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TEXAS A&M Health Science Center Ready for Expansion
By REBECCA WATTS

“One of the primary reasons for building the center off-campus is discretionary income; plus, it gives the campus its own identity.”
- Dennis Goehring

Texas A&M Health Science Center is branching into Bryan in an effort to consolidate their scattered Bryan and College Station components. Brazos County won’t feel the impact of the move until the target date of 2010, but the benefits of the new HSC campus will be felt beyond its central location.

In 2006, the City of Bryan purchased 350 acres of land on the northeast side of Highway 47, an area labeled a growth corridor for both commercial and residential developments. The City of Bryan collaborated with other developers to exchange land and services for development rights in order to consolidate the 200 acres the city then gave to the HSC and The Texas A&M University System. About 150 acres of the land is dedicated for the construction of the HSC and its future expansions. The remaining 50 acres is planned to accommodate public and private commercial growth that will aid the HSC in its mission to improve the health of Texans.

Dr. Nancy Dickey, President of the HSC and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs for the Texas A&M University System, said the location of the new campus will allow continued projects and research with Texas A&M University. In addition, it will eliminate the communication difficulties now caused by the various HSC component locations and allow further collaboration between them.

Dickey added, “The gift of the land to the HSC and the A&M System made it possible to utilize available funds for bricks and mortar to allow occupancy of the campus at the soonest possible time.”

Construction of the HSC campus will take place in two phases over twenty-five years. The first phase includes the construction of the health professions education center, a clinical simulation center, research center and park, a central physical plant and administrative headquarters. The second phase includes an ambulatory clinical facility, student life facility, educational and research facilities, a center for faculty development and teaching, a conference center and additional academic programs and administrative offices. The first three buildings are targeted to open in 2010. Groundbreaking is scheduled for January 16, 2008.

The City of Bryan expects to integrate $138 million into the campus over the first phase of construction. The land, paid for from the city’s general fund, cost approximately $7 million to purchase. Joey Dunn, Assistant Manager for the City of Bryan, calls the area a critical mass of development.

In partnership with Traditions Club, Bryan Traditions, LP, and Intercap Investors, the city envisions a business park, hospital expansions, residential development, and a retirement community. Dunn said, “We definitely think that there’s a market for former students and it ties in nicely with Traditions’ marketing plan. Even before the HSC accepted the land, there was emphasis on retirement housing in that area of the community.”

As part of an ongoing relationship with Traditions Club, which Dennis Goehring, Bryan’s Economic Development Director, said has been a function of Bryan since the beginning, the remaining acreage around the HSC remains under the control of the City of Bryan and its development partners. It is dedicated to the development of residential housing and business related to the medical industry which Goehring said he foresees occupied by pharmaceutical and research companies.

In order to keep medical businesses in Bryan, the city is considering incentives. Dunn said Bryan has the types of policies that encourage the development of medical based businesses and some residential and commercial as well. Goehring said, “One of the primary reasons for building the center off-campus is discretionary income; plus, it gives the campus its own identity.”

Integrating both the private and public sectors into the HSC provides funding outside of the University. That money can then be released back into the medical school, creating an identity outside of Texas A&M which allows for better visibility and accessibility and further possibilities of outside partnerships both in and out of the Brazos Valley.

Brazos County residents will experience the benefits of enhanced healthcare, employment opportunities, tax revenue, and extensive residential and commercial development. “The campus development is good for a portion of the City of Bryan that has not seen explosive growth,” Dickey said, “and we expect that the new campus will serve a starter role for such growth.”

Goehring said the city has compiled comprehensive, detailed plans for protecting the environment so that development does not stagnate. Dickey explains that one of the reasons the Bryan location is ideal is because of the varied terrain and many trees contributing a comfortable campus atmosphere.
The City of Bryan is determined to ensure that all development compliments long-term growth that includes carefully planned streets, communities, businesses and utilities. “You’ve got to build today,” Goehring said, “but think about the next 25 years.” To accomplish this, the City of Bryan and the HSC are working closely to ensure that all development is in harmony with the vision of both partners.

The expansion of the campus allows the HSC to meet several of the goals defined three years ago in the HSC’s Pathway to Excellence 2015, a series of goals with a deadline four years from now. The added building space allows the HSC to meet the program’s goals to expand many of their programs including the HSC-College of Medicine and to add a four-year nursing program.

“The move will allow development of clinical services on or very near the campus in a fashion that would have been difficult if not impossible on the Texas A&M University campus. This means that clinical experience can be developed on or next to the campus,” Dickey said. Local physicians in addition to recruited clinical physicians employed by the HSC-College of Medicine will aid in this addition. The consolidation will combine medical, nursing, public health and pharmacy students into the same environment, similar to a working environment outside of college.

In addition to the expansion of the campus, the HSC will be adding new technology for students and researchers. Dr. Alicia Dorsey, Vice President for Communication and Program Development for the HSC-College Station, said the new research center allows for innovative and state-of-the-art equipment and design.

The Association of American Medical Colleges found that the return for investment in Health Science Centers averaged 8.5 times the investment. The HSC is predicting $1 billion in direct and indirect economic impact in the year 2010. The HSC currently spends over $48 million in salaries, wages and benefits for Bryan and College Station employees with $30 million estimated to be spent in the Brazos Valley. HSC estimates that with the new expansion and consolidation of the Bryan and College Station components that will double to $90 million, providing an additional $56 million for the Brazos Valley.

Brazos Valley residents have given the City of Bryan and the HSC-College Station positive feedback. “Feedback from the community has been 110% positive,” Goehring said.