Construction continues to transform UTMB campuses

The waves of construction activity that have punctuated the post-Hurricane Ike era on UTMB’s Galveston Campus—as well as new building on the growing League City Campus—are continuing to transform the institution for current and future generations of health care professionals in Southeast Texas.

“It’s an exciting time to be on UTMB’s campuses,” said Jacob Wolf, UTMB’s program director for capital projects. “Following on the success of the new Jennie Sealy Hospital and Clinical Services Wing, we are continuing to support the vision of the Best Care initiatives and institutional goals of delivering high-quality projects that improve research, education and health care delivery across UTMB.”

Here’s a closer look at some of the construction projects taking place across UTMB as of March 2017:

GALVESTON CAMPUS

1. Health Education Center: The site for the new HEC, at 11th and Market streets, is currently being readied for construction of the five story,162,000-square-foot facility that will serve as the centerpiece of UTMB’s educational future. It represents the largest and most dramatic addition to the institution’s educational infrastructure in many years and is slated for occupancy in May 2019.
2. Building 17E: This 90,500 square-foot facility will further ensure UTMB’s standing as a world-class research enterprise and provides the organization with state-of-the-art facilities that are resilient and support the university’s strategic mission. Expected completion is August 2017.
3. John Sealy Hospital modernization: The second phase of the hospital’s modernization includes updating the façade of the towers to make them look similar to Jennie Sealy Hospital, complete with gleaming glass running the building’s length and new brick to match the hue of the newest arrival to the Galveston campus. In addition to a revamped appearance, patient rooms in the two towers will be expanded to 345 square feet and will be completely remodeled—from the floors to the ceilings and wall coverings—and the infrastructure updated to support the latest technological advances. The modernization project is slated for completion in early 2020.
4. Waverley Smith Pavilion Renovation: The project that will connect Jennie Sealy Hospital and the Clinical Services Wing (CSW) to John Sealy Hospital, Café on the Court and the Hospital Parking Garage is scheduled for completion in July.Heart and Vascular Center: Construction of a new family-centered Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology suite is slated to open on the sixth floor of UTMB’s Jennie Sealy Hospital in July 2018.

LEAGUE CITY CAMPUS

1. Collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center: MD Anderson is leasing property on the League City Campus, where it is constructing a $110 million, 190,000-square-foot full-service outpatient cancer center. This collaborative effort will allow both institutions to expand access to advanced health care services by taking full advantage of MD Anderson’s internationally recognized expertise in cancer care and clinical research; the investments UTMB has made in its League City Campus and surrounding clinics; and UTMB’s extensive network of primary and specialty care providers throughout the region. The center is set to open in May 2018.
2. Parking structure and multi-use building: A new 700-car parking garage and 33,000-square-foot clinical building to further support the growth of the League City Campus is set for completion in May 2018.
3. League City Campus Hospital Phase 2 expansion: As part of the master plan for the hospital, which opened in June 2016, an additional 123,000 square feet will be added to the facility to accommodate new patient rooms and related services to continue to serve the fastest-growing population center in Galveston County.