Rodríguez: Texas Tech decision to approve nursing school building pushes MCA vision forward

The Texas Tech University System Regents today approved construction of a building on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso campus to house the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing’s Traditional Bachelor of Science Degree and Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Senator José Rodríguez issued the following statement in response:

“I commend the Texas Tech regents and Chancellor Hance for their vision and support of the important partnership between El Paso and Texas Tech. This is just the latest step toward building what Chancellor Hance said yesterday in a meeting with El Paso legislators will become the greatest medical complex between Los Angeles and Houston.

“It’s also important to note the investment by El Paso in the form of the $11 million gift from the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation, as well as the continued efforts community leaders to make our shared vision a reality.

“This is a critical step in developing the campus of the Medical Center of the Americas. Next on our agenda is to obtain approval in the coming Legislative session to designate the medical school as a university health science center, which will give us more local control over funding and programs.”

The text of the press release from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is as follows:

Texas Tech University System Regents Approve Construction of El Paso Nursing Building
The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and Chancellor Kent Hance today (Aug. 10) approved construction of a building on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso campus to house the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing’s Traditional Bachelor of Science Degree and Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs.

When fully operational, the two pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs will admit up to 160 students in El Paso per year, by permission of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

“TTUHSC has worked diligently to improve border health care education in El Paso,” said Josefina Lujan, Ph.D., R.N., interim dean of the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing. “The Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing currently has 66 students enrolled, and we expect this to grow to 300 students by 2015.”

The new nursing facility will be funded in part by an $11 million gift from the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps promote growth of the region’s long-envisioned medical hub, known as the Medical Center of the Americas. The grant is a portion of the allocation of the City of El Paso’s Impact Fund.

“The potential exists in El Paso for us to make great strides in educating future nurses and other health care professionals here and in the rest of the state,” Hance said. “We appreciate the unwavering support of the El Paso community in helping us accomplish this goal.”

The Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing is currently operating on leased space in downtown El Paso. The 25,000-square-foot building will contain classrooms, specialized labs, faculty offices, support space, specialized training equipment and public art.

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