Developing a Biomedical Campus in El Paso

The Medical Center of the Americas Foundation is developing a world-class biomedical campus in the heart of El Paso, Texas that will foster biomedical and health innovation, create new employment opportunities, and meet health care needs in the region. The strategic vision for the MCA campus is to become a world-class complex of medical facilities that make up a major economic engine for the region. Currently, the campus is home to several major health care education, delivery, and research institutions including a medical school, nursing school, the largest pediatric hospital in the region, and more.

What has the MCA done to develop a world-class complex of medical facilities?

In 2016, the MCA built the Cardwell Collaborative Building, a $28 million state-of-the-art facility with laboratories, offices, and collaboration spaces. The facility brings together private start-up companies, university personnel, and innovators under one roof to collaborate. The MCA also built The South Central VA Wellness Center, the first free-standing VA mental health clinic in the world. The 33,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility serves thousands of veterans in the Paso del Norte region. In continual efforts to enhance the biomedical campus, the MCA has convened the MCA Campus Planning Taskforce, which meets on a quarterly basis, to bring together all the stakeholders who have a vested interest in the MCA Campus and discuss present issues and plans for the future. Membership is comprised of the City of El Paso, University Medical Center, El Paso Children’s Hospital, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, EPISD, the El Paso Zoo, the El Paso Public Health Department, the El Paso Veterans Administration, Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, and several neighborhood associations. The task force was created to provide a place for information and dialogue between all entities that reside and conduct business within the MCA campus and surrounding areas.
In an effort to bring more opportunities to our region, the MCA Foundation is also continuously recruiting biomedical companies outside of the PDN region to establish operations in the MCA Campus. If there are available areas, the MCA helps potential companies identify and, if necessary, tour interesting campus sites. If you are interested in finding out more about the MCA Campus please feel free to contact us below.

What are the plans for the biomedical campus?

The MCA Foundation and its programming is growing alongside MCA Campus partners, therefore, the MCA is programming its next facility on the Medical Center of the Americas Campus. The development will be a 3 to 4-story multi-tenant building with anchor tenants focused on medical, wellness, mental health services, research, and education. The MCA is also working with several of our campus partners to plan and develop the MCA segment of the county-wide Paso del Norte Trail, with the first ¼ mile segment already funded and pending construction in the fall of 2022.

The MCA Foundation is working hard to create a space where healthcare and biomedical research and innovation can flourish and advance the community into an age of better medicine. If you are interested in becoming an important part of the MCA Biomedical Campus or are interested in renting out space, contact the Manager of Campus Planning & EHS Nahum Apodaca at the link below. To learn more about our programmatic efforts that help in our mission and vision, visit the rest of our website.