SAN ANTONIO, Mar. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The
University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio has broken
ground and unveiled the cornerstone for the UT Health San Antonio
Multispecialty and Research Hospital, a destination center for
research and treatment of cancer and other complex diseases that
disproportionately impact the people of South Texas.
In a nod to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held
virtually.
William L. Henrich, MD, MACP,
president of UT Health San Antonio, welcomed academic, civic and
community leaders from The University of
Texas System, the city of San
Antonio and Bexar County.
"This hospital represents an exciting day for health care in our
region and carries our aspirations for UT Health San Antonio to
lead a bright future propelled by science, education and clinical
excellence," Dr. Henrich said. Also joining the event were leaders
from University Health, UT Health's primary academic training site
for more than 50 years.
The patient-centered hospital, to be built with state and
private investments estimated at $430
million, will deliver the most advanced precision-based care
and latest targeted therapies possible. "We are forging a future in
which no patient will ever have to leave San Antonio to receive world-innovative
treatments," Dr. Henrich said. "This project will significantly and
forever change how we serve the sickest and most vulnerable
populations in our area."
The eight-story, 144-bed hospital will offer specialty care in
cancer, orthopedics, urology, and thoracic and bariatric surgery.
Owned by The University of Texas, this
new facility will be a major site for early phase clinical trials,
including novel immunologic and stem cell therapies for cancer.
'Forward thinking'
Chancellor James B. Milliken;
John M. Zerwas, MD, executive vice
chancellor for health affairs; and James C. "Rad" Weaver, vice
chairman of the Board of Regents, represented The University of Texas System. In November 2019, the Board of Regents approved
$80 million in Permanent University
Fund Bond Proceeds for the project. The hospital is included in the
UT System's Capital Improvement Program.
"As a forward-thinking academic medical center, UT Health San
Antonio will be the first in the region to leverage its vital
academic, research and patient care missions to meet the growing
demand for inpatient care of the most complex diseases impacting
this diverse community," Chancellor Milliken said.
"This new hospital will offer access to multispecialty services
not available today," Dr. Zerwas said. "Robust clinical trials will
provide novel treatments and care options to families in their
greatest hour of need. Predicting, preventing, treating and curing
disease precisely will be the focus of the world-class physicians
and other care providers who will serve here."
"As a lifelong San Antonian, I firmly believe the people of our
city deserve the very best health care that can be offered and that
we should not have to seek this care outside of our city," Regent
Weaver said. "I applaud UT Health San Antonio's leaders for their
visionary actions to build this best-in-class hospital in our own
city."
Additional resident physicians
David Zachry, chairman of the UT
Health San Antonio Development Board, described the hospital's
impact on health care education.
"This new hospital will allow San
Antonio to attract more than 50 new medical residents, many
of whom will choose to stay in our community to raise their
families and provide needed medical specialty care to our
patients," said Mr. Zachry, president and CEO of Zachry
Construction Corp. "San Antonio is
the seventh largest city in the United
States, and this is an important and needed investment for
everyone who lives and works in our wonderful city."
Robert A. Hromas, MD, FACP, dean
of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long
School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at
UT Health San Antonio, praised the innovation in medical education,
clinical care and research that the new hospital will foster.
"This new environment is being carefully designed to promote
interprofessional collaboration as we provide exceptional care to
patients and their families," Dr. Hromas said. "This hospital is a
crucial addition to our academic mission of producing new
physicians and other health care providers. The hospital will help
accelerate discoveries, validated in clinical trials, that bring
improvements to clinical practice, resulting in the comprehensive
advanced care we provide patients."
Cancer care and research
The hospital will be connected by a pedestrian sky bridge to the
Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson
Cancer Center. The National Cancer Institute this year renewed its
designation of the Mays Cancer Center as one of the elite cancer
centers in the nation and one of only four NCI-designated Cancer
Centers in Texas.
The emphasis on cancer care and research, symbolized by the sky
bridge, will be strong. "NCI-designated Cancer Centers with
superior access to state-of-the-art hospital care are the nation's
leaders in inpatient Phase I clinical trials of cellular-based
therapies and surgical technologies," said Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, executive director of the
Mays Cancer Center. "In addition, the seamless relationship between
our outpatient clinics and inpatient hospital care will greatly
benefit our patients."
The hospital will also expand UT Health San Antonio's
partnership with University Health. UT Health San Antonio is
working with University Health to form a top-tier integrated health
delivery system to improve care throughout Bexar County. The new hospital will be
complementary to existing programs at University Hospital, avoiding
duplication of services.
Well-integrated health network
"We are maturing our collaborative relationship with University
Health into a well-integrated and aligned health network that can
respond to San Antonio's changing
health care environment by providing high-quality, cost-efficient
health care," Dr. Hromas said. "We will continue to address
inpatient demand, focus on specialized services needed by our
diverse population, and design the future of health care for
San Antonio and far beyond."
"Our goal is to build upon our long and productive history of
collaboration," said George B. Hernández Jr., president and CEO of
University Health. "Working together, we can create a healthier
community, save and change lives, and lay a strong foundation for
the next generation."
Bexar County Judge Nelson W.
Wolff praised the unparalleled effort of University Health
and UT Health San Antonio in managing the increasing health care
needs of the region — collaboration that is setting the partners'
collective work apart from other cities.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the city will benefit by the
hospital adding 800 high-quality jobs to the region. Dr. Henrich
expressed gratitude to the San Antonio Medical Foundation, which
stewards the Medical Center, for the gift of the site, 12.2 acres
of land bordered by Ewing Halsell Drive, Wurzbach Road and Floyd
Curl Drive.
Personalized medicine
The hospital raises the curtain on a new era of precision,
personalized medicine based on innovative research conducted by San
Antonians for San Antonians.
UT Health San Antonio will bring the expertise of 900 faculty
specialists and subspecialists to serve patients and their families
at this new facility. Patient care will be coordinated within a
single, secure electronic medical record available anywhere
24/7.
"This investment is about far more than a new brick-and-mortar
facility," Dr. Henrich said. "This project will improve the way we
serve our patients. We are proud to make this investment in our
patients, our people and our community."
The hospital design is 448,819 gross square feet and includes a
673-car parking garage and 200- car surface parking lot. EYP has
been contracted to perform the architectural and engineering
services, and the construction manager-at-risk is Vaughn
Construction.
Construction is beginning this spring and is expected to be
completed in 2024.
The Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio is named for
Texas philanthropists Joe R. and
Teresa Lozano Long. The school is
the largest educator of physicians in South Texas, many of whom remain in
San Antonio and the region to
practice medicine. The school teaches more than 900 students and
trains 800 residents each year. As a beacon of multicultural
sensitivity, the school annually exceeds the national medical
school average of Hispanic students enrolled. The school's clinical
practice is the largest multidisciplinary medical group in
South Texas with 850 physicians in
more than 100 specialties. The school has a highly productive
research enterprise where world leaders in Alzheimer's disease,
diabetes, cancer, aging, heart disease, kidney disease and many
other fields are translating molecular discoveries into new
therapies. The Long School of Medicine is home to a National Cancer
Institute-designated cancer center known for prolific clinical
trials and drug development programs, as well as a world-renowned
center for aging and related diseases.
The University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio,
also referred to as UT Health San Antonio, is one of the country's
leading health sciences universities and is designated as a
Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.
With missions of teaching, research, patient care and community
engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health
professions and graduate biomedical sciences have graduated more
than 37,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields,
and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout
South Texas and the world. To
learn about the many ways "We make lives better®," visit
http://www.uthscsa.edu.
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Media Contact
Will Sansom, The University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio, 210-567-2579,
sansom@uthscsa.edu
Monica Taylor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio, 210-450-8970,
taylorm1@uthscsa.edu
Twitter
SOURCE The University of Texas
Health Science Center at San
Antonio