Austin,

Austin offers the best that modern medicine can supply and serves as a base for innovative technologies such as remote telecommunications uplinks and telephonic monitoring systems that carry health services into outlying areas or extend it to the home. With a total of 2,500 beds, the area has 12 major hospitals, including the Austin Women's Hospital that opened in 2004. These facilities provide an array of specialized services such as major trauma care, coronary care, organ transplants, cancer treatments, and kidney dialysis. Other facilities specialize in mental health services, including chemical dependency treatment and counseling, and several also offer health classes and fitness centers for both individual and corporate clients. Families who are experiencing traumatic injury or illness also find a supportive environment. The community's Ronald McDonald House, located near Children's Hospital of Austin, and Seton League House, located near Seton Medical Center, each provide families with comfortable, affordable accommodations, regardless of which hospital cares for the patient. Hospice Austin and its affiliate in Williamson County provide comprehensive in-home services for those with terminal illnesses.