South Texas Medical Center

From a humble dairy farm to a sprawling medical metropolis. That’s the story of the South Texas Medical Center. Imagine standing here in 1959. The land beneath your feet isn’t filled with cutting-edge hospitals and research facilities. It’s the Joe J. Nix Dairy Farm, a landscape of grazing cows, milking barns, and silos reaching for the sky. Then, Texas Governor Price Daniel signed House Bill 9. This bill created the South Texas Medical School, marking the beginning of an incredible transformation. The South Texas Medical Center, often called STMC, now spans an impressive 900 acres. It encompasses 45 medically related institutions. These include medical, dental, and nursing schools, five higher education institutions, twelve hospitals, and five specialty institutions. In total, the STMC offers over 4,200 patient beds. The growth didn’t stop there. In 2009, the South Texas Medical Center buzzed with over $350 million in construction projects. Even more ambitious plans were on the horizon, with over $1 billion slated for new construction through 2014. The South Texas Medical Center is a vital economic engine for San Antonio. In 2009, it directly employed nearly 28,000 people. Its combined budget reached a staggering $3.3 billion. This makes it the second largest employer in the San Antonio area. The STMC isn’t just about patient care. It’s a hub of groundbreaking research and development. The biosciences industry in San Antonio employs over 100,000 people, with much of the research concentrated in and around the South Texas Medical Center. This includes significant contributions to oncology research. Think of the world’s largest Phase I clinical trials program for new anti-cancer drugs. Picture the innovative $200 million Children’s Cancer Research Institute. The STMC also houses the world’s largest genomics computing cluster. It also holds the state’s public bank for stem cell-rich umbilical cord blood. The South Texas Medical Center is a testament to human ingenuity and the power of vision. It’s a place where medical breakthroughs happen every day, where lives are saved, and where the future of healthcare is being shaped.