With $1 billion in infrastructure expansions underway, UT Health San Antonio is on a historic growth trajectory, shaping the future of health care for the region and positioning the institution as an essential force for improving human health for generations to come

 

UT Health San Antonio is in the midst of significant transformation, evolving from a premier provider of outpatient care to an integrated health care delivery system that will soon include inpatient services at the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, opening this December.

The new hospital will enhance the institution’s continuum of care, allowing for better integration and alignment with established outpatient programs, such as Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. This evolution of care is driven in large part by the rapid growth in health care demands within the surrounding community.

Part of the $1 billion in capital investments in support of UT Health San Antonio patient care expansion over the next several years is construction of a $100 million Center for Brain Health. The new facility, which will connect by an enclosed corridor to the UT Health Medical Arts and Research Center, will advance comprehensive brain health research and provide innovative expert care for patients with a wide variety of neurodegenerative diseases, movement disorders and complex neurologic conditions.

With a projected opening of December 2025, the facility will also provide a home to the institution’s many brain health experts and initiatives that serve the growing need for neurological care in the region. Among them: the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

According to Sudha Seshadri, MD, professor of neurology and founding director of the Biggs Institute, the center’s research efforts will benefit from significant recruitment of Hispanics into clinical trials, expanding the nation’s understanding of how brain-related diseases specifically affect what is already the predominant population demographic across South Texas.

The center will also serve as a training venue for medical residents and postgraduate trainees, ensuring the future of sustained neurological care for the community.

The Center for Brain Health will include:

  • 75 exam rooms
  • 50 faculty offices
  • 12-chair non-oncology infusion center
  • Outpatient pharmacy
  • Dedicated space for research

 

Among other new patient care developments: an institute on substance use and related disorders, state-of-the-art patient care technology, a specialty care clinic to provide comprehensive dental care for adults and children with complex medical conditions and the opening of a new outpatient and surgery center.

 

A commitment to substance use treatment

In April 2023, UT Health San Antonio celebrated the grand opening of the 20,000-square-foot Be Well Texas facility, a hub for providing substance use treatment services across the state, where one in 10 people have a substance use disorder but not everyone has the same access to care.

Photo of the front of the Be Well Texas facilityBe Well Texas offers comprehensive treatment and recovery support for substance use and Mental health services, regardless of ability to pay. In addition to its in-person and statewide telehealth clinical operation, the program coordinates a network of providers treating for opioid and other substance use and providing recovery support services. It brings together addiction medicine specialists, behavioral health experts, researchers and staff members with lived experience in addiction recovery to collaborate and expand access to care statewide.

“We started these programs to provide equitable access to compassionate, evidence-based programs for substance use disorder and people who are using substances,” said Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH, executive director of Be Well Texas.

Potter is also UT Health San Antonio’s vice president for research and founding director of its Be Well Institute on Substance Use and Related Disorders, a pioneering initiative established earlier this year as a center of excellence with national scope for research, clinical and public health programs, and education and community engagement to advance the field addressing addiction and related conditions. It is home to Be Well Texas.

The institute marks a significant milestone in UT Health San Antonio’s commitment to addressing the complex challenges posed by substance use. With more than $50 million in National Institutes of Health, state and other federal funding annually, the Be Well Institute works as a highly integrated and collaborative center across the university and represents a comprehensive framework and programming for advancing the understanding and treatment of substance use disorders.

With support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network and other Federal funding, the work of the institute encompasses research, medical interventions and evidence-based treatments, psychological therapies, social and peer support, counseling on lifestyle changes, follow-up care, and provider training and education as well as many community outreach and educational initiatives.

UT Health San Antonio faculty are likewise at the forefront of addressing substance use issues statewide, including establishing treatment networks, workforce development initiatives and distribution of life-saving naloxone to traditional and nontraditional first responders.

Collectively, what is available at UT Health San Antonio is unique in Texas and ready to be expanded nationally, said Potter.

“The launch of the Be Well Institute heralds a new era of collaboration and innovation in the field of substance use research and care,” she said. “Stakeholders from across the academic, health care and public sectors are encouraged to join us in this vital endeavor as we strive to improve the lives of individuals and communities affected by substance use disorders.”

 

Better care through technology

Photo of a hospital robot attendant

Preparation for opening the new UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital this December has included equipping the facility with technologies to enhance patient comfort and make care more efficient.

Among the advanced features found within will be beds that can reposition a patient without the assistance of a nurse and alert staff if a patient is at risk for falling or attempts to leave their bed.

Virtual nursing is another key feature of patient rooms, where each large-screen monitor serves not only as a television, but also has a microphone and camera so the patient can interact with care providers.

Robots will also roam the hospital’s halls, delivering bottled water, specimens to labs or medications from the pharmacy to nursing units.

Technology is even embedded within the Tom C. Frost Skybridge, completed earlier this year, allowing for lab samples to be delivered quickly and securely between the hospital and the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. The skybridge likewise provides a seamless and vital pathway for patients, providers and caregivers to move easily between facilities.

 

Serving dental patients with special needs

In February, UT Health San Antonio’s School of Dentistry opened its Phil and Karen Hunke Special Care Clinic to provide comprehensive dental care for adults and children with intellectual, developmental, cognitive or physical disabilities, and those with complex medical conditions.

The clinic was purposely designed for individuals with mobility challenges. From arrival to departure, patients and their caregivers find wide corridors outfitted with hand railings and wheelchair bumpers. Each treatmentPhoto of ribbon cutting of Phil and Karen Hunke Special Care Clinic room features adjustable lighting, sound-dampening walls, large screens and sliding barn doors. A multi-sensory room known as the “Zen Den” offers patients a tranquil space to alleviate anxiety and take a break during treatment if needed.

In addition to the specific focus on patient comfort, the clinic provides opportunities for dental and dental hygiene students and residents to gain invaluable experience by rotating through the special care clinic. Under the guidance of experienced faculty members, students can learn firsthand how to tailor dental care to meet the unique needs of each patient.

Specialized continuing education programs are also being developed by the school for practicing dentists. The sessions will provide dentists with advanced techniques, best practices and strategies for addressing the unique needs of those with disabilities and medically complex conditions, enhancing their ability to deliver high-quality oral health care for all patients.

 

Newest outpatient location opensIllustration of UT Health Outpatient and Surgery Center at Kyle Seale Parkway

In March, UT Health San Antonio opened its UT Health Outpatient and Surgery Center at Kyle Seale Parkway. The five-story, 108,000-squarefoot community medical facility includes primary care and a range of specialty practices. Patients also have access to the latest in diagnostic laboratory testing and convenient imaging services. The location includes an ambulatory surgery center with state-of-the-art operating suites and spacious pre-op and recovery rooms. Learn more at UTHealthCare.org/KSP.

 

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