About a year from now the first students at The University of Texas Dell Medical School will begin their studies.
The creation of the medical school as well as a teaching hospital—inside what is known as the Medical District—coincide with plans outlined by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, as part of his “10 Goals in 10 Years” initiative. Officials plan to establish a nearby Innovation Zone in which private industry and health care startups can have access to the Medical District and possibly work hand-in-hand with partner organizations to spur further commercial and professional advances.
Dell Medical School Dean Dr. Clay Johnston said he thinks the creation of the Medical District and Innovation Zone will change Austin’s health care system and how the community receives care.
“Health care is not what we would like it to be today,” Johnston said. “We have this opportunity to start from scratch and try to build better health and health care for our community. That’s a mandate other schools don’t necessarily feel and one that they’re not as able to deliver because they’re all built on the old system of treat the sickest people … [or use the resources we have] to keep the population as healthy as possible.”
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Johnston said the health care industry must better focus on preventive care and the quality of care, even suggesting health professionals be paid based on the continued health of their patients.
Medical school anchor
Construction on the 515,000-square-foot Dell Medical School campus—the first and only medical school in Austin—will be completed in May 2016. Students of the program will gain hands-on experience at clinics throughout Austin that serve residents eligible for care through Travis County’s hospital district, Central Health. They will also work at Seton Healthcare Family’s new teaching hospital, which will take over services currently provided at University Medical Center Brackenridge. The teaching hospital will open in 2017 and will be called Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas. The facility will provide resources for those in need of care, including a trauma center, but it also will provide a resource for students who have advanced far enough in their training to gain hands-on patient experience, Johnston said. “You can’t just use pretend patients,” he said. “We actually do that, but at some point you have to transition [students] in a very supervised place and atmosphere teaching them how to actually do the job.” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said he sees Dell Medical School and the associated Innovation Zone as an advantage to the community in many ways. “I think it will become one of the most important assets and resources in the community on several levels,” Adler said. “I think it will have direct application to us being a healthier community. I think the merging of the health care that’s provided … and tech industry that we have, I’m hoping, will generate new and innovative ways of delivering health care and making health care accessible.”
The new Medical District and Innovation Zone will provide new jobs, including opportunities for the middle class that do not necessarily require a four-year degree, he said. The broader effort also gives Austin a greater global presence, Adler said, and attracts more talent from throughout the world.
Most patient treatment will occur at Dell Seton Medical Center, spokesperson Steven Taylor said. It is also where medical researchers can do bedside research and conduct trials of new procedures and medicines, he said.
“It’s an opportunity for the researchers and doctors to try new and innovative things to improve the care of patients,” Taylor said. “It’s also an opportunity for Central Texas to have the latest, greatest medical procedures first.”
