District 8 Councilman Praises Approval Of PIA

San Antonio TX

20 March, 2022

1:39 PM

Description

Press release from the City of San Antonio: Thursday, March 17, 2022 CONTACT: Erin Nichols, 210-207-2881 [email protected] SAN ANTONIO (March 17, 2022) — Today, City Council voted to approve an economic development agreement with Proton International to bring proton therapy–an innovative cancer treatment–to San Antonio and South Texas. Following the vote, Councilman Pelaez, the council member for City Council District 8 and chair of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, issued the following statement: "This agreement between Proton International and the City of San Antonio will spur job creation, expand San Antonio's biosciences and healthcare identity, and enable medical equity by establishing an innovative cancer treatment center that will make this care more accessible to San Antonians and folks across South Texas. Proton therapy uses a particle accelerator to generate protons that target cancerous cells. This revolutionary procedure is more precise than traditional radiation and helps reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissue–improving patient outcomes. Bringing this type of treatment to the South Texas Medical Center, located in the heart of District 8, is exciting for several reasons. With today's approval of just under $830K in economic development incentives to Proton International, this enables an investment of $62 million in the Medical Center. More than 5 million people visit the Medical Center annually and contribute to our economy by eating at restaurants, buying from local stores, staying in hotels, and more. These numbers will grow with the addition of the proton center–elevating medical tourism in the Alamo City. Without this project, folks in San Antonio and South Texas would have to drive to Dallas or Houston to access this type of treatment. For many people, the costs of having to miss work, to travel, or to stay the night away from their homes and families has been a barrier to care. This proton center will ensure that our neighbors, our family members, friends, and loved ones battling cancer right here in San Antonio can access this treatment. Furthermore, this agreement will ensure that UT Health San Antonio will staff the proton center and conduct student and faculty research there, further solidifying their reputation for being a premier leader for groundbreaking research and treatment of chronic illnesses. Ultimately today's vote, however, is about spreading hope in times of great despair and distress for thousands of people, and increasing the number of our neighbors and visitors who receive the good news—'Your cancer is in remission.' I want to thank Dr. Bill Henrich, Dr. Mark Bonnen, Jaymie Mangelsdorf, and Gilbert Loredo with UT Health San Antonio, Pete Carbone with Proton International, and Jim Reed with the San Antonio Medical Foundation for making this collaboration possible." This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author's own.