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Gov. Greg Abbott helped the University of Texas (UT) System Board of Regents on Aug. 14 deliver an announcement of a partnership between UT Austin, the flagship campus, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to construct a new campus hospital in the state capital, according to a press release.
“The State of Texas has been on a mission to use higher education to expand access to health care, and today marks a giant step toward achieving our goals,” Abbott said. “UT MD Anderson Cancer Center is ranked No. 1 for cancer care in America, with people across the world traveling to Houston to access care. But rather than having Texans travel to MD Anderson in Houston, we will now bring the world’s best treatment to them.”
According to the release, the governor said that the hospital will serve Central Texans who are diagnosed with cancer.
“The key to building sustainable communities is a healthcare infrastructure that can meet the needs of a booming population,” Abbott said. “UT Austin and MD Anderson will help us meet those needs. The Texas of tomorrow will be shaped by what UT Austin and MD Anderson are building here today.”
Austin ABC affiliate KVUE Channel 24 reports that the demolition of the Frank Erwin Center, the former venue of the UT Longhorns men’s and women’s basketball teams, gave way to the project. The station reports the hospital, which will be known as the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, will begin with two new towers, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a UT Austin hospital.
Per the governor’s release, UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, UT System Chancellor James Milliken, UT Austin President Dr. Jay Hartzell, Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs for Dell Medical School at UT Austin Dr. Claudia F. Lucchinetti and MD Anderson Cancer Center President Dr. Peter Pisters were in attendance.