Rebuild UTMB, Rebuild Galveston!
On the first anniversary of Hurricane Ike, we in the Galveston and UTMB communities would like to congratulate all those involved in recovery efforts.
We want the University of Texas to publicly commit to rebuilding UTMB on Galveston Island beginning with a firm commitment and timeline to build a new surgical tower as was planned even before Hurricane Ike.
We the undersigned would like to congratulate the University of Texas Medical Branch and Galveston Island's progress in the one year since Hurricane Ike. We believe the the UTMB has been at it's best when it has functioned as the "academic medical center with a soul" serving the underserved and the indigent with the highest quality of medical care. The institution has served Galvestonians, Gulf Coast residents, and Texans for over a century.
This year, the state of Texas has shown firm financial commitment for the rebuilding of UTMB giving hundreds of millions of dollars pending a financial commitment from Galveston County. Galveston County has now raised property taxes to support their indigent at or below 100% of the poverty line to pay for their care at the medical branch. It is now time for the regents to show their commitment.
We would like the University of Texas Board of Regents to publicly commit to rebuilding UTMB on Galveston Island beginning with a vitally-needed new surgical tower. The Board of Regents needs to immediately announce their timetable for construction which should not begin any later than 2011. The timeline should be open and public information to all Texans so we can be confident that the recovery of UTMB is on schedule.
Thank you for your time. We await your speedy response.
