New Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Nursing School breaks ground in Abilene

HOUSTON, TX (November 29, 2011) Texas Tech University broke ground November 7, 2011 for a new Nursing School on their Health Sciences Center campus in Abilene, Texas. Hoar Construction’s Austin office is the general contractor for the $15 million facility; Hendrick Health System of Abilene and the Texas Tech University System will jointly oversee the project. Funding is coming entirely from corporate and community donations.

Texas Tech and Hendrick partnered to establish a web-based nursing program in Abilene in 2008 and a traditional Bachelor of Science program in May 2009. The new Texas Tech School of Nursing facility in Abilene will accommodate 160-200 full-time students, tripling the current enrollment by 2015. University officials are hopeful the new facility will help offset the shortage of nurses within the state; the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies estimates the shortage will be 71,000 nurses by 2020.

Hoar Construction will again work with Abilene architecture firm Tittle Luther Partnership on the new school. The team is currently working on the $86 million expansion of the Hendrick Medical Center, opening in January 2012. The new School of Nursing will total almost 43,000 s.f. covering two floors; it will include general classrooms and simulation labs. The school will sit adjacent to the School of Pharmacy and be connected via a loggia and tower. The project also includes a new surface parking lot as well as site infrastructure for future building on the campus.

“Our community recognizes that quality healthcare is contingent upon quality education and training for our future nurses,” said Tim Lancaster, president and CEO of Hendrick Medical Center. “Our partnership with Texas Tech University has been instrumental in attracting some of the best nursing candidates in the field, and hopefully keeping them in Abilene.”

“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the Hendrick Health System,” said Brian Cook, Vice President - Texas Division for Hoar Construction. “The really exciting thing about the new School of Nursing project is the way several public and private entities are coming together to solve a critical community issue. This project is the true definition of partnering, where each participant brings their respective expertise, united under a common goal.”