In 2050, the population could double what it is now to about 16 million. Planning for these new residents means planning for demands in health-related needs in the community, said Paul Umbach, founder and president of consulting firm Tripp Umbach, at a Flower Mound Town Council meeting on July 1.
Umbach, whose firm that has provided feasibility studies for new and existing medical schools nationally and globally, presented information about adding new academic health services in the town, including the construction of an academic-focused health science campus by 2030.
The background
At a September 2023 meeting, council approved a professional services agreement with Tripp Umbach to create a feasibility study aimed at expanding academic health sciences and clinical programs in Flower Mound. The purpose of the feasibility study is not only to attract an academic health science center but also to attract a clinical partner for a new academic facility, a council memo states. The location for the center and adjacent clinical partner is proposed at the intersection of FM 1171 and US 377, along the town's I-35W frontage road, the council agenda memo stated.
The details
At the meeting, Ray Watson, the town's economic development director, said the study began over a year ago with discussions about the need for an educational health sciences facility.
Texas Tech University was involved in the project from the beginning, Watson said. As part of this study, Umbach said his company communicated with a number of stakeholders, including business owners, Flower Mound council members, the chamber of commerce, Denton County, Lewisville ISD, the Furst Ranch development and three different health care groups.
Final results of the study will be shared with the health sciences center at Texas Tech to "hopefully" begin moving forward with some kind of project in the community, Watson added. The study is expected to be finished by the end of July.
Zooming in
In his presentation, Umbach said there’s a need for more health care professionals in the North Texas area to meet the demands of an increasing population. He added that 1 in 4 jobs created in the economy last year were in health care.
Other key takeaways from the study include:
- The supply of health science academic programs is insufficient to meet the demand.
- Multiple health science programs have a high market demand and a low supply.
- An academic health science center partnership must be created in Flower Mound to meet that demand.
