Staff hand out bags for visitors to gather information and giveaways at HealthFest.

Southwestern Dallas county residents, business owners, and regional leaders gathered Saturday at the celebration for the opening of UT Southwestern Medical Center at RedBird, the largest of UTSW’s regional campuses and the first to bring academic medicine to this region. While the new facility accepted its first patient on Aug. 29, the event served as a community-focused celebration and showcase of current and upcoming medical offerings.

Humza Siddiqi, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, chats with a visitor about RedBird’s services.

At the Sept. 17 event called HealthFest, attendees were introduced to the two-story, 150,000-square-foot facility. Located on Camp Wisdom Road near U.S. 67, it is the sixth and newest such center UTSW operates.

Don Temple, who lives nearby and had been looking forward to the medical center opening, said the facility exceeded his expectations.

“It is just fantastic,” Mr. Temple said. “We had nothing and now it’s like we got the Taj Mahal.”

HealthFest visitors were greeted with music, cooking demos, food trucks offering free brunch, games, and ticket giveaways to Dallas Mavericks games. They walked away with umbrellas, T-shirts, and gift bags filled with a stress ball, water bottle, and brochures.

Visitors could gather information at the many booths, attend a health lecture, or tour the facilities, which include ultrasound, mammography, MRI, CT scan, and X-ray imaging. Services currently available at RedBird include primary care, cardiology, and cancer care, with plans to add neurology and culinary medicine later this year. Infusion therapy to treat cancer, sickle cell, and other illnesses is available.

HealthFest visitors check out the Meet-the-Doc booth to learn more about medical services at RedBird.

While many praised the new facility for its airy interior and glass-enclosed open-air atrium, most were impressed with the convenience of having medical care closer to their homes.

“It means a lot for this to be in the community,” said Lula Moss, an area resident. “Now I won’t have to go across town to get medical care.”

While access is a major part of the project’s appeal, UT Southwestern spared no expense in making this the best medical care facility that people in the neighborhood can go to for their health care needs, said Keith Vinson, Vice President of Operations for YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.

Lynx, a therapy dog, made an appearance at HealthFest to help showcase the services and innovative approach to care UT Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center offers.

“UT Southwestern didn’t come here in a corporate way,” said Mr. Vinson, who served on the RedBird Community Forum group for the facility. “They came in and said, ‘We want to be a part of your family.’”

The facility was built around what people in the community said they wanted, said Ericka Walker Williams, M.D., the first physician hired for the RedBird facility and Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine. It was very intentional, she said.

“People are really looking for a change in the community, and they’re looking for good doctors to take care of them,” Dr. Walker Williams said.

Resident Vickey Curtis was confident she found just that.

“All the people are so great, professional, and courteous,” she said. “Everything is just so nice.”