Watson calls for UT medical school

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin is the second largest city in the country without a medical school inside its city limits. But that won’t be the case much longer if state Sen. Kirk Watson has anything to do with it. 

“No longer would people that need treatment or even cures have to go to Houston or Dallas,” said Watson, D-Austin.

On Tuesday, he laid out a 10-step plan to build not only a medical school, but also a teaching hospital and a number of uniquely Austin community clinics.

“We already know we need more doctors in central Texas,” Watson said. “When you have a medical school one of the things that happens is they come here, they train here and a lot of them stay here.”

During a speech to the Real Estate Council of Austin , Watson said the area near Brackenridge Hospital would be the perfect place to build the teaching hospital and would help revitalize the area.

Watson, a former Austin mayor, is keeping many of the details about the school under wraps allowing stakeholders to offer their ideas and opinions without the plan being bogged down in someone's agenda.

The cost of the school is estimated to be less than the $2 billion price tag thrown around the last time anyone seriously talked about building a medical school in Austin.

Watson said the school and everything that comes with it could bring 15,000 jobs and inject $2 billion into Austin’s economy.

“This will create the kind of jobs and economic opportunity that will really spur this region,” Watson said.

Also at the luncheon were University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers and the University of Texas System Chancellor, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa , a transplant surgeon.

“We are going to get this done,” said Cigarroa. “We feel that Austin is deserving of a medical school.”

Click here to read a copy of the speech Watson gave at RECA luncheon.