Houston Methodist and Texas Children’s Hospital announced on April 2 the creation of the Fondren IBD Transition Program, a collaborative initiative designed to help children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) move from pediatric to adult care.
The new program aims to address a significant gap in health care by providing developmentally appropriate support for adolescents and young adults living with IBD. The initiative will embed psychological and behavioral health services into the transition process, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and equipping patients with skills for managing their condition as they age.
The program is funded by a $5.67 million gift from The Fondren Foundation. In recognition of this contribution, the initiative will bear the foundation’s name. “The formation of the Fondren IBD Transition Program represents a transformative development in care for children and adolescents by offering them a seamless path through their entire patient journey as they transition to adult IBD care,” said Dr. Eamonn Quigley, director of the Houston Methodist Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Health. “We’re deeply grateful to The Fondren Foundation for their investment, which will allow Houston Methodist and Texas Children’s to work hand-in-hand to build and sustain a program that ensures consistent, lifelong management of symptoms and will provide access to the latest therapies as young patients move into adulthood.”
According to Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, pediatrician-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital and Pediatrics Department Chair at Baylor College of Medicine: “Our goal is to positively change the lives of young people living with IBD by ensuring their transition is guided by world-class care, understanding and comprehensive, holistic support.” She added that multidisciplinary teams would play an important role during what can be one of life’s most vulnerable periods.
Key elements include multidisciplinary teams consisting of nurses, physicians, dieticians, and mental health professionals; education programs aimed at empowering patients; co-leadership between clinical directors at both hospitals; as well as plans for advanced fellowship training in IBD transition at Houston Methodist—said to be the first such fellowship nationally—with behavioral health team training based at Texas Children’s.
Rob Fondren, board member of The Fondren Foundation and co-chair of the Underwood Center for Digestive Health Council said: “Our commitment to this partnership between Houston Methodist and Texas Children’s reflects our belief in collaboration and innovation to achieve lasting impact… we know this program will give patients and families the confidence, resources and continuity of care they deserve during such a pivotal time in their lives.”
This partnership also builds on longstanding philanthropic involvement from The Fondren family within Houston’s medical community.
