hospital and donating it to UTMB for use as a research facility. Hurricane Ike The hospital was damaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. In light of the cost of repairs and the economic downturn, the Shriner's National Hospital Board planned to mothball the facility in the aftermath of the storm, however the Shriners National Convention overturned the decision and voted to repair and reopen the Galveston facility. Prior to the storm, the hospital serviced both burns patients and patients with cleft lip and palate disorders. However, when the Galveston hospital reopened in 2009, the decision was made to relocate the cleft lip program to the hospital's sister institution, the Shriners Orthopaedic Hospital for Children in Houston. Merger and Expansion In January 2020 it was announced that Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston would be closing their facility and transferring staff and programs to their sister hospital, Shriners Hospital for Burned Children, in Galveston. The merger was expected to be completed by the 4th Quarter of 2020 with the closing of the Houston Hospital occurring in early 2021. After the merger the Shriners Hospital for Burned Children -- Galveston would be renamed Shriners Children's Texas, to reflect the expanded programs and services. See also Shriners Hospitals for Children List of Texas Medical Center institutions List of hospitals in Texas References External links Shriners Hospital for Children - Texas Hospitals in Texas Hospital buildings completed in 1966 Hospital buildings completed in 1992 Healthcare in Galveston, Texas Buildings and structures in Galveston, Texas University of Texas Medical Branch Institutions in the Texas Medical Center Texas Children's hospitals in the United States Children's hospitals in Texas