Truman W. Smith Children's Care Center sits at 2200 West Upshur Avenue in Gladewater, Texas, and serves as a specialized pediatric long-term care community with 120 certified beds, usually seeing about 95 residents each day, and unlike most places, it focuses on caring for medically fragile children who need long-term medical help, ventilator support, or rehabilitation, and you can find it as part of the Nexion Health network. This place is open every day, all day and night, and doesn't have posted visiting hours, so families can come visit whenever they want which many families appreciate. The rooms for children get personalized decorations to help make them feel more at home, and children get access to classrooms and play areas for learning, group activities, and even places to enjoy music or dance if they'd like. The atmosphere tries to be warm and home-like, and there are outdoor areas for recreation and spaces designed specifically for children's physical and social needs, all of it aimed at giving kids a bit of normalcy while they get long-term care.
Staffed by skilled pediatric nurses and medical specialists, the team at Truman W. Smith builds personalized treatment plans for every child, and lots of the staff have experience handling complex medical needs which you don't always see in other places. The nurse turnover rate, which shows how many nurses leave and get replaced, is lower than the state average, meaning more consistency in care, and the nurse staffing hours per resident per day are higher than what most Texas facilities provide. While families hope for perfect care, public reports show some deficiencies, including those related to keeping the environment clean and homelike, meeting nutrition standards, and infection control, all of which are detailed in the inspection reports that anyone can look up, so you know the full story. Truman W. Smith says it focuses on creating a "Home Away From Home" for each child and offers a family-friendly space, and you can find further helpful details on the website, including directions, resources, and a facility finder if you need it. Many folks say this is the only high-acuity pediatric long-term care facility in Texas, so if you're looking for somewhere that helps children with serious medical needs in a structured way, this one's designed to meet those demands, keeping children's well-being and family support at the center of their efforts.
