Texas Center for Infectious Disease

TCID Services

Access to TCID

The hospital is located at 2303 S. E. Military Drive, 1.8 miles west of I-37, two blocks east of the intersection of S. Presa, approximately five miles from downtown San Antonio, and directly across from Brooks City Base.

TCID's services are provided through several sources.

• Inpatient services of 72 beds are available for patients admitted by court order or on referral for tuberculosis or other infectious, contagious diseases where hospitalization is appropriate. 
• Physician examination and support services for specialty consultation in tuberculosis, Hansen's disease, and other infectious diseases are funded through the DSHS Infectious Disease Control Unit, Intervention and Control Branch. 
• The Heartland National TB Training Center is a University of Texas Health Center at Tyler project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The Heartland National TB Center, located on the TCID campus, has been designated a CDC Center of Excellence to provide TB training, technical assistance and medical consultation to clinicians and healthcare workers in thirteen (13) states in the Midwest.  
• The Tuberculosis Education Center (TBREC), a DSHS project located at TCID, was created to provide statewide tuberculosis consultant services as well as establish conferences, teleconferences and seminars to educate physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals regarding tuberculosis and its management.
• The DSHS Women's Health Laboratory, reference laboratory services for public health programs and clinical and anatomic laboratory testing supporting TCID is located in a separate building on the TCID campus. 
• Telecommunications, classrooms, and support services are shared for DSHS and other educational programs.
• Shared clinical, utility, and facility service functions are provided for other DSHS State Hospitals Section facilities and affiliates of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Cardiopulmonary

Cardiopulmonary Care testing includes: electrocardiograms (EKG), arterial blood gases (ABG), stress testing, vision and hearing testing, sputum collection, and mask fit testing.  Doctor's order is required for these services for individual patients.

Chaplain

A hospital chaplain is part of the patient care team and is available to all persons in the hospital, regardless of religious affiliations.  Religious services are conducted on Sundays, certain week days and generally recognized religious holidays.  Clergy from the community also provide pastoral care services on a voluntary basis.

Food Service/Dietetics

Improved nutrition is an important part of treatment at TCID.  Professional nurses and the Registered Dietitian will assess each patient's food needs upon admission and regularly throughout the course of a patients' hospitalization.  Food Service staff is responsible for daily patient meals and nourishment along with a full spectrum of nutrition support, counseling, instruction and consultations.

Laboratory Services

The Women's Health Laboratory, located nearby on the same campus, provides a full range of testing.  The Lab provides services for TCID patients, and other public health customers throughout the state.  In addition to providing testing services, the laboratory serves as a training and educational resource to the community by training lab technicians and cytotechnologists.  Testing services include:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Special Chemistry: TB drug levels
• Hematology/Coagulation
• Immunology
• General Bacteriology
• Myco-bacteriology
• Mycology
• Cytology
• DNA probe for chlamydia and gonorrhea, TB and fungal organism
• Anatomic pathology

Library

Libraries and web-based library access are provided for staff and patients.

Medical Records

Medical records are state property and may be removed only in accordance with a court order or as directed by the Office of General Counsel at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). All information contained in the medical record is confidential and will be released only in accordance with TCID/DSHS policy and applicable accreditation and regulatory requirements.

Faxed information is available when urgently needed for patient care; required by third-party payer for ongoing certification of payment for a hospitalized patient; or efficiency of hospital business for the transmission of reports, requests, or memos. Requests for facsimile transmission of health information will be referred to the Medical Records Department during regular business hours. After hours requests to fax health information will be directed to the nursing supervisor. A faxed request will contain the patient's signature or the signature of the patient's legally authorized representative.

Patient Care Services

Patient Care Services, a team of professionals caring for TCID's patients, is under the direction of the Director of Patient Care, who is designated as the chief nurse for the organization.  At least one registered nurse directs each patient unit at all times.  Patient care services are provided based on objective assessments of nursing care required each shift.

Pharmacy

Pharmacy services are provided by Cardinal Health. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. When a pharmacist is not in the pharmacy, one is available via pager to provide emergency services, answer questions, provide professional information on drug therapy and to return to the pharmacy if necessary.

Physical Therapy

A contracted physical therapist provides initial assessments, therapeutic exercise including range of motion, strengthening, joint mobilization, coordination and balance training; functional training to include bed mobility, transfer and gait training; moist heat; and patient and staff education.  At physician direction, an individualized wellness/fitness program can be developed for each patient.

Radiology

Inpatient and outpatient radiographic and chest imaging are provided for patients from TCID, San Antonio State Hospital (SASH) and San Antonio State School (SASS), under the medical direction of radiologists from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA).

Recreation Therapy

Patient activities are based on each patient's individual plan. Activities are available as either group or individual activities and include:

Social Services

Social workers are an integral link to many services offered by TCID. Because the impact that hospitalization has on finances, emotions, and future needs, social work counseling services are available for each patient. Licensed social workers perform initial assessments for all patients and are the key contacts for family.

Substance Abuse Counseling

A Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor provides substance abuse assessment for all patients. Voluntary treatment, education and prevention training is encouraged for patients who may benefit from the services.  Referrals are also made for the patient to receive follow-up services after discharge.

Volunteer Services

Volunteers arrange a wide variety of services to assist patients during their stay in the hospital, such as clothing, haircuts, shopping, stationary, and travel expenses for a patient's return home.   Volunteers are a key link to bringing community resources to benefit TCID patients.

Last Updated May 16, 2005