University partnership reflects Texas Vista’s latest commitment to champion health equity in southside community

SAN ANTONIO (June 2, 2021) – Texas Vista Medical Center today announced a new academic and clinical affiliation with the University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) and WellMed Medical Group that will bring enhanced, innovative medical education and clinical opportunities to the Southside of San Antonio. 

Beginning July 1, primary care physicians and psychiatrists training through UIWSOM and WellMed will be able to do so at Texas Vista, part of the Steward Health Care family, the largest physician-owned and -led health care network.

“This partnership offers the highest caliber of medical education for the next generation of our physician leaders from physicians themselves, at all levels of the organization,” said Jon Turton, President of Texas Vista Medical Center. “Even more importantly, we’re teaching these trainees how to thrive in a high-value health care model with the ultimate goal that they stay here and continue to serve this community once they enter practice.”

Formerly known as Southwest General Hospital, Texas Vista Medical Center announced its new name in March and simultaneously unveiled $10 million in capital improvements, as well as its Healthy Horizons program, created to actively address the disproportionate health disparities in south Bexar County. The program is promoting new models of health equity through health screenings, partnerships with key community partners, and activities designed to promote healthy lifestyles. This partnership with the University of Incarnate Word will be a natural extension of Healthy Horizons for the community.

 “The commitment by Steward Health Care to enhance Texas Vista as an academic medical center aligns well with our goals of empowering our future physicians to develop into highly competent and compassionate leaders who are committed to community engagement and social accountability,” said UIWSOM’s Dean, Robyn Phillips-Madson, DO, MPH, FACOFP.

“UIWSOM very much values its affiliation with TVMC. This collaboration with Texas Vista will expand the number of medical students, internal medicine and psychiatry resident physicians who will do clinical rotations at Texas Vista Medical Center,” said Dr. Michael Mohr, MS, DO, FAAFP, Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education at UIWSOM. “The education of future clinicians requires hands-on patient care experiences, small-group or even one-on-one teaching. This new arrangement with Texas Vista will help us achieve that objective.”

“We are excited that we will have a teaching hospital right here on the Southside of San Antonio, where there is a great need for medical services,” said San Antonio District 4 Councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia.  “Texas Vista, UIWSOM and WellMed are not only helping bridge the gap in health disparities but are working together to truly transforming health outcomes in our Southside community.”

About Texas Vista Medical Center

Texas Vista Medical Center, formerly Southwest General Hospital, is a 327-bed acute care hospital with specialties in Cardiology, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation, Women’s Health, Emergency Services, Physical Therapy, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Medicine, and Psychiatric Services. Its medical staff includes skilled, board-certified physicians representing a wide range of medical specialties. Texas Vista Medical Center is part of Steward Health Care, a physician-led health care services organization committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. Steward operates 34 community hospitals across nine U.S. states that regularly receive top awards for quality and safety.

About Steward Health Care

Steward Health Care’s physician-owned and -led business model was built to unlock access to the highest-quality care at a sustainable cost, committed to providing personalized, ongoing medical services that positively impact patients’ physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Based in Dallas and founded in 2010 by Ralph de la Torre, M.D., Steward Health Care is the largest physician-owned health care network with more than 5,500 providers and 43,000 health care professionals empowering the health and wellness journey of 12.3 million patients a year through its extensive global network of hospitals, urgent care centers, skilled nursing facilities and substantial behavioral health services.

Steward Health Care currently operates 39 hospitals across Arizona (4), Arkansas (1), Florida (3), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (10), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), Texas (7) and Utah (5), as well as in Malta (2) and Colombia (3).  For more information, visit www.steward.org.

About UIW

With nearly 140 years of tradition, the University of the Incarnate Word is committed to educational excellence in a context of faith in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God. UIW programs constitute a liberal education that fosters a well-grounded intellectual resilience, a disposition toward lifelong learning, and an acceptance of responsibility for the ethical consequences of our ideas and actions. Founded in 1881, UIW is the largest Catholic university in the state and the fourth largest private university in Texas. UIW students can choose from degrees offered at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. The University is committed to graduating students with the lowest amount of debt load possible and to help them secure a career that lifts their lives, their families and their communities. With a beautiful main campus in the heart of San Antonio, in 2019, UIW purchased a 10-acre landmark property at 4119 Broadway which increased the footprint of the UIW Broadway Campus by 20%. The building is now known as Founders Hall.  UIW has locations throughout San Antonio, South and Central Texas, two campuses in Mexico and a European Study Center in Strasbourg, France.  UIW is a leader in international education, with over 146 “sister schools” in 45 countries. The University is a member of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference and is proud to have 23 teams representing 14 different sports. UIW is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.