Dear UT Health San Antonio faculty, staff, students and residents:
I am excited to announce a new collaboration with our UT System partner school, The University of Texas at San Antonio. This partnership will allow us to advance health and wellness initiatives and work toward our shared goal of creating a healthier society.
As an initial step, our institution has become the official health care provider for UTSA Athletics. Student-athletes will have access to our distinguished physicians and clinicians for primary care, orthopedics, physical therapy and other specialties, including imaging and surgical services.
Also, as we announced earlier this week, our major new community outpatient center, UT Health Park West, will support the sports program for UTSA student-athletes and has the potential to provide future collaborative opportunities in academics, research and health care delivery. Our two institutions, UTSA and UT Health San Antonio, are currently negotiating a ground lease for construction of the facility near the corner of Loop 1604 and Kyle Seale Parkway, which primarily will serve the area’s growing residential population.
Together with UTSA, we have long been at the forefront of San Antonio’s knowledge economy. Combined, we educate a total student population of 38,000 and award a majority of the bachelor’s and advanced degrees in medical, nursing, dental, health professions and biomedical science in South Texas.
In the future, UT Health Park West could support UTSA’s academic and research enterprises, such as multidisciplinary education, research and training activities aligned to UTSA’s Classroom to Career Initiative. The program aims to expand the availability of learning opportunities for UTSA students of all levels and programs of study.
More immediately, we will jointly develop the comprehensive sports medicine program providing UTSA Athletics with access to our high-quality clinical expertise and care services. We are proud to offer 800 physicians, board-certified in more than 100 specialties, that will ensure an integrated care plan for each student-athlete. UT Health San Antonio will provide sports medicine, orthopedics, imaging, physical therapy and other specialty services for preventive care and the treatment of a full range of sports-related injuries. The latter will emphasize rehabilitation and return to play.
Our two institutions will recruit a fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine team physician to lead the new program. This team lead will be employed by UT Health San Antonio and serve as the head team physician for all UTSA Athletics-sponsored sports programs, overseeing orthopedic surgeons, physicians, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, and athletic trainers. This physician will also assist the UT Health San Antonio Department of Orthopedics in growing and supporting its burgeoning sports medicine program.
To further promote the health and wellness of UTSA student-athletes, UT Health San Antonio will provide UTSA Athletics with:
- Expanded concussion care and rehabilitation services
- Medical and dental consults to UTSA student-athletes
- Sports physicals
- Priority access to UT Health San Antonio ophthalmology and optometry services
- Priority access to all dental, physician and radiology services
- Custom molds and mouth guards
- An enhanced wellness program
- Access to UT Health San Antonio’s unique, secure EpicCare Link portal, which houses medical records and radiology films, accessible from anywhere 24/7.
With the start of the new sports medicine program, UT Health San Antonio will also become the official health care sponsor of UTSA Athletics, effective July 1.
This is a thrilling and powerful new partnership. Through it, we will extend high-quality patient care programs and will have the opportunity to support greater access to advanced services. We will strengthen our academic and research programs and leverage our institutions’ combined capabilities and expertise to help build a healthier San Antonio.
Sincerely,
William L. Henrich, MD, MACP
President and Professor of Medicine