by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | June 28, 2019
From the June 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
JW: We certainly are. We’re in a growing economy here in Dallas/Fort Worth. Which means there’s a lot of people moving to the area that will be receiving care at our healthcare facilities, either primary care or care when they’re sick. So like everyone else, we’re working hard to keep up with staffing. But it’s not just nurses and physicians. It’s everything from nutrition services, to environmental services, all the support services. So we’re constantly working to attract and retain all the best employees which is difficult in an environment where there’s lots of new hotels being built, the airport is expanding. It’s a very service-oriented community and it’s growing, which means there are lots of jobs, and therefore, competition to attract the best talent.
HCB News: Are there any other unique challenges due to your location?
JW: I think our biggest challenge is not having an ocean! Sometimes it’s difficult to convince east or west coast people to give Texas a try, but once they get here they tend to like it. It’s a very cosmopolitan city, with the arts and an arts district that I think is as good as any big city’s in the country. We like it here, we have a lot of advantages — people just need to give Texas a try.
UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care
in about 70 specialties
HCB News: Are there any exciting developments you’d like to highlight for UT Southwestern?
JW: We have a lot going on. We opened a new hospital in 2014. We’re adding another wing to that hospital just five years after it opened, which adds 290 more beds to it. We’re also breaking ground in June on a brand new cancer center and a new research building dedicated to research of the brain.
Brain research is an institutional priority for us. We have a large capital campaign to expand our knowledge and understanding of brain diseases and brain health. We feel strongly that this is going to be a decade of significant progress in the field, and we’re making a significant investment. The overarching umbrella is the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, established by a Dallas philanthropic leader to help us focus our efforts and to position the institute as a home for multidisciplinary brain health and brain disease research.
HCB News: Have you seen any upticks in any particular disease or indications among patients over the years you’ve been with UT Southwestern that impact what you’re looking for with staffing or how you’re allocating resources?
