Texas Center for Infectious Disease - Services
For Patient Referrers:
This page is part of the patient's pre-admission packet.
Please print all of the "Patient Resources" portion of the
web site and provide the packet as a guide to explain admission to TCID to the patient and/or
caregiver.
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.
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Inpatient services of 72 private 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 Center is a University of Texas Health Science 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, is a regional training and medical consultation
center designated as 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 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
Select the TCID Service you wish to review from the
links below:
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Cardiopulmonary
Chaplain
Food Service/Dietetics
Laboratory Services
Outpatient Services
Medical Records
Patient Care Services
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Pharmacy
Radiology
Recreation
Psychology
Social Services
Substance Abuse
Counseling
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Patient Fitness
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Community
Relations/Volunteer Services
Available TCID Services
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:
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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
Outpatient Services
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Doctors from MDRTB and Hansen's Disease
Deductibles and co-pays
Outpatient Billing and Collections
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.
Patient Fitness
At physician direction and working with Cardiopulmonary staff, 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
Patient activities are based on each patient's individual plan. Activities are available as either
group or individual activities and include:
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Computer literacy
Religious studies
Computer games
Reading
Pool tables
Puzzles
Assorted board
games
Leather work
Plaster art
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Plastic stain glass
art
Sewing
Music therapy
Wood art
Beading art
Yarn art
Video games
Volleyball
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Basketball
Gardening
Badminton
Croquet
Ping Pong
Bingo
Horseshoe toss
Soccer
Recreational Activities
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.
Community Relations/Volunteer Services
Volunteers and Community Relations Staff arrange and provide a wide variety of services to
assist patients during their stay in the hospital, such as necessary clothing, stationary,
postage stamps and travel expenses for a patient's return home, sponsorship of birth
certificate, State ID and GED testing costs as well as many other items. Volunteers are a key
link to bringing community resources to benefit TCID patients.
Psychology
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Last updated September 28, 2011