While the country fiercely debates health care reform, Houstonians have only to look to the south of downtown to see the largest and most successful health care center in the world. With possible changes coming in the nation’s health care system, there is concern about how the Texas Medical Center might be affected.

The TMC is internationally recognized for its groundbreaking research and some of this nation’s best hospitals, physicians, educational institutions and other health care facilities. It continues to grow with its winning formula of private donations, government grants and health insurance providers. Foreign patients provide another source of funding, as many are willing to pay for better medical treatment in the U.S.

The concept of a medical center in Houston began in 1936 when businessman Monroe D. Anderson established the M.D. Anderson Foundation to provide funds for hospitals and medical education. In 1941, two years after Mr. Anderson’s death, the state legislature appropriated funds for a cancer hospital. The trustees of his foundation were able to convince lawmakers to place the cancer hospital in Houston. Two of the trustees, Dr. E.W. Bertner and Dr. Frederick Elliot, had a dream of developing a medical center in which the cancer hospital would be a major part.

In 1942, the Anderson trustees located a 134 acre tract of land south of Hermann Hospital for a medical center. It would be comprised of six facilities: Hermann Hospital, Crippled Childrens’ Hospital, Houston Tuberculosis Hospital, Harris County Emergency Blood Bank, Houston Dental College, and M.D. Anderson Hospital. The idea was to cluster non-profit institutions in close proximity to each other using free land and other grants to entice more. The Texas Medical Center was chartered with a board of trustees in 1945 and grew rapidly through the years spurred on by contributions from private foundations and state grants.

Today the Medical Center, sitting on 1000+ acres inside the Loop, has a significant impact on the economy of Houston. It employs over 72,000 workers and adds as much as $14 billion in revenue to the region. That does not include the number of jobs created by supply businesses, construction workers and contractors, educators and pharmaceutical staff.

There are 19 academic institutions within the Texas Medical Center that administer over 33,000 students in the health professions and graduate programs. These institutions include two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy and virtually all health-related careers. Over 15,000 physicians, scientists and researchers work in the Medical Center.

Among the TMC members are 23 agencies of government and 24 private not-for-profit health institutions. There are 13 hospitals and 15 support services organizations such as the city and county health departments, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, and the Ronald McDonald House.

TMC hospitals such as St. Luke’s Episcopal, Methodist, Memorial Hermann and M.D. Anderson are world renowned and have been placed on best hospital lists in national magazines. Texas Children’s Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children have also received praise for their care. Harris County’s Ben Taub Hospital in the Medical Center is responsible for care to indigents and people with limited resources, and is noted for its excellent trauma care.

What effects health care reform will have on what has been a winning formula for TMC for the past 60 years will, of course, depend on the terms of any bill enacted by Congress. Some fear that reform could mean loss of revenue, lower pay for doctors, and fewer applicants for medical schools. Jobs could be eliminated if reform results in tighter restrictions on spending for diagnostic tests and health facilities. Others believe that reform could result in more preventive care, and thus create jobs.

The growing population of Houston will continue to create a need for expansive medical facilities, and reform will probably not affect the Medical Center’s growth. The TMC has recently received stimulus money for research programs from the National Institute of Health, and it is hoped that there will be additional stimulus money to aid in the hiring of more health professionals.

The Texas Medical Center has endured difficult economic times and natural disasters. What started as a visionary plan of two doctors to create a health care center for all of Houston resulted in a medical complex beyond their dreams. The path the early founders took in involving the business sector and government in health care has led to an enduring system of delivering medical care to the area and to the world.

In its mission, the Texas Medical Center says that it “started with a dream to create a medical center where people from all walks of life could have access to the best health care anywhere - whether they were rich, poor, famous, alone, young, or old.”

Despite any changes that may come in the American health care system, the hospitals, research and educational facilities of the Texas Medical Center will continue to play a major role in the future of Houston.