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Firm Unveils Options for Clinical Operational Plan for UTMB; Public to Offer Feedback to Task Force at Feb. 20 Town Hall Meeting in Galveston

AUSTIN – A consulting firm tasked with recommending a plan to optimize clinical operations at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston today (Feb. 11) presented several options to The University of Texas System Board of Regents. 

The proposals and an executive summary, developed by Kurt Salmon Associates, a nationally-acclaimed healthcare consulting firm based in Atlanta, can be viewed here: Report and Executive Summary.

The firm’s recommendations will be reviewed by the Board of Regents and UT System and UTMB leadership. A UT System Regents’ special task force, created last week by Chairman H. Scott Caven, Jr., will hear public comments on Friday, Feb. 20 on the findings of the consultant’s report. The task force is comprised of Regents’ Vice Chairman James R. Huffines of Austin, Regent Colleen McHugh of Corpus Christi and Regent Janiece Longoria of Houston. Regent McHugh, who is chairman of the Board’s Health Affairs Committee, will chair the task force hearing.

Following the Kurt Salmon Associates presentation at today’s meeting, Caven urged the UTMB community and the general public to review the report and provide feedback, either at the town hall meeting in Galveston on Feb. 20 or by submitting written comments to the UT System.

“We look forward to hearing and reviewing feedback on the report, which, taken collectively with the recommendations outlined by Kurt Salmon Associates, will greatly assist our efforts in defining a viable clinical model for UTMB,” Caven said. “There are no preconceived outcomes and the Board firmly believes this process represents a robust effort for restoring UTMB and providing a successful model that will ensure its vibrancy in the region for generations to come.” 

The town hall meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Galveston at the Moody Gardens Convention Center, Expo A, first floor, located at Seven Hope Boulevard. Parking will be available at the convention center. The task force hearing will also be webcast and available for viewing here. A live stream of the webcast will be shown in Levin Hall on the UTMB campus.

A dedicated e-mail address (taskforce@utsystem.edu) has been established for individuals to submit feedback on the report. Written comments will be submitted to the task force.

The session is expected to last approximately three hours, adjourning at 12:30 p.m. The sole purpose of the town hall meeting is for the task force members to receive feedback on the Kurt Salmon Associates report. 

Individuals interested in addressing the task force regarding the recommendations developed by Kurt Salmon Associates must register in writing no later than Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 5 p.m. To register, please send your name and contact information to the task force e-mail address (taskforce@utsystem.edu) or by U.S. mail to the Office of Public Affairs, UTMB, Attn: Task Force, 301 University Blvd., 3.102 Administration Bldg., Galveston, TX, 77555-0144. 

Additional information concerning guidelines for addressing the task force is available online

Regents last November hired Kurt Salmon Associates to develop a successful clinical model for UTMB after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike in September. UTMB continues to recover from the storm, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. The institution’s educational and research enterprises have resumed, while clinical operations, which were severely impacted by the hurricane, continue to be restored.