Target 2012: San Antonio Living Interview
Uploaded by UniversityHealthSys on 14.05.2010
Transcript:
SHELLY: University Health Systems. They’re stepping up their plan to bring some serious,
serious business to the San Antonio area. They’ve got some new plans beautiful buildings
and their gonna be providing something that we need right here in San Antonio. We’ll
tell you more in just a bit.
[rock intro music]
SHELLY: Welcome back to San Antonio Living. Healthcare. Always in the news and at some
point in your life, maybe more than once, you’re gonna be staying at a hospital here
in San Antonio. It may even be one that belongs to the University Health Systems, so you’ll
be glad to know the University Health System’s ready to make some pretty major upgrades,
right here, to better serve our community. And to tell us more, Leni Kirkman with University
Health System and Mark Webb, also with University Health System. Thank you so much for coming
today.
LENI: Oh thanks!
SHELLY: This is a big city. We cater to a lot of people in San Antonio. I could imagine
that there is gonna be a need at sometime to upgrade our health systems. Is that the
situation?
LENI: Oh, absolutely. You know, the two things that make University Health System unique
in our community is really the ownership. We know we’re the health system that’s
owned by the taxpayers in Bexar County. The other thing that makes us unique is our role
as the lead Level 1 Trauma Center. So when you think about University Hospital as the
place where if you’re seriously injured in a car crash or some other traumatic injury
and that’s where they’re gonna take you, and you think about that hospital was built
in 1968…um…and last expanded more than 25 years ago; San Antonio has grown a lot
over the last 25 years and so we really need to um… make sure that we’re prepared for
today and certainly prepared for the future in our growing community.
SHELLY: University Hospital. A great hospital. And I know that you have cutting edge technology
already. By expanding, how is that going to make that technology even better?
LENI: Well Mark, that’s a great question for you.
MARK: Sure. Out at the Medical Center we’re building a new state-of-the-art, uh, million
square foot hospital tower that’ll have, when completed, more than 400 new beds bringing
our total bed count up to over 700 beds. Um, included with that, a new state-of-the-art
emergency center. Currently our emergency center serves about 70,000 patients or 70,000
visits a year. It’s built for 35,000 and so we’re more than doubling the size to
accommodate that with new state-of-the-art equipment, new surgery suites, new trauma
center and the same thing downtown; although downtown’s an ambulatory center, there’re
no hospital beds…but new state-of-the-art clinics, new state-of-the-art diagnostic and
treatment facilities as well.
SHELLY: Wow. We’ve got some pictures of the project which is scheduled to start in
about 2012. And…
LENI: Um no, actually, that’s when the first of them will be completed.
SHELLY: Ooo, they’ll be finished in 2012?
LENI: Yeah!
SHELLY: That’ll be very nice!
MARK: Actually we’ve got some projects that’ll be starting before the end of the year. We’ve
got a temporary parking lot we’re building, an MRI relocation and then the heavy construction
on the new 3,000 plus, well the 3,000 plus space parking garage will start about spring
of next year. The new tower that was just up will start, uh, later next year and it
should be completed, uh–2013, the downtown clinic though, it will be complete before
the end of 2012.
SHELLY: So what kind of changes will people see when they come into the hospitals for
an emergency, for example? Wh–what will be different?
LENI: Well, a number of things. I think the first thing, and our main priority when this
planning started about four years ago, and um, it really was driven by the fact that
our wait times in our emergency room are–are really not, uh, where we need them to be;
and Mark hit the nail on the head. When you are double, seeing double the number of people
every single day than what you’re equipped to handle you–you really can’t do that,
um, efficiently and certainly within a timely manner. So that was the start of the whole
project and from there we looked at, not just the emergency center, because the real problem
is that we don’t have enough beds upstairs. So I think people, when–when this is all
done, particularly at the hospital, what they’ll see is that all of the beds in the hospital
will be, um, single patient rooms. That’s really important when you talk about privacy.
Um, when a doctor comes in to talk about what your problems are you don’t want somebody
else or somebody else’s family in there. It’s also important for infection control.
You know, we’re in the flu season everything going on right now. Your really don’t wanna
be in the same room and sharing facilities with somebody who may have something that
you might catch.
SHELLY: Now we’re showing a couple of different pictures, of different mock-ups, of rooms,
and the parking structure and some of the new facilities that you’re gonna be adding…absolutely
gorgeous. And it’s really gonna impact how we treat people here in San Antonio.
LENI: Well, that’s exactly right. We all, you know, nobody wants to go to the hospital
and so that’s really the first premise where we’re coming from. But if you have to be
in a hospital, you wanna be somewhere that’s comfortable and where you feel like you’re
gonna get really good care. And so we certainly, a–as you’ve said before, and we appreciate
that, really have the expertise because of our partnership with the UT Health Science
Center–some really amazing physicians, you know, world-renowned physicians in their areas,
and the nursing staff at University Health System…
MARK: Oh, it’s incredible!
LENI: …Is just incredible. So now we really need to bring the facilities up to par so
that you can get the best care in a setting that’s the most comfortable.
SHELLY: So while construction is going on it and–and you know, it–it’s tough to
get around San Antonio and the Medical Center for that matter as it is, is there a place
where people can go to get some more information on the different projects that are going on?
MARK: Sure.
SHELLY: …How to get their way?
MARK: You can go to the uh, University Health System Website to get more information about
the CIP, and also when you’re on the website you can sign up for the Target 2012 Newsletter
which goes out monthly. It’s an automatic e-mail and that’s a one-page update on where
we are with the project. But you’re right one of the things that we’ll work on–or
are currently working on from a planning standpoint is once we start construction from both locations
is how we get patients and visitors around the site while construction is going on.
SHELLY: So be patient, but good things will eventually come, and it’s really gonna change
how we see things here in San Antonio.
LENI: Absolutely.
SHELLY: Alright, so…construction underway right now and again, things are gonna start
changing in 2012 when we start to see all of these facilities opening and new things
happening within the University Health System and I do wanna give you the information so
you can find out a little bit more. UniversityHealthSystem.com is the website. You can go there and check
out all of the information on the Capital Improvement Program. Of course, University
Health System’s located on Medical Drive, phone number out there is 358-4000. Again
358-4000. Of course, all these changes going on to better serve the San Antonio community.
Thank you so much for coming by today.
serious business to the San Antonio area. They’ve got some new plans beautiful buildings
and their gonna be providing something that we need right here in San Antonio. We’ll
tell you more in just a bit.
[rock intro music]
SHELLY: Welcome back to San Antonio Living. Healthcare. Always in the news and at some
point in your life, maybe more than once, you’re gonna be staying at a hospital here
in San Antonio. It may even be one that belongs to the University Health Systems, so you’ll
be glad to know the University Health System’s ready to make some pretty major upgrades,
right here, to better serve our community. And to tell us more, Leni Kirkman with University
Health System and Mark Webb, also with University Health System. Thank you so much for coming
today.
LENI: Oh thanks!
SHELLY: This is a big city. We cater to a lot of people in San Antonio. I could imagine
that there is gonna be a need at sometime to upgrade our health systems. Is that the
situation?
LENI: Oh, absolutely. You know, the two things that make University Health System unique
in our community is really the ownership. We know we’re the health system that’s
owned by the taxpayers in Bexar County. The other thing that makes us unique is our role
as the lead Level 1 Trauma Center. So when you think about University Hospital as the
place where if you’re seriously injured in a car crash or some other traumatic injury
and that’s where they’re gonna take you, and you think about that hospital was built
in 1968…um…and last expanded more than 25 years ago; San Antonio has grown a lot
over the last 25 years and so we really need to um… make sure that we’re prepared for
today and certainly prepared for the future in our growing community.
SHELLY: University Hospital. A great hospital. And I know that you have cutting edge technology
already. By expanding, how is that going to make that technology even better?
LENI: Well Mark, that’s a great question for you.
MARK: Sure. Out at the Medical Center we’re building a new state-of-the-art, uh, million
square foot hospital tower that’ll have, when completed, more than 400 new beds bringing
our total bed count up to over 700 beds. Um, included with that, a new state-of-the-art
emergency center. Currently our emergency center serves about 70,000 patients or 70,000
visits a year. It’s built for 35,000 and so we’re more than doubling the size to
accommodate that with new state-of-the-art equipment, new surgery suites, new trauma
center and the same thing downtown; although downtown’s an ambulatory center, there’re
no hospital beds…but new state-of-the-art clinics, new state-of-the-art diagnostic and
treatment facilities as well.
SHELLY: Wow. We’ve got some pictures of the project which is scheduled to start in
about 2012. And…
LENI: Um no, actually, that’s when the first of them will be completed.
SHELLY: Ooo, they’ll be finished in 2012?
LENI: Yeah!
SHELLY: That’ll be very nice!
MARK: Actually we’ve got some projects that’ll be starting before the end of the year. We’ve
got a temporary parking lot we’re building, an MRI relocation and then the heavy construction
on the new 3,000 plus, well the 3,000 plus space parking garage will start about spring
of next year. The new tower that was just up will start, uh, later next year and it
should be completed, uh–2013, the downtown clinic though, it will be complete before
the end of 2012.
SHELLY: So what kind of changes will people see when they come into the hospitals for
an emergency, for example? Wh–what will be different?
LENI: Well, a number of things. I think the first thing, and our main priority when this
planning started about four years ago, and um, it really was driven by the fact that
our wait times in our emergency room are–are really not, uh, where we need them to be;
and Mark hit the nail on the head. When you are double, seeing double the number of people
every single day than what you’re equipped to handle you–you really can’t do that,
um, efficiently and certainly within a timely manner. So that was the start of the whole
project and from there we looked at, not just the emergency center, because the real problem
is that we don’t have enough beds upstairs. So I think people, when–when this is all
done, particularly at the hospital, what they’ll see is that all of the beds in the hospital
will be, um, single patient rooms. That’s really important when you talk about privacy.
Um, when a doctor comes in to talk about what your problems are you don’t want somebody
else or somebody else’s family in there. It’s also important for infection control.
You know, we’re in the flu season everything going on right now. Your really don’t wanna
be in the same room and sharing facilities with somebody who may have something that
you might catch.
SHELLY: Now we’re showing a couple of different pictures, of different mock-ups, of rooms,
and the parking structure and some of the new facilities that you’re gonna be adding…absolutely
gorgeous. And it’s really gonna impact how we treat people here in San Antonio.
LENI: Well, that’s exactly right. We all, you know, nobody wants to go to the hospital
and so that’s really the first premise where we’re coming from. But if you have to be
in a hospital, you wanna be somewhere that’s comfortable and where you feel like you’re
gonna get really good care. And so we certainly, a–as you’ve said before, and we appreciate
that, really have the expertise because of our partnership with the UT Health Science
Center–some really amazing physicians, you know, world-renowned physicians in their areas,
and the nursing staff at University Health System…
MARK: Oh, it’s incredible!
LENI: …Is just incredible. So now we really need to bring the facilities up to par so
that you can get the best care in a setting that’s the most comfortable.
SHELLY: So while construction is going on it and–and you know, it–it’s tough to
get around San Antonio and the Medical Center for that matter as it is, is there a place
where people can go to get some more information on the different projects that are going on?
MARK: Sure.
SHELLY: …How to get their way?
MARK: You can go to the uh, University Health System Website to get more information about
the CIP, and also when you’re on the website you can sign up for the Target 2012 Newsletter
which goes out monthly. It’s an automatic e-mail and that’s a one-page update on where
we are with the project. But you’re right one of the things that we’ll work on–or
are currently working on from a planning standpoint is once we start construction from both locations
is how we get patients and visitors around the site while construction is going on.
SHELLY: So be patient, but good things will eventually come, and it’s really gonna change
how we see things here in San Antonio.
LENI: Absolutely.
SHELLY: Alright, so…construction underway right now and again, things are gonna start
changing in 2012 when we start to see all of these facilities opening and new things
happening within the University Health System and I do wanna give you the information so
you can find out a little bit more. UniversityHealthSystem.com is the website. You can go there and check
out all of the information on the Capital Improvement Program. Of course, University
Health System’s located on Medical Drive, phone number out there is 358-4000. Again
358-4000. Of course, all these changes going on to better serve the San Antonio community.
Thank you so much for coming by today.