Texas Legislature Approves Valley Med School
South Texas legislators Rep. Eddie Lucio (D-San Benito), Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen), Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) and others are to be congratulated on the passage of legislation in the Texas House and Senate which sets in motion the creation of The University of Texas Health Science Center-South Texas which will house a medical school and other professional medical degree programs in the Rio Grande Valley.
The legislation creating the medical school in a tough year for new projects given the economy and budget problems was enabled by the representatives and senators from South Texas agreeing to support a new law school in Dallas at the University of North Texas in return for which they received support for a South Texas medical school.
The new system will operate under the University of Texas System Board of Regents and thus will be affiliated with the systems other institutions in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The Lower Rio Grande Valley Academic Health Center will be absorbed into the new system. This creates the entity which can now start to plan the medical school, hospital affiliations, arrange funding including bonds and donations.
The main campus and administrative offices must be located in Cameron County but allows facilities in Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Kleberg, Starr, Willacy, and Zapata Counties to operate programs and services as a part of the health science center.
The board of regents have the authority to designate a teaching hospital either public or private however the bill specifically states that the hospital may not be constructed, maintained, or operated with state funds.
This is an important step forward for the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas which will not only serve to improve the quality of health services but also no doubt as a stimulus to the local economy. The presence of a top notch medical education facility will bring not only a higher quality of care to the South Texas community but will also foster the development of specialized services much closer to home for those with special medical needs like children, cancer treatment, and Veterans.
Several studies of Veteran’s health care quality have shown that an affiliation with a medical school vs. a stand alone facility has consistently resulted in better outcomes for America’s veterans. This increases the chance of the eventual establishment of Veteran’s Hospital in South Texas.
This is only a beginning and the now the community will need to roll up their sleeves. The local community governments, civic organizations, and hospitals will need to work cooperatively with the goal of what is best for the whole community in turning this dream into reality. Inevitably there will be some conflicts about locations, affiliations, and contracts.
This is an important step in the Rio Grande Valley rightly taking its place at the table of the other major metropolitan areas of Texas. Lets make sure our civic leaders leave behind pettiness and work together. The passage of the bill does not guarantee that the medical school will come true but instead requires much still to be done and needing the full cooperation of the local community.
Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review. Follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/contempomagazin
