UT medical branch's problems could open window for Valley med school
HARLINGEN — The state senator who first called for the creation of the Regional Academic Health Center has never hidden his ultimate goal: to bring a medical school to the Rio Grande Valley.
Now, he's hoping that the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston's misfortune will make that medical school dream possible.
State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, and other Valley lawmakers are discussing the possibility of redirecting UTMB funds to RAHC facilities in Harlingen and Edinburg, with a goal of opening the University of Texas Health Science Center-South Texas, Lucio said in a recent interview with Valley Freedom Newspapers.
"It's a question being asked in Austin: could we look at possibly diverting that funding toward a health-science center in the Rio Grande Valley?" Lucio said. "It's something we've been talking about since (Hurricane) Ike hit and destroyed all that infrastructure at UTMB."
When Hurricane Ike plowed into Galveston in September, it caused more than $710 million worth of damage at UTMB, forcing the university's hospital to downsize from 550 to 200 beds and lay off 3,000 employees.
A UTMB-operated clinic in McAllen, which offers gynecological care, closed its doors and laid off employees Dec. 4 as a result.
At a hearing last week, Galveston officials implored a Texas House committee for an immediate influx of $400 to $500 million to rebuild the medical school and hospital.
Lucio said some legislators are wary about appropriating funds to restore and sustain UTMB when its facilities are so vulnerable to hurricanes.
"There might be some people who feel that rebuilding UTMB, with the possibility of being hit with another storm, could be wasting taxpayers' money," Lucio said. "It's a very valid point. In these tough economic times, we need to maximize funding to its safest and highest potential."
Lucio thinks some of those funds could be well used here.
"The need for a medical school in South Texas is so great ... while they're fighting to keep dollars in certain parts of the state, we need to be open-minded about the need (for those funds) in South Texas," he said.
Officials at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, of which the RAHC facilities in Harlingen and Edinburg are a part, declined to comment on Lucio's proposal. A UTMB spokeswoman also declined to comment.
State Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, said UTMB needs more funding, not less, and would be less vulnerable to flooding and hurricane damage with needed upgrades.
"Most legislators are looking at ways to help," including calling for additional dollars for the university, Eiland said. "There are people who would like to benefit from UTMB's plight, but there has been no outright attempt (to do so) that I have seen."
In advance of the 2009 legislative session, which starts in January, Lucio has filed a bill that would establish a medical school with a main campus in Cameron County. Such a facility is needed to address a shortage of doctors in the region, he said.
"The opening of a medical school in South Texas would help recruit doctors to an underserved area and provide students the chance to attend a professional school without having to leave home," he said.
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Melissa McEver covers health and environment issues for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Harlingen and you can reach her at (956) 430-6252.
