Growth spurt

Regents approve millions in HSC construction

A new Health Science Center clinic will be constructed in north San Antonio.

The UT System Board of Regents in August approved $19.5 million for the construction of the multiservices center, which will be located on Interstate 10 West near Ralph Fair Road. It will expand teaching venues for students and trainees, enhance clinical research and make UT Medicine, the academic medical practice of the School of Medicine, available to more people.

The 18,000-square-foot facility will include exam rooms, conference rooms, offices for physicians, waiting rooms and a full-service imaging center with MRI, CT scan and general X-ray facilities.

“This clinic will be located in a high-growth area with a demonstrated need for both quality primary care and subspecialty medical services,” said William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, president of the Health Science Center.

It is part of a clinical transformation plan that includes expanding and diversifying services of UT Medicine throughout San Antonio beyond the primary outpatient practice site, the Medical Arts & Research Center in the South Texas Medical Center. That facility is also slated to undergo a major clinical expansion this year.

The regents also approved $15 million to purchase and improve the Medical Centre Plaza building at 8431 Fredericksburg Road. The building will provide an additional 100,000 gross square feet of space to accommodate primarily administrative staff. The university had been leasing space in the building since 2006.

“The purchase will not only provide space for necessary expansion, but it will also generate cost savings of approximately $2 million a year,” Dr. Henrich said.

Tuition revenue bonds will be used to renovate other university buildings, many more than 40 years old. Updates will affect electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems, as well as security and safety, Dr. Henrich said.