El Paso is home to the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, each of which will graduate its first class of students during the May TTUHSC commencement ceremonies. TTUHSC at El Paso is also home to a Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Preparations for the transition from a regional campus to a freestanding university with degree-granting authority have been underway since 2011. The TTU System Board of Regents gave its approval for undertaking this initiative in May 2012.

As an independent university, TTUHSC at El Paso will benefit regional priorities by promoting access to health care and attracting more doctors and health care professionals to the area. Additionally, the university will be able to focus its research on diseases affecting Latino and border populations and provide quality care in a medically underserved region.

“This is a great day for the Texas Tech University System and the community of El Paso,” said TTU System Chancellor Kent Hance. “We are proud of the outstanding work completed as a regional campus and excited to continue our commitment to the area as an independent university. We are grateful to our governor and state legislators who helped make this goal a reality. The future is exciting, and we look forward to great things out of El Paso.”

NEWS COVERAGE

Texas Tech System to establish Health Sciences Center in El Paso

Midland Reporter-Telegram

TTUHSC at El Paso is also home to a Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Preparations for the transition from a regional campus to a freestanding ...  

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso to Become Full University

News/Talk 790 KFYO

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso was approved as the ... at El Paso is also home to a Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.  

Texas Gov. Rick Perry signs bill making Texas Tech med school stand-alone campus

El Paso Times

By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times Gov. Rick Perry on Monday signed a bill ... Greve Hunt School of Nursing and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. 

TTUHSC El Paso granted university status 

MYfoxLUBBOCK.COM

... Center at El Paso the fourth independent institution within the tech system. ... Hunt School of Nursing, and a graduate school of biomedical sciences. 

Governor’s signature will make Texas Tech in El Paso a standalone university  [originally posted April 30, 2013]

Today (April 30), the Texas House passed Senate Bill No. 120, which establishes the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) at El Paso as a standalone university within the Texas Tech University System. To become law, the bill only needs the signature of Gov. Rick Perry.

Essentially, the bill would give TTUHSC at El Paso its own president and administration, schools with degree-granting authority, and greater local decision-making power in hiring and funding. For the Medical Center of the Americas region, which is an international biomedical complex anchored by El Paso, the bill means that citizens will begin to see improved access to health care, employers will be able to attract more doctors and other health care professionals, researchers will be unencumbered to investigate diseases that affect Latino and border populations, and economic development will receive a boost.

“We’re excited to be this close to the finish line,” said Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance.

"Today represents the culmination of two decades of hard work and close collaboration by our community and the Texas Tech University System,” said José Rodríguez, Texas Senator who authored the bill.

“This is a great victory for District 76 and the El Paso region. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso as a stand-alone university will help address the specific needs of the population along the El Paso border,” said Naomi Gonzalez, Texas House Representative who sponsored the bill.

Channel 9, KTSM                                Channel 7, KVIA                          El Paso Times Editorial   

Panelists were Emma W. Schwartz of the MCA Foundation, Robert Kirken, PhD, of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), J. Manuel de la Rosa, MD, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, Vimal Chaitanya, PhD, of New Mexico State University (NMSU) in Las Cruces, Hector Balcazar of the University of Texas School of Public Health's El Paso campus, and Lt. Col. Sheryl Bedno, MD, of William Beaumont Army Medical Center-Fort Bliss.

“I think it was a very successful event, well attended and conveyed the breadth of life sciences research that is going on at each panelist’s institution.  The presentations were effective at emphasizing collaboration and commercialization opportunities. I hope this inspires the business community to become even more involved and supportive of these efforts,” said Schwartz.

Richard E. Dayoub, President and CEO of the Chamber, said, “I was pleased with the turnout for a first year event and feel next year’s event will be even more successful.”

YouTube – State of Life Sciences Address         

El Paso Times story   

In an interview with the El Paso Times, Di Rienzo said he took the El Paso job because he sees the BMIA as being "an incredible platform for innovation."

Di Rienzo, 54, was among six people from across the country interviewed for the job.  Because this position will have regional impact, the selection of the BMIA’s executive director was conducted jointly with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, New Mexico State University, and the Hub of Human Innovation. 

Emma W. Schwartz, president of the MCA Foundation, said Di Rienzo was selected because he "seemed like a doer -- the kind of person who gets things done; and he's incredibly well connected with government agencies and other institutions.   He will be a resource for all the universities, companies that form here and talent being recruited here."

The BMIA will help researchers and entrepreneurs in the area develop new medical innovations and solutions.  The BMIA will be based at a research park, which is now being developed near the medical school by the MCA Foundation.

El Paso Times          

Syracuse.com            

BioMedical Institute of the Americas            

MCA research park             

To keep tabs on the progress of the BRTB and the biomedical research park, subscribe to Synapse, the region’s life sciences news digest.  >>subscribe 

About PhiloWilke

In 2009, PhiloWilke made an unprecedented decision in its 28-year history to open its first expansion office in El Paso, thus contributing to capacity building and economic development in the region. It was founded in 1985 to serve the healthcare and research communities, which are a specialized type of client that require architectural solutions for technologically complex environments and facilities.

About the BRTB

The 80,000-square-foot facility will have four floors and take up a four-acre parcel on the MCA campus.  The building is intended to be a micro-economic hub that helps induce and assist biomedical innovation and industry growth. It will include office suites, principal investigator offices, wet and dry laboratories and flex spaces that can be built out for specific tenants’ needs. Collaborative spaces,­­­ meeting rooms and larger conference spaces will also be important. Tenants may include public, private, for-profit and nonprofit researchers.

PhiloWilke                        Broaddus & Associates                       Broaddus Planning         

Plans for MCA research park are debuted publicly  [originally posted Feb. 15, 2013]

      The Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation held an open meeting Feb. 14 where the community was introduced for the first time on plans to develop the region's first biomedical research and technology commercialization park.  

About 60 community people attended the meeting and offered input on the site plan, including the infrastructure improvements, access issues, building placement, etc.

“I thought it was a great meeting,” said Alfredo Borrego, president of the San Juan Neighborhood Association. “I can sense that most of the members are excited because they can actually see things happening. After the meeting ended, quite a few members stayed and the buzz was still going on about the MCA.”

The meeting took place at the San Juan Senior Center, 5701 Tamburo Crt., and was jointly hosted by the San Juan Neighborhood Association and City Representative Emma Acosta.

The MCA Foundation is planning to build an 80,000-square-foot research lab and incubator in this research park and it is expected to open in late 2015. It will be located on 13 acres that the foundation is leasing from the City of El Paso near the intersection of Gateway East and Revere, within the MCA campus.

MCA Foundation website     

Meanwhile, Steven Leslie, UT’s executive vice president and provost, said officials anticipate enrolling the first class of medical students around 2016, assuming classroom and research buildings are constructed in time. Work to establish the medical school has accelerated since approval in November by Travis County voters of a property tax increase to help fund it. The effort gained more momentum in January with the announcement that the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation would donate $50 million. The school will be known as the Dell Medical School.

A committee is being organized to search for a medical school dean, with a goal of having that person in place by fall or, failing that, by the end of the year.

Austin American-Statesman 

UPDATE - March 18, 2013  

 Rio Grande Valley med school bill goes to Texas House tomorrow:  On March 13, the Texas Senate passed senate bill 24, the first piece of legislation that will legally create the Valley’s only Tier One research university, with state-of-the art facilities and the inclusion of the future South Texas school of medicine.  The senate bill is the mirror image of house bill 1000, joint authored by State Rep. R.D. "Bobby" Guerra, which will be heard on the House Floor on March 19. The bill will require a two-thirds vote in the Texas House before it will be sent to the Governor for signing.

UPDATE - January 30, 2013

On Jan. 30, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation announced a $50 million commitment to establish the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. The foundation’s gift is part of a multiyear, $150 million investment to establish Austin as a center for excellence in family health. The Dell Medical School is scheduled to enroll its first class of 50 students in 2016. http://www.utexas.edu/know/2013/01/30/dells-foundation-invests-50-million-in-ut-med-school/

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 24, 2012

The Texas Tribune on Sunday reported on the status of creating a new medical school in the Rio Grande Valley, especially in light of the recent approval of a funding stream to create a new school in Austin. The article noted that while Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, the chancellor of the University of Texas System, is supportive of establishing a medical school in the fast-growing and currently underserved region, "South Texas leaders must persuade hospitals to finance 120 residency slots, get local voters in the impoverished region to sign off on a taxing district, and - the toughest but most critical selling point - ask the cash-strapped Texas Legislature to provide $20 million a year."   http://tinyurl.com/bmocq9l

UPDATE -AUGUST 17, 2012

University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa on Friday announced his intention to establish a freestanding medical school in the Rio Grande Valley. His announcement came at a press conference in Edinburg. The plan is to convert the existing UT Health Science Center-San Antonio's Regional Academic Health Center in Edinburg into a medical school with its own administration. The new school's first anticipated graduates — the class of 2018 — will begin their studies at UT Health Science Center-San Antonio in 2014 on a special "South Texas" track. If everything goes according to plan, in 2016 they will move down to the transitioning medical school in Edinburg, where they will complete their third and fourth years and work in regional clerkships. Those students will graduate under the accreditation of the institution in San Antonio that initially admitted them. Significant funds from the system have already been invested in this effort, and more will be requested from the Legislature in the upcoming session, according to Cigarroa.  http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/higher-education/ut-system-establish-medical-school-south-texas/

UPDATE - MAY 2, 2012 

The University of Texas System Board of Regents on Thursday authorized UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, to move forward with plans to establish medical schools in Austin and South Texas. The action by the board "affirms Chancellor Cigarroa’s goal of expanding medical education and research programs in the two regions as outlined in his Framework for Advancing Excellence Across the UT System." The board made the development of the South Texas school contingent on various explicit factors, including operational funding requirements and the approval of residency programs in the area.
http://www.utsystem.edu/news/2012/05/03/ut-system-regents-authorize-next-steps-medical-schools-austin-south-texas

UPDATE - APRIL 24, 2012

The Austin Statesman-American reported recently, "Prospects for a new teaching hospital that could support a medical school and a new way of delivering health care in Austin took a giant leap forward Saturday with the Seton Healthcare Family saying it plans to pay for the new hospital: up to $250 million. That amount is expected to cover the cost of building and equipping the hospital, which would include adding badly needed psychiatric beds and replacing the aging, cramped, publicly owned University Medical Center Brackenridge. A modernized facility is seen as a way to not only improve care for patients but also train a new generation of doctors, and ultimately, medical students educated in Austin. Seton operates UMC Brackenridge under a 60-year lease with the hospital's owner, Central Health..." which is the local taxing authority. According to the paper, the letter of intent between Central Health and Seaton "will lead to a series of legally binding agreements. Those include: Support of a medical school under the auspices of the University of Texas at Austin." Seton's parent is Ascension Health.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/seton-to-pay-up-to-250-million-for-2318563.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage

MCA and Foster medical school serve as model for Austin   

[originally posted April 24, 2012]

The Austin American-Statesman published a story detailing the emergence of El Paso’s Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) and its anchor tenant, the Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of the Medicine. The story puts forth the MCA and the medical school as a model for Austin, Texas, whose leaders have their eye on opening a medical school and expanding the capital city's footprint in health care. The article read, “The Austin effort faces similar challenges as well as different ones. As in El Paso, the overarching task is to raise hundreds of millions in public and private dollars. … Still another challenge is justifying a four-year medical school in Austin when the A&M Health Science Center has been given legislative approval — although not all of the funding it needs — to develop one about 25 miles away in Round Rock. … UT officials say philanthropists are waiting to see a medical school in Austin move closer to reality before stepping forward. In El Paso, the political ties of business leaders, as well as their philanthropic donations, have proved to be important.” 

American Statesman article                 Gallery of MCA photos             MCA Website   

Emma Schwartz, president of the MCA Foundation, explains the master plan of the MCA campus to a newspaper reporter from the American Statesman. 

The East Tower of University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC), which houses El Paso Children's Hospital and UMC's new women's healthcare unit.

The BioMedical Institute of the Americas is a nonprofit subsidiary of the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation. The Institute was established in 2012 by the MCA Foundation as part of its vision:  to position the Paso del Norte region as the global leader of health delivery, medical education and biomedical research concentrating on issues unique to Hispanic, border and military populations. The BioMedical Institute of the Americas is focused on fostering and accelerating biomedical innovation, creating new employment opportunities, attracting new biomedical companies and talent to the region, and ultimately elevating the quality of health care in the region.

BioMedical Institute of the Americas   

Biomedical Research Symposium   

MCA will organize biomed conference and research symposium  [orignally posted Mar. 8, 2012]

The Medical Center of the Americas Foundation has begun talks around organizing a biomedical conference as well as a life science research symposium. The biomedical conference will highlight the region’s strengths in biomedical innovation and biomanufacturing, while the symposium would focus on the region’s research strengths. No date for the meetings have been set; except it will take place in El Paso in 2013.

In preparation for the undertaking, the MCA Foundation recently sent a representative to attend the inaugural Texas Life Science Venture Forum in Houston. Moving forward, the MCA will reach out to scientists, manufacturers, inventors, business people, higher education leaders and others to recieve input. For more information or to become involved, call the MCA at 915-613-2478 and ask for Noemi Rojas or Emma Schwartz.

“This is a major win for the MCA campus and an important part of transforming the neighborhood into an academic medical setting,” said Emma W. Schwartz, president of the MCA Foundation, the nonprofit organization that works to advance the development of the MCA campus and the region’s biomedical innovation pipeline.   

MCA campus   

MCA campus gets closer to designation as a railroad quiet zone [orginally posted Dec. 12, 2012]

Emma Acosta, city representative for East-Central El Paso, recently announced to the MCA Foundation board of directors that Union Pacific has agreed to provide funding in the amount of $1.3 million to implement a quiet zone in the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) area.  The amount is only part of the total cost required to implement the zone. Details for establishing a quiet zone are still being worked out. Next step is to present the item to city council for approval. The MCA is a 140-acre campus that includes University Medical Center of El Paso, El Paso Children’s Hospital, the El Paso Psychiatric Center, the City Public Health Department and the Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. The campus is site to a future biomedical research park, and some have identified it as a possible location for a VA hospital.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal      

UPDATE:  The push to make Texas Tech in El Paso independent of Lubbock  [originally posted Mar. 01, 2013]

El Paso Times printed an update on the effort to make Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) at El Paso an independent university of the Texas Tech System. In part, the report said that Texas Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, is a co-author of the bill. Duncan is one of the most powerful senators in the Legislature and could serve as a key ally for the measure to be passed, according to state Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, who filed the bill along with state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso

Senate Higher Education Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, has said he does not see a problem with the measure as long as there are no additional costs to the state budget. Some of the lawmakers who have signed on to the measure include state Reps. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, and John Frullo, R-Lubbock.

The bill has not yet drawn any vocal opponents.

Designation as a stand-alone institution would open up a funding stream that is available to health science centers, it would draw more healthcare professionals to the area, it would clear the way for more research; and the institution would go from being a teaching institution to a major education research institution and economic driver, Sen. Rodriguez said in the El Paso Times report published Feb. 25, 2013.

If the legislation is passed during the 140-day legislative session, the institution would have to go through a separate accreditation process that could last from five to seven years. It will also need to begin establishing separate purchasing, information technology, and planning mechanisms that are currently managed through the Lubbock campus.

El Paso Times     

(If the link to the El Paso Times is broken or missing, please contact Synapse at (915) 613-2478 to receive a PDF version of those webpages.)

Texas Senator files bill to make TTUHSC El Paso independent of Lubbock  [originally posted Dec. 10, 2012]

State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, introduced a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would allow the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso to become an independent Texas Tech System institution – rather than continue as a branch of the Health Sciences Center based in Lubbock.  If the bill passes, the El Paso health sciences center would hire its own president and administration, have the authority to issue degrees and allow the Texas Tech Board of Regents to establish teaching hospitals affiliated with the campus.

The Daily Texan

KTSM Channel 9 story    

(If the links to The Daily Texan or KTSM are broken or missing, please contact Synapse at (915) 613-2478 to receive a PDF version of those webpages.)   

Texas Tech System approves process to establish health sciences university in El Paso   [originally posted May 18, 2012]

The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents approved to initiate the process of establishing a freestanding health sciences university in El Paso. The new university will join Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) and Angelo State University under the Texas Tech University System as a fourth, separate but equal institution.

“Having a freestanding health sciences university in El Paso will be a tremendous asset to the community and will further our efforts to address the shortages of health care professionals in the region and the entire state,” said Texas Tech University System Chancellor Kent Hance. “We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature to make this significant goal a reality.”

El Paso is the fourth most populous city in the state with a population of more than 700,000. With such an immense population, this region has been federally designated as a medically underserved area.

“A health sciences university in El Paso will provide an outstanding education for the culturally diverse communities in this area, promote crucial research related to Latino and other underserved populations, and serve as a nationally recognized primary and specialty referral center for quality patient care,” said Jose Manuel de la Rosa, founding dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.

In the past several years, a sound foundation has been solidified for an autonomous health sciences university in El Paso. The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso (pictured to right) received preliminary accreditation in February 2008 and opened in 2009. In 2008, university administrators took the first step toward establishing a full-fledged health sciences university in El Paso by implementing an accelerated Second Degree Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

Nursing programs expanded in August 2009 to include a traditional BSN program. The Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, an autonomous, fully-accredited nursing school at the TTUHSC campus in El Paso was established in October 2010.

“With the support of the El Paso community, the areas surrounding the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine have grown to include the El Paso Children’s Hospital, an expanded University Medical Center’s women’s hospital and the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing,” said Texas Tech University System Regent Rick Francis. “We are confident El Paso residents will continue to support TTUHSC as the region’s health care community continues to flourish.”

El Paso Inc. coverage                 TTUHSC release         El Paso Times editorial  

Commentary by James N. Valenti, CEO and President of University Medical Center of El Paso  

It took 29 months, but Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance now has the green light to fulfill his vision of establishing a full-fledged Health Sciences University in El Paso.  Texas Tech’s Board of Regents voted late last week to begin the process of expanding its El Paso campus from the current two schools (four-year Medical School and School of Nursing) to as many as five, including schools of Dentistry, Pharmacy and Allied Health.   

Chancellor Hance originally announced his vision for the local campus during a much ballyhooed trip to El Paso in December of 2009.  At that time, he said it could take up to 10 years to have all of the components of a Health Sciences University in place, so while a big first hurdle has been cleared, much remains to be done.  Up first is winning the approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  Then the state legislature would have to be convinced before any discussion of funding begins. 

Though the obstacles are many, El Pasoans have already shown that when this community rallies behind a project, we’re in it to win it.  The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is proof of that.  Locals began work to win its approval back in the 1990’s.  It finally opened in 2009.  Having a full-fledged Health Sciences University in El Paso will be well worth the wait however long the journey.  In addition to the obvious economic benefits, an expanded medical campus here will create greater opportunities for El Paso students who are interested in health careers and will help alleviate the shortage of healthcare professionals in this region. 

I couldn’t be more pleased by the news and I look forward to joining all of you in yet another push to convincingly tell our story in Austin.

--Valenti's comment was originally published in the May 25th issue of "Valenti's Friday Letter," which is distributed digitally by UMC each week.

For more about the Life Sciences Communicators group, contact Noemi Rojas at the MCA Foundation, (915) 613-2478 ext. 2.

MCA Foundation      

MCA Foundation president Emma W. Schwartz presented the check to Dr. J. Manuel de la Rosa, founding dean of the TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, and to Jeanne M. Novotny, PhD, the founding dean of the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing. (pictured left)

Frank Stout, associate academic dean for Finance and Administration at TTUHSC, and Carlos Ortega, CFO of the MCA Foundation, were also present at the meeting.

TTUHSC is planning to break ground on the 22,000-square-foot building (32,000 gross square feet) sometime before August 2013 with completion date set for 18-20 months from that day. Building design is underway. The new facility will be modeled after the TTUHSC nursing school building in Abilene, Texas.

Pictured below (left to right) is Frank Stout, Dr. de la Rosa, Jeanne Novotny, Emma Schwartz and Carlos Ortega.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso recently welcomed seven new graduate students to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences El Paso branch as they begin their Spring 2013 classes. This is the third school under the TTUHSC El Paso campus. The other two are the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing.

----------------------------------------------------------

Texas Tech Biomedical Sciences Grad School is accepting applications  [orginally posted May 28, 2012]

Applications are being accepted for the Biomedical Sciences MS program at TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in El Paso. Deadline to apply is July 1. Call (915) 783-5247 or go to http://www.ttuhsc.edu/gsbs/elpaso.

About the new TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 

    Every student enrolled in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences program will complete their coursework in El Paso. Biomedical research students will also have the benefit of studying alongside experts in four areas of significant need along the U.S./Mexico border. They are the Centers of Excellence in Infectious Disease, Diabetes and Obesity, Cancer, and Neurosciences. 

   Typically, graduates with bachelor’s degrees lack the advanced knowledge and technical expertise necessary for conducting laboratory research, so the primary goal of the biomedical sciences track is to provide students with the skills and technical knowledge required for success in a laboratory work environments.

   According to the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation careers in the biomedical industry in the broader El Paso metropolitan area can help accelerate and expand El Paso County’s economy. It can also help generate jobs.  >>more

     The two-year program will offer students core curriculum courses in biochemistry, cell biology, genes and functions, with seminars in biomedical sciences, biochemical methods, responsible conduct of research and introduction to biomedical research. For the first year, courses will not be offered in the summer.

   For more information on Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences requirements and to apply, visit http://ttuhsc.edu/gsbs/elpaso/, or call (915) 783-5247.

El Paso Inc. coverage 

Column:  Texas Tech Biomedical Sciences Grad School will open this fall 

(El Paso Times, May 21, 2012)- When the new Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center campus of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences opens in El Paso this fall, the Paso del Norte region will itself be a laboratory, providing students a unique environment in which to conduct research.

This new school of research will help prepare students for biomedical research careers in academia and industry.

Careers in the biomedical industry in the broader El Paso metropolitan area can help accelerate and expand El Paso County's economy as well as generate jobs, according to the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to advance the development of the MCA campus and advance the Paso del Norte region's biomedical innovation pipeline.

The above is an excerpt taken from a May 21 column written by Charles C. Miller III and published in the El Paso Times. Miller, PhD, is a professor and chairman of the TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Department of Biomedical Sciences, associate dean for research, and associate dean for the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

 >>Click here to read the entire column.

On Oct. 20, 2010, Texas Tech University System Chancellor Kent Hance announced a generous gift of $10 million from the Hunt Family Foundation to TTUHSC. The donation, which made national headlines, was given for the development of an autonomous, fully accredited nursing school at the TTUHSC El Paso campus.  The nursing school is named after the wife of Woody L. Hunt, chairman of the Hunt Family Foundation and CEO of the Hunt Companies. 

The nursing facility will be funded, in part, by an $11 million gift from the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps promote growth of the region’s long-envisioned medical hub, known as the Medical Center of the Americas. Construction could begin in May 2013.

(The illustration above shows what a new nursing school building might look like on a fully developed MCA campus.)

Page Southerland Page  

Texas Tech Regents approve construction of El Paso nursing building  [originally posted Aug. 10, 2012]

The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and Chancellor Kent Hance today (Aug. 10) approved construction of a building on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso campus to house the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing’s Traditional Bachelor of Science Degree and Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs.  When fully operational, the two pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs will admit up to 160 students in El Paso per year, by permission of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The new nursing facility will be funded in part by an $11 million gift from the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps promote growth of the region’s long-envisioned medical hub, known as the Medical Center of the Americas. The grant is a portion of the allocation of the City of El Paso’s Impact Fund.

The Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing currently operates on leased space in downtown El Paso. The new 25,000-square-foot building will contain classrooms, specialized labs, faculty offices, support space, specialized training equipment and public art.

The next step will be to seek bids. The job will be given to the most qualified contractor who can work within the $11 million budget.  Construction would begin in May.

"Passage of this nursing school is a great win for Texas Tech and for the city of El Paso and it is in line with the city's No. 1 priority," said Rick Francis, El Paso businessman and a Texas Tech regent. "Some communities may have had a 50-year timeline in trying to build that medical infrastructure, El Paso is hoping to do it in about 25 years."

BMIA website  

MCA opens five key positions for new biomedical institute  [originally posted July 23, 2012]

Having opened five high level positions, the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation continues to push forward with its launch of the BioMedical Institute of the Americas (BMIA).  One of the slots waiting to be filled includes the position of Executive Director.  This person will be responsible for the BMIA’s development and growth. He/she will also be part of the senior executive team of the MCA.

Under the BMIA, there are four divisions that need founding leaders; therefore, the following four positions are open:

- Director of the Translational Research Collaborative,

- Director of the Incubation Center,

- Director of the Biomedical Competitiveness Group, and

- Coordinator of the Clinical Trials Network.  

The Translational Research Collaborative is a cornerstone element of the BMIA.  It will operate regionally to generate innovation for use in commercialization. The Incubation Center will identify innovation and help move it to market. The Biomedical Competitiveness Group will have three objectives: retain & expand existing regional biomedical businesses, attract new biomedical companies to the region, and assist maturation & growth of new biomedical enterprise start-ups in the region. The Clinical Trials Network will catalogue the region’s assets that can be used for clinical trials, engage providers and patients in the network, provide support for multiple clinical research trials operating in the region, and more.

To read the complete job descriptions for each position, go to www.MCAmericas.org/bmia or visit the Synapse job board at jobs.mcaSynapse.org to see these and other life science job openings in the region.

In the MCA’s first meeting, a handful of Camino Real Angel investors came to an agreement that they will organize a new angel network focused on biomedicine and biotechnology. Representatives of the group, which met June 18, said they would commit to participating in a Paso del Norte Biomedical Angel Network on the understanding that all proposals brought to the network are well-vetted by the BMIA as market-ready. The new network is part of a larger plan by the BMIA to launch the BMIA Commercialization Center, which will need high volume and high quality biomedical deals in order to be successful.

In order to generate high volume, high quality biomedical deals, the BMIA is creating the Translational Research Collaborative, or TRC.  The TRC was the reason for the MCA’s second meeting on June 19 with about 20 researchers and clinicians from El Paso and Las Cruces.  Discussion centered on the creation of cross-institutional, multi-disciplinary innovation teams focused on the area of mobile health, which includes topics such as telemedicine or mobile medicine.  The teams would work collaboratively to take their already-developed basic research, move it toward real-world applications and commercialize it for market – giving patients access to the technology developed.  Taking research from bench side to bedside is a process called translational research.  With the help of the BMIA, the innovation teams will have doors opened to them for new grants, and they will benefit from streamlined processes designed to help them navigate through compliance requirements, legal complexities, business agreements and other hurdles that can impede the efficiency of their work.  The ultimate objective would be to affect positive change on the health of people and communities in the region and around the world.

The BMIA is a 501(c)3  formed by the MCA Foundation, also a 501(c)3.  The BMIA’s first board meeting took place in March. The institute is overseen by a five-member board, which is mostly comprised of MCA Foundation board members. The MCA Foundation expects to formally announce the launch of the BMIA later this year after the institute has its programs in place. Currently, the BMIA shares office space with the MCA Foundation in the Chase Tower, downtown El Paso.

BioMedical Institute of the Americas 

The longer view is that the TIRZ designation will encourage community revitalization and infrastructure improvements and, ultimately, serve as a catalyst for additional commercial, residential and industry development within the MCA.  Developments are expected to complement MCA efforts to develop a premier regional center for health delivery, education, and research.

MCA website  

Included in the meeting with Secretary Shinseki was J. Manuel de la Rosa, MD and Charles Miller, PhD. both from the medical school; as well as Robert Skov, Emma Schwartz and Noemi Rojas from the MCA Foundation.

[Pictured: Congressman Silvestre Reyes; J. Manuel de la Rosa, MD; Eric Shinseki; Emma Schwartz; and Charles Miller III, PhD.]  Image contributed by Claudia L. Ordaz of Congressman Reyes’ Office.

Shinseki’s briefing by the MCA and TTUHSC-El Paso is among a series of meetings that have taken place with national figures, including U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi earlier this year.

Reyes press release    

On May 27, the El Paso Inc. published a Q&A with Silvestre Reyes who talked about the future of El Paso’s VA medical center:

Q: El Paso is getting a new $1 billion Beaumont Hospital, but there will be no VA component included. What will become of the VA clinic at Beaumont and where will veterans and retirees receive VA services?

There’s three options: One is they can continue with the partnership and move to the new William Beaumont. Veterans don’t like that option because it’s kind of isolated on east Fort Bliss and hard to get to.

The second option is to remodel or rebuild the current William Beaumont to keep the veterans facility there. That is very expensive because that William Beaumont was built under Cold War standards, which means there will have to be a serious investment to bring it up to today’s standards.

Option No. 3 is to find another location. What the Medical Center of the Americas has offered is to be considered. They’ll provide the space for the new VA facility. It consolidates VA services under the MCA banner, which gives us future opportunities for research and development in the same place as the medical school.

El Paso Inc. 

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi gives undivided attention to the Paso del Norte and the MCA 
[originally posted Jan 16, 2012]

On Saturday, Jan. 14, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Silvestre Reyes were on the MCA campus to discuss national issues as it affects the Paso del Norte region in terms of healthcare delivery, graduate medical education funding and biosciences research and innovation.

Leader Pelosi met with Dr. Manuel de la Rosa of TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Woody Hunt of the MCA Foundation Board of Directors, Dr. Jose Luna of University Medical Center of El Paso Board of Managers, and Larry Duncan of the El Paso Children’s Hospital. Leader Pelosi also received information on UTEP, NMSU and William Beaumont Army Medical Center.

(Pictured: Dr. Manuel de la Rosa takes Leader Pelosi on a tour of the Medical Education Building.)

Before touring the medical school, the group briefed Pelosi for 45 minutes on the MCA and the region's goals for becoming a life sciences powerhouse and the challenges. During that meeting, Pelosi expressed appreciation for the region’s collaborative spirit and offered to help remove legislative barriers that stiffle the growth of this emerging  life sciences community.  She was aggressively supportive of the call for opposing graduate medical education cuts. She was also receptive to the message that the status of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine as a new school precludes the school from competing for national grants. She offered possible solutions for making adjustments in the language of legislation for new medical schools and leveling the grant playing field.

Leader Pelosi’s visit is among a series of visits to the MCA campus by national dignitaries since 2009, which is the year that the medical school opened with its first class, Thomason Hospital changed its name to University Medical Center, UTEP opened its Biosciences Research Building, and construction began on the El Paso Children’s Hospital.

Other visiting dignitaries have included Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Steny Hoyer in 2009, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Joe Straus in 2009, a group of officials from the National Institutes of Health in 2010, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in 2010, U.S. Senator from Texas John Cornyn in 2010, and U.S. Congressman from Texas Ciro Rodriguez in 2010.

Every visit has been a community-backed effort to impress upon high level government officials the region’s needs as a fast-emerging life sciences community. The MCA is moving toward becoming an important contributor to the nation in terms of healthcare services delivery, medical education and biosciences research that directly affects the country’s military, border and Hispanic populations.

Medical Center of the Americas

The Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) is an integrated complex of medical facilities currently anchored by University Medical Center of El Paso and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. The MCA is also site to the developing El Paso Children’s Hospital and a future biomedical research park. It is located in the international city of El Paso, Texas where two nations, three states (Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua) and the U.S. Army’s second largest installation converge. It has a combined population of 2 million consisting largely of Hispanics, military personnel and a substantial border community.

MCA Foundation

The  MCA Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to advance the development of the MCA campus and advance the Paso del Norte community research agenda.  The Foundation is the keeper of the vision to position the Paso del Norte region as the global leader of health delivery, education and research concentrating on issues unique to the Hispanic, border and military populations.
 
(Picture:  After touring the Medical Science Building, Leader Pelosi walks through the public art park of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Woody Hunt is on her right side. Dr. de la Rosa is on her left.)

“In order to be truly successful, the Paso del Norte region must distinguish itself from other biomedical clusters by coming together in a strong and meaningful collaboration,” said MCA’s President Emma Schwartz. “It is by the coming together of our regional communities that we will successfully launch this transformative effort call the Biomedical Institute of the Americas.”

The MCA Foundation plans to formally launch the Biomedical Institute of the Americas by the fall of 2012.  In the meanwhile, a call for logos is being issued regionwide by the MCA Foundation in the form of a Logo Design Contest. Winner will receive $1,000. Go to MCAmericas.org/bmia to learn more.

MCA Biomedical Institute of the Americas 

Infrastructure                 Programs                   Release          

    Subsets to the commercialization institute will be the establishment of a Proof of Concept Fund and a Clinical Research Organization. The Proof of Concept Fund will be available to start-up biotech companies that meet a defined set of qualifications. Each grant can be as high as $50,000 per company with a potential second grant at least one year later. The Clinical Research Organization will help launch and scale-up operations of a local clinical trials network.  The MCA Foundation will manage the network through education, cataloging providers’ specialty areas and their patient demography and case mix, and linking providers with clinical trials on a large scale. 

    The commercialization institute and the Proof of Concept Fund is projected to start in fiscal year 2013.  The CRO is projected to start in fiscal year 2012.

Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) website   

http://www.ivdtechnology.com/article/appeals-court-overturns-ruling-gene-patents

House Energy and Commerce Committee news release 

Commissioners Court will decide tax rate Sept. 26   (posted Aug. 12, 2011)

Commissioners Court is scheduled to decide whether to adopt UMC's proposed tax rate on Monday, September 26^th.

County commissioners will propose tax increase  (posted Aug. 19, 2011)

El Paso County Commissioners Court voted 4-0 to officially propose a 7.9 percent tax increase for the hospital district.  Next up will be two public hearings on the matter, which will take place at the County Courthouse:

Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 8:30 a.m.

Monday, Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. 

University Medical Center seeks tax increase  (posted Aug. 12, 2011)

In looking at its 2012 budget, UMC’s Board of Managers is asking El Paso County Commissioners Court to approve a 7.9 percent tax increase to help offset a projected $28 million deficit.  The tax will not close its budget gap, but it will generate $4 million in additional revenue. UMC will have to dip into its reserves to cover the rest and balance its books. Commissioners Court could take action on UMC’s request in September (next month).

If approved, the proposed tax rate of 19.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation would add $1.07 per months to the average homeowners’ property tax bill, or $12.84 a year, meaning the owner of a $125,000 home would pay $240.45 in hospital district taxes next year.

UMC’s budget deficit is the result of state lawmakers having decided earlier this year to shave $5 billion from the state’s Medicaid program. That means UMC’s payments for providing care to the poor will drop by $22 million a year beginning in September (next month). 

News article 

Governor’s plan could mean $15B in cuts, compromising healthcare  (posted Feb. 11, 2011)

In his “State of the State” address this week, Texas Governor Rick Perry declared that there will be “no sacred cows” in the budget battle to eliminate the state’s red ink. After his remarks, his office released his plan, proposing reductions in funding for public/higher education and Health and Human Service programs. Under the governor’s plan, the state’s funding for Medicaid will shrink by $5 billion. That reduction could be followed by a $10 billion loss of federal matching funds. It could reduce hospital payments by 20 to 30 percent. 

“As you might imagine, protecting Medicaid is one of UMC’s and El Paso County’s top priorities during this legislative session,” wrote James N. Valenti, president and CEO of University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC), in his weekly letter to the community. “An estimated 144,000 El Pasoans are enrolled in the program, including 23 percent of UMC’s patients.”

Valenti’s letter     

According to the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), the June 23rd passage of the House bill (H.R. 1249) brings the patent system into the 21st century, reducing frivolous litigation while creating a faster and more efficient process for the approval of patents.  All sides agree the U.S. patent office needs help as it faces a backlog of at least 700,000 applications and it takes on average three years to grant a patent.

House bill H.R. 1249   

News story                     Bingaman                     Reyes         

Texas senators on May 25 passed a bill that was amended to restore some money to the state's health sciences centers, which are set to lose millions of dollars in a proposed two-year budget. Under the amendment, Texas Tech's Paul L. Foster School of Medicine now faces a nearly $4 million cut, instead of the $13 million initially suggested by state lawmakers who are trying to close an up to $27 billion budget gap.

Dr. Jose Manuel de la Rosa, the school's founding dean, said he had not calculated how the lower number of cuts would affect the medical school; but, there would still be some employee positions that would be cut.

News article 

The Texas Tribune  

The Texas Tribune  

Article  

Article                   Opinion

Article

Article               Read background

S.B. 1020                

Key Legislators

All senator offices can be contacted via the email format:  FirstName.LastName@senate.state.tx.us.

House of Representative email format is FirstName.LastName@house.state.tx.us.

Senate Committee on Finance

Chair: Sen. Steve Ogden

Vice Chair: Sen. Juan Hinojosa

Members:

Sen. Bob Deuell

Sen. Robert Duncan

Sen. Kevin Eltife

Sen. Craig Estes

Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr.

Sen. Jane Nelson

Sen. Dan Patrick

Sen. Kel Seliger

Sen. Florence Shapiro

Sen. Royce West

Sen. John Whitmire

Sen. Tommy Williams

Sen. Judith Zaffirini

Subcommittee on Medicaid

Chair: Sen. Jane Nelson

Members:

Sen. Bob Deuell

Sen. Kevin Eltife

Sen. Juan Hinojosa

Sen. John Whitmire

Sen. Tommy Williams

Sen. Judith Zaffirini

Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

Chair:  Sen. Jane Nelson

Vice Chair: Sen. Bob Deuell

Members:

Sen. Joan Huffman

Sen. Robert Nichols

Sen. Dan Patrick

Sen. Jose R. Rodriguez

Sen. Carlos Uresti

Sen. Royce West

Sen. Judith Zaffirini

House Committee on Public Health

Chair:  Rep. Lois W. Kolkhorst

Vice Chair: Rep. Elliott Naishtat

Members:

Rep. Carol Alvarado

Rep. Garnet Coleman

Rep. Sarah Davis

Rep. Veronica Gonzales

Rep. Susan King

Rep. Jodie Laubenberg

Rep. Charles Schwertner

Rep. Vicki Truitt

Rep. John Zerwas

Kaiser Health News    

One piece of legislation that was approved along party lines and an accompanying non-binding resolution says that Texans do not have to buy health insurance, claiming the Affordable Care Act “infringes on the liberty of individuals” by mandating that all citizens and legal residents carry health insurance. Another bill that won passage in the Texas House this week would require state agencies to report on any activities associated with implementation of the Affordable Care Act. 

Meanwhile, Texas federal court lawsuits are still winding their way through the system with four cases having been decided. Two federal judges have sided with the government and two have said Congress overstepped its authority in passing an insurance mandate. Healthcare reform will continue to be on the Supreme Court’s docket. 

Houston Chronicle editorial            

Cuts to Medicaid has another group posturing. Frew, a class of plaintiffs who brought suit against the state nearly 20 years ago because of inadequate outreach to children who qualify but lack access to care under the Medicaid program, said they are watching legislative proceedings.

Meanwhile, on the mental health front, the Conference of Urban Counties has recently released studies on impact of mental health cuts. Key findings include:

-          Increased jail costs

-          Increased hospital emergency room costs

-          Increased demand for state hospital beds

To review the studies in detail, go to the El Paso Mental Health & Mental Retardation website at www.epmhmr.org.

Torres earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of New Mexico. Most recently, she worked at Rio Grande Medical Group in Las Cruces. Torres also served on the U.S. Mexico Border Health Commission until 2006 and was chairwoman of the New Mexico Border Health Council Advisory Committee for two years.

Release  

Valenti’s letter    

Texas Tribune       

MedPage Today

MedPage Today

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes supports Affordable Care Act

Congressman Reyes (D-TX) asserts that the “health insurance reform law is not only vital to the physical health of tens of thousands of people in our community, it’s also vital to our region’s long term economic health as well.”

Release

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn stands against Affordable Care Act

Senator Cornyn (R-TX) asserts that “One of the most perplexing things about this health care bill is the determination of the White House and the Democratic majority to shove this down the throat of the American people even though they’ve made it clear they don’t support this bill.”

Website

Release

Bloomberg News

Release

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Friday announced $130.8 million in grants to strengthen and expand the health professions workforce. Six areas are targeted: primary care workforce training, oral health workforce training, equipment to enhance training across the health professions, loan repayments for health professionals, health careers opportunity programs for disadvantaged students, and patient navigator outreach and chronic disease prevention in health disparity populations.

Release

Dallas News

El Paso Times

Lawmakers approved the Fiscal Year 2011 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which authorizes $300 million in new construction for Fort Bliss. That includes $147 million that will be used in the construction of the new William Beaumont Army Medical Center. There is also $1.16 million in planning and design funding for renewable energy projects at the post. The bill now awaits Senate passage.

Release                El Paso Times

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Fact sheet                     Executive order