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At the Center of it AllProposed BCM Hospital and Baylor Clinic Site in the TMC Mid-Campusby Ron Gilmore There was a time when the geographical center of the Texas Medical Center was a grove of live oaks near a slow-running slough. My, how times have changed. Today that central point has migrated some two miles to the southeast to a plot of land that contains a vacant apartment complex where Baylor College of Medicine has plans to build an integrated hospital and clinic. From the TMC's inception in the 1940s, Baylor College of Medicine has always served as a hub for this near-megalopolis, providing the very engine that drives the development of a world-respected conglomeration of health and science institutions. Today, it continues to be at the core. "The subject matter of a university hospital is extremely important. It has created a lot of heated discussion. There are very strong opinions, in fact, both ways, and you have experience on both sides that supports both points of view. But when you get down to the basic aspects of this... the advantage With Baylor College of Medicine's plans to build its own hospital and integrate it with the Baylor Clinic, it remains ever more so at the heart of the TMC—both geographically and scientifically. Approved unanimously by the BCM Board of Trustees at their September 25 meeting was a resolution that quite literally "sets the course for the future of Baylor College of Medicine in adult clinical medicine." 
A southward view indicating the hospital site. The fact is that Baylor, as the nation's No. 10 medical school (U.S. News & World Report, 2006), is the only medical school among the country's top 20 that does not have a relationship with an adult private teaching hospital that meets the criteria of the Association of American Medical Colleges for an academic medical center. The AAMC defines academic medical center as the following:
"Fundamentally, this is a decision about our vision of the future," said Robert H. Allen, BCM Board of Trustees chair. "We are the 10th-ranked medical school in the nation and have been an intellectual engine in the Texas Medical Center and Houston for over 50 years. We are positioned to achieve our vision of being ranked among the top five medical schools and being the destination for health-related education, biomedical research and superior health care." Allen believes that in order to fulfill this vision, it is necessary for Baylor to have a strong private adult teaching hospital which will provide a "unique resource for adult health care in Houston and bring considerable research to patient care while putting the patient first and providing a foundation for collaborative programs with other institutions." The creation of an integrated Baylor hospital and clinic is aligned with the BCM strategic plan which calls for collaboration between TMC institutions. "Having a Baylor hospital and clinic will not deter that goal," said Allen. "In fact, it will give us the stability and strength to be an even better collaborator." "The Board's decision allows us the opportunity to develop this strategic plan that will enhance the excellent programs already in place at BCM and in our eight affiliated teaching hospitals," said Dr. Peter G. Traber, BCM president and CEO. "Collaboration will, of course, continue to be an extremely important part of our mission." Traber added that the new facility will "provide a home for our faculty, establish control and stability of our programs, and provide a workshop for translating science into medical innovations. "Our science will drive future innovations and attract patients. The BCM Board recognizes the incredible value of our strong foundation of basic science and the crucial importance of continuing to support research while expanding clinical science." The Baylor Clinic, opened in June 2005 and located at 6620 Main Street, is operating with a positive margin—nearly a year ahead of projections. Plans could call for the Clinic to relocate to the Parkwood Apartment site to be incorporated into a new BCM campus that includes the hospital. The 35-acre tract of land has been owned by the College since 1988 and has been identified as a possible site for the hospital and clinic. The property is located adjacent to the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and is bordered by Old Spanish Trail, Wyndale St., Cambridge St. and the TMC-owned property along Avenue G in an area that the TMC has designated the "mid-campus." Vision for BCM Hospital And Baylor Clinic
Tomorrow's Medicine Today
Patients First
Inclusive and Collaborative Model
Global Health Network
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Patient CareHealthy Living for a Thousand, Alex ResearchFighting Obesity one Molecule at a Time Doctors are from Jupiter, Patients are from Saturn EducationA Lot's Changed in 40 Years... Sort Of Community ServiceAlumni & DevelopmentBuilding BCM and Biochemistry History Following Father's Bedside Manner More than a Street Sign: Advocates for Medicine College NewsAn Artist in the Medical Arena
Educating the Next Generation of Leaders
– Dr. William T. Butler, Chancellor Emeritus, on the purchase of the Parkwood site in 1988.
– Dr. Charles Brunicardi, Chair of Surgery
– Dr. Joseph Coselli, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery, Texas Heart Institute
– Dr. Bert O'Malley, Chair of Molecular and Cellular Biology
– Ed Tucker, Director, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center
– Dr. Stephen Spann, Chair of Family and Community Medicine |
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Volume 2, Issue 3, Fall 2006 |
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| Last modified: December 21, 2006 |
"The property was strategically located. It was the largest tract of land near the medical center. Further, we had just nearly finished developing the central core campus of Baylor, and I was beginning to feel that the College was getting land locked and we should be looking to the future."
"We are getting referrals locally, regionally, nationally and inter-nationally because the surgeons excel at what they do. So, I believe wherever the Baylor doctors move, the practices will follow them."
"It is absolutely critical to the mission of Baylor College of Medicine in its role as educator, prominent site for research, as well as adult clinical care, that we have a marquee adult hospital. I think that the need for that is so critical, it's really beyond debate."
"Baylor... has moved from the middle of the pack of U.S. medical schools to the top 10 through developing fundamental science. Now, if we can translate that into applications to medicine, we are going to move quickly up to the top five. This will create a medicine juggernaut that is really unbeatable."
"I think it would be a wonderful addition to this part of the campus and I think it would even further strengthen the already strong relationship that we have with Baylor College of Medicine." 
"I believe having our own campus, our own hospital and clinic—really operating as one unified entity—will allow us to deliver the highest quality of care, allow us to best educate our medical students. It will really be an opportunity to do excellent clinical translational research—an opportunity we have not had before. We will in a sense be in control of our own destiny."