By Dan Hounsell

While COVID-19 might have slowed down and delayed long-planned construction and expansion projects for many healthcare facilities, the pandemic’s waning intensity in some areas of the nation is providing an opportunity to restart many of these projects.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has broken ground and unveiled the cornerstone for the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital, a center for research and treatment of cancer and other complex diseases that disproportionately impact the people of South Texas, according to Healthcare Construction+Operations.

The eight-story, 144-bed hospital will offer specialty care in cancer, orthopedics, urology, and thoracic and bariatric surgery. Owned by The University of Texas, this new facility will be a major site for early phase clinical trials, including novel immunologic and stem cell therapies for cancer.