Austin medical school closer to becoming reality, Sen. Watson says

The location of the medical school has been a point of curiosity since Watson announced his plan last fall. While he said no decision has been made, he referred to a couple of possibilities, including The University of Texas campus, the Mueller redevelopment near Airport Boulevard and Waterloo Park.

"Behind the nursing school [on the UT campus], there are some very expensive tennis courts," he joked.

Watson also spoke at length about the importance of public-private partnerships as a new "community-based" model to fund things such as a new teaching hospital—which is also part of his plan—and the new medical school.

Further, he mentioned the recent agreement between Central Health and Seton Healthcare Family—which committed $250 million for a new teaching hospital to replace the outdated University Medical Center Brackenridge located downtown at 601 E. 15th St.

"We need to do something with it," he said. "We need to keep it up. If you want to affiliate with a first-class medical school, something has to happen."

Under the agreement, Seton will pay for facility upkeep while Central Health, which owns the land, has pledged to try and secure federal dollars to help update UMBC.

Heidrick said Ascension Health, which oversees Seton, still must approve the agreement, and a vote is expected in the fall.

Watson said between now and September will be a key time to make more progress on his plan.

"The progress since last fall is enormous," he said. "I foresee more over the summer."