Bridging Distance and Demand: Healthcare Access & Education in the RGV
About
The Rio Grande Valley faces persistent challenges related to healthcare access, workforce shortages, and limited educational pathways, particularly for residents seeking care and training close to home. This conversation brings together campus leaders to examine how two transformative projects — the UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center and the Texas A&M University McAllen Nursing Education and Research Building — address these challenges through strategic facilities investment. From a non-traditional teaching environment embedded in an ambulatory cancer center to an academic nursing facility supporting simulation, research, and outreach, each project advances community health while strengthening student outcomes. Presenters will share lessons learned from planning, design, and delivery, demonstrating how collaborative decision-making can expand access to care, improve educational equity, and deliver lasting community benefit across South Texas.
Learning Objectives
Credit Type
1 LU | HSW
Speakers
Lorenzo Sanchez, PE | Moose Engineers
Mark Cervanka | Texas A&M University
Laura Lara | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Date and Time
Thursday, September 24 at 9:30 AM
- Describe how facility design can support healthcare education and expanded clinical access.
- Compare clinical-based and academic healthcare facilities and how differences influence design.
- Identify approaches for integrating systems, simulation, and technology in healthcare education.
- Explain how early planning and collaboration influence flexibility and community impact.
Prerequisite Knowledge
None
HSW Justification
This session addresses Project Planning and Design through the lens of healthcare education facilities that directly serve underserved communities. Facilities designed to expand clinical access and train healthcare workers protect occupant and community health by reducing care gaps in medically underserved regions. Architects working on these project types must understand how building design influences care delivery, simulation fidelity, and long-term operational performance, all of which affect the safety and well-being of patients and students. The RGV projects illustrate how intentional planning decisions produce equitable, community-serving environments, a direct welfare outcome connecting facility design to the public good.
