talented providers to the Panhandle and ensuring access to high-quality care for our most vulnerable population– our children.”

As a public academic health system, TTUHSC is committed to training the next generation of physicians, advancing research and delivering care. Through Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics and its academic medicine programs, TTUHSC is building a sustainable pipeline of pediatric providers dedicated to serving rural and underserved regions of Texas.

“This gift is more than a contribution,” Rice-Spearman said. “It is a commitment to strengthening pediatric healthcare in the Panhandle and building a healthier future for our communities.”