Synapse - Life Sciences News Digest of the Medical center of the americas

On April 24, it was announced that Sundt had completed a $48 million heavy civil construction project at Fort Bliss Army Post, in El Paso, Texas. The project involved extensive infrastructure and site development work for the new William Beaumont Army Medical Center. The aggressive, 360-day schedule included fencing the entire 320-acre site, installing wet and dry utilities, concrete paving, building an electrical substation for the hospital, and constructing a 300-foot-long precast concrete bridge and an on/off ramp to connect... [more]

     Investors on Wall Street snatched up UMC’s tax free bonds the week of May 5th. All $255 million sold out in an hour and forty-five minutes. Part of the transaction involved a refinancing of previously issued Hospital District bonds. 

     “We had projected that the move would save local taxpayers about $7 million,” said UMC President and CEO Jim Valenti in a recent UMC newsletter. “But the interest rate at the time of the sale was even lower than originally... [more]

In February, William Beaumont Army Medical Center had planned to open its long-anticipated Rio Bravo Medical Home, an off-post medical clinic to be located at 10460 Vista Del Sol, in part of the Del Sol Medical Center complex in East El Paso.  The El Paso Times reported recently that the project has had some construction delays and is now scheduled to open in the summer.  Until then, families will need to travel to Fort... [more]

The El Paso Times published a front page story Mar. 8 featuring plans by the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation to build a $25 million research building and biomedical company incubator on the MCA campus in Central El Paso. Construction on the four-story, 80,000-square-foot building is slated to start next year along Interstate 10, near Colfax Street. The building will be the first to go up on the 13-acre MCA research park, nicknamed MCA Tech Park. March 21st... [more]

     Clark McCarthy Healthcare Partners II recently won a $649 million contract to build the new William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss. However, the joint venture of Clark Construction Group of Bethesda, Md., and McCarthy Building Companies of St. Louis, won't be able to proceed with the contract yet because two other joint ventures are protesting the award, according to an El Paso Times report.  A decision on the protest is expected by May.

     Almost $960 million was... [more]

Memorial Medical Center of Las Cruces held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 11 for Prompt Care and Quick Lab at 3030 W. Picacho Ave. The grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 4.  Meanwhile, a new Ben Archer medical facility is under construction on nearby Motel Boulevard.

Sun News        

West Las Cruces may soon have a health care corridor   [originally posted May 2, 2012]

Several health care facilities are moving into the Picacho Avenue area in west Las... [more]

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso will be moving some of its staff into the historic Albert Fall Mansion, condemned in 2006 and restored by the city. If approved this week by City Council, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing administrative staff and the health sciences center’s communications and marketing department – about 20 employees total – would move next month. The move is temporary, yet necessary for the construction of the nursing school’s new building,... [more]

On Sept. 13, the El Paso Times reported on a $67 million expansion being initiated two years ahead of schedule by Sierra Providence East Medical Center. The hospital will add a four-story tower that will add 30 surgical beds and 30 medical beds. Plans also include a 12-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit. Additionally, the hospital will enlarge its existing patient tower and emergency department. The emergency room will increase from 21 to 31 beds. Construction is expected to begin in... [more]

Las Cruces officials on July 12 held a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction on a $2 million facility — the first of its kind in New Mexico — meant to help Doña Ana County's mentally ill residents.  County Commission Chairwoman Karen Perez and Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima were among the public officials who turned shovels of dirt.  The 5,800-square-foot building is on the southeast corner of the county jail's campus and may be finished around February or... [more]

Ground was recently broken for the New Mexico Consortium's new biological research facility in Los Alamos, N.M., where New Mexico State University researchers, collaborating with consortium scientists, can assist with various projects including those related to renewable fuels. The New Mexico Consortium, or NMC, is a nonprofit organization that coordinates large interdisciplinary research projects between NMSU, the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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