AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Regents today granted the Hurricane Ike-ravaged University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston a reprieve, if the Legislature provides the cash.
UTMB leaders presented UT System regents in Austin with a plan to rebuild and renovate the island-based facilities of the medical school.
The goal — over time — is to restore the complex to its pre-Ike capacity of 550 beds. But the plan hinges on about $300 million from the state, along
with federal funding and insurance.
The Sept. 13 hurricane caused about $1 billion in damage to the school, of which $100 million is covered by insurance.
UTMB President Dr. David Callender told regents the public hospital now sees almost as many outpatients as it did before the storm — but doesn’t have enough inpatient beds.
He says the lack of an emergency room is keenly felt in Galveston and at nearby hospitals.