A look at $152 million worth of bond projects for UMC
University Medical Center is moving forward with plans to spend $152 million approved by county commissioners in April.
Commissioners approved the a bond project list 4 to 0.
The money, funded through bonds, will go toward building new clinics, renovating their current buildings and purchasing equipment. The clinics are expected to be ready in late 2015.
“There is a lot of study that goes into these,” said UMC CEO Jim Valenti. “So, we’ve been taking them one at a time.”
Right now, the UMC board is approving projects as they’re brought forward. A business plan, which consists of services that would be provided and projections for gains/losses of operations, has already been approved for the proposed clinics in far east El Paso and west El Paso. Each of those clinics are expected to cost $28,500,000 each to build. A site has not yet been picked for the east El Paso location.
The business plan for a central El Paso clinic is being looked at now. Three additional projects will include an emergency room in northeast El Paso, an expansion in Ysleta and an annex building for the main hospital.
After plans are approved design for the clinic will begin throughout 2013 and part of 2014. Construction will take place in 2014-15.
The clinics are meant to deter patients from using emergency rooms as their sole source of medical care. Since UMC has presented plans of these clinics, they’ve said new prioritized clinics would build health homes for patients.
The cost of these projects are nothing new, but it’s why so many people have paid close attention. The meeting in April drew a lot of people because the proposal would raise taxes for El Paso County residents. A home valued at $100,000 would see an increase of roughly $20 per year.
List of UMC Bond project:
* UMC Clinic – West: $28,500,000
* UMC Clinic – Far East: $28,500,000
* UMC Clinic – Central: $28,00,000
* Northeast Emergency Room: $9,000,000
* Ysleta expansion: $2,000,000
* Annex building: $10,000,000
* Renovation of three UMC floors: $21,000,000
* Intermediate care unit: $8,200,000
* Basement Corridor: $250,000
* Outpatient Prep & Recovery: $1,500,000
* Telemetry: $750,000
* Hospital Imaging Equip.: $3,250,000
* Build Out ERPC: $1,050,000
* Davinci surgical equp.: $2,000,000
* Neuro Radiology: $4,500,000
* Bond closing costs: $3,500,000
ABC-7s Matthew Smith is inside the county courthouse every Monday. Follow him on Twitter for more information as it develops out of county meetings at @MattSmithABC7.
