"Texas as a whole is underserved by health care, and this part of South Texas is particularly underserved by health care," University of Texas System Chancellor James Milliken said. "And so the more we can do to provide training opportunities here and education opportunities, the better we can help create a future where there is more adequate health care services available."
According to Milliken, the expansion of the UT system encompasses the center and results in the collaboration between UT San Antonio, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the UTHealth Science Center at Houston. This will present the opportunity for more degrees, certificates and doctorates to be offered in Laredo in the health care field.
Students from Martin High School's Dr. Dennis D. Cantu Health Science Magnet School were present to witness the announcement and tour the facility. This was to facilitate an environment of asking questions and receiving answers by what may potentially be their higher education institution.
Between the ongoing needs of the state and the rising population in both Laredo and Texas, Milliken said the new center will equip the next generations to care for the local and statewide community.
Zaffirini said this is a new beginning, and despite strong opposition 30 years ago, a bill was passed in 1999 to establish the current center as an extension of the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. Moving forward, she said she would like to continue to see more programs and even greater expansions for the benefit of Laredo students, but ultimately she hopes joint degrees between A&M, UT and Mexican higher education institutions will become a reality.
On May 28, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott signed the establishment of the center by the UT system, giving Texas the power to overlook the center and mold it toward what is necessary. It also allowed the institution to provide undergraduate, graduate medical and dental education, including residency training programs and other levels of health education work in collaboration with any public institution of higher education. The bill went into effect Sept. 1.
Zaffirini said the recent expansion is a win-win situation for the community and UT. Local students will have access to some of the best educators in the state, and UT will have a larger presence and a living laboratory that is bicultural and bilingual.
Sen. Richard Raymond also attended and emphasized that more doctors are needed in the area, and it is important to prepare and educate the people of South Texas.
To do so, programs will be introduced and facilitated in Laredo. University of Texas at San Antonio President Dr. Taylor Eighmy said their offerings in Laredo will focus on public health with direct ties with local, regional and state workforce development efforts.
Four bilingual programs will be offered including a community health worker certificate program; a BS in multidisciplinary studies through health, sociology, communication and business; a BS in healthcare leadership multidisciplinary studies for students with associates degrees and held occupations; and a BS in social work. They will begin starting next year with some opening in the summer and others in the fall semester.
UT Health Science Center at Houston president Dr. Guiseppe Colasurdo introduced the School of Biomedical Informatics and elaborated on its impact as the first national program of its kind in the nation. The school focuses on multiple topics including data science, AI, clinical and health informatics, bioinformatics, and systems medicine.
He said that for students interested in working for major tech companies like Google and Apple, understanding how to apply AI will make them highly competitive in the field. There will be certificate, degree and doctorate programs for the field.
From UT Health San Antonio, a physician assistant program was launched in the summer that continues to develop new opportunities in research, dental education, dental care and memory care.
Current Physician Assistant Program student Kaleena Pickett said she has only been in Laredo for six months as part of the inaugural class, and she believes being trained in a medically underserved area will help her be more understanding, kind and compassionate.
A factor of being medically underserved is physician retention, and Pickett said retention differs from person to person. However, a percentage loan forgiveness would entice her to stay while she performs her rotations and is offered a job. This is in contrast to her colleagues who are native Laredoans and would stay in town as they have family in Laredo.
She continued to say that the experience in Laredo has been good, as there are a multitude of resources available like free clinic volunteer opportunities. And amid the pandemic, being health care students allows for more adaptability and flexibility in a sort of trial by fire the city had seen in the past two years.
Meanwhile, as students train to be the next generation of health care professionals, the collaboration will soon embark on a long-term study of COVID-19 infections that will see 200 locals enrolled for an in-depth study at the pandemic's impact.
Leading the UT Education and Research Center at Laredo is Executive Director Adriana Nunemaker, who said more health care programs will become available with time. As hospitals and clinics develop new needs or continue with previous ones — like a pediatric ICU — the center will look to fill those needs by bringing in new training programs.
She said that through the commitment by Zaffirini and Milliken, a foundation that will educate and build a new diverse workforce has been built. As the demand for trained health care professionals continues to grow, Nunemaker said the new campus will continue to lead outreach efforts and ultimately promote new buildings to continue the expansion.
"This will expand significantly the opportunities in Laredo and, in fact, we are very much looking forward to being joined today by a number of high school students, because we see this as a great opportunity to get the word out about health care professions and the kind of education training people can get in Laredo," Milliken said. "To stay here, train here and work here and serve the community — we think this is the beginning of a renaissance for this effort by the UT System, and we look forward to the future of Laredo."
©2021 the Laredo Morning Times (Laredo, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
