Regional Academic Health Center:What it is and Where it is going
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RAHC Sites
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Harlingen |
We have all read in the newspapers and heard on television about the newly created Regional Academic Health Center—or RAHC. Following are some key questions about the status of this medical education and research program that will have such a beneficial impact on the South Texas/Border Region. What is RAHC?The Texas Legislature used the term “Regional Academic Health Center” in a law which authorized The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System to establish a medical education and research program serving Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy Counties. The Legislature specified that, together with a community teaching hospital, the RAHC “may be used to provide undergraduate clinical education, graduate education, including residency training programs, or other levels of medical education.” As authorized in the law, the Regents assigned management of the RAHC’s programs to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, with the exception of public health initiatives, which will be the responsibility of The University of Texas School of Public Health-Houston. What is the relationship between the RAHC and the Health Science Center’s Medical School?The RAHC will be an outreach effort of the Medical School in San Antonio, not a semi-independent or stand-alone campus. Why is there going to be a RAHC? Couldn’t there just be a new medical school started in the Lower Rio Grande Valley on a stand-alone basis?Starting a new medical school takes many years and many millions of dollars, and requires the presence of a large number of physicians, biomedical scientists, physician specialty training programs, laboratories, classrooms, and patients having a full range of diseases, injuries, and other health conditions. Harlingen and McAllen may be relatively well-supported in terms of numbers of physicians, but statistics show that other areas in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties—as well as all of Starr and Willacy Counties—do have significant shortages. Because of this, the Federal Government has declared the four counties to be medically underserved. Also, there are only two physician residency (specialty) training programs in the Valley, both training family practice doctors. Using the Medical School in San Antonio as a launching pad allows the creation of specialty training programs and the training of medical students without waiting for all the other conditions to be met. I’ve heard that components of the RAHC will be in more than one place. Where will those components be and what will take place at each location?In the law, the Legislature indicated that the RAHC could consist of facilities throughout the region. In implementing that law, the Regents specified four RAHC facilities: one each in Harlingen and McAllen for medical education, one in Edinburg for medical research, and one in Brownsville for public health education. Harlingen also will be the site of the RAHC headquarters. Funds have been allocated for buildings in these locations, provided that each community also contributes some financial support. When will construction of the RAHC buildings begin?Planning for construction in Harlingen is underway. The bidding process for architect and builder services is in motion, and the Regents will be asked to approve a building design in February. Construction should begin shortly afterward with a scheduled completion date late in 2001. The Brownsville facility is on roughly the same schedule. Planning for the Hildalgo County Research Division Building in Edinburg will begin this fall, and discussions are taking place concerning activities in McAllen. Who is the leader of the RAHC in the Valley? When will we be able to meet him/her?A Regional Dean appointed by the Medical School in San Antonio will head the RAHC and will oversee activities at all RAHC campuses except the one in Brownsville. A nationwide search process is underway, and candidates are being screened and interviewed by a search committee made up of members from San Antonio and Valley communities. It is expected that the new Regional Dean will take office early next year. When will the RAHC begin operation?The Harlingen component of the RAHC is expected to be operational in mid-2002. By that time, the building will have been completed and equipped, faculty will be on hand, accreditation for medical student and some resident training programs will have been obtained, medical students and residents will have been identified, and support staff should be in place. The Brownsville facility has a similar completion schedule. Operational dates in Edinburg and McAllen have yet to be determined. Where will the students come from? Will they be from the RAHC cities? How long will their studies last?RAHC students and residents may come from Valley communities, but it is not a requirement. Third- and fourth-year students will have completed their first two years of education at the Medical School campus in San Antonio, and will be based in the Valley for the final two years of training leading to the M.D. degree. The residents will have graduated from medical schools throughout the nation, and will come to the Valley through a national matching process which matches up training programs with individuals who want to come to the Valley for the specialty training offered there. Residents will go through three-, four-, or five-year training programs, depending on the specialty. Will medical students who grew up in the Valley be able to get their third and fourth years of training at the RAHC?Medical students who grew up in the Valley may choose to get their third and fourth years of training at the RAHC and its affiliated teaching facilities, provided that they complete their first two years of medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Accreditation rules make it virtually impossible to take students from other medical schools for the final two years of training at the RAHC. Where will the RAHC faculty come from? Won’t they compete with local Valley physicians?The faculty will be made up mostly of physicians who are already practicing in Valley communities. They will continue to practice as they do now, but with part-time or volunteer faculty appointments and training, they will be able to teach residents and students at the same time that they see patients. Full-time faculty will not be brought in unless there is a key position with educational responsibilities that needs to be filled on a full-time basis, or unless physicians must be brought in to provide specialized expertise that is not otherwise available. The intent is to make use of the knowledge and skills of community physicians and avoid the possibility of competition. Who will award the M.D. degree to graduating RAHC students?RAHC medical students will be awarded the M.D. degree by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. |
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