University Health

University Health
Geography
Location	San Antonio, Texas, United States
Coordinates	29.506632°N 98.576873°W / 29.506632; -98.576873
Organization
Funding	Public hospital
Type	Teaching
Affiliated university	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Network	University Health System
Services
Emergency department	Level I trauma center
Beds	716
Helipad	FAA LID: XS85
History
Former name(s)	Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital
Opened	1917 (Original) 1968 (Current)
Links
Website	universityhealth.com [1]
Lists	Hospitals in Texas

University Health is the public hospital district for the San Antonio, Texas, US metropolitan area. Owned and operated by Bexar County, it is the third largest public health system in Texas. The system operates University Hospital, a 716-bed teaching hospital located in the South Texas Medical Center, and over 25 outpatient specialty and family medicine clinics throughout the San Antonio area.

History

San Antonio's first public hospital, The Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital, opened in 1917 on the west side of what is now downtown San Antonio. The hospital suffered from inconsistent funding over the years, so in 1955, voters approved the creation of a hospital district and a property tax to provide a stable funding source for it. In 1959, the new hospital district was leveraged to promise a teaching hospital to attract the University of Texas South Texas Medical School, now the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The hospital district broke ground in 1965 for the Bexar County Teaching Hospital, now University Hospital, adjacent to the site for the new medical school on a former hundred acre dairy farm located about 9 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio in what is now the heart of the South Texas Medical Center. Both the hospital and medical school opened in 1968.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the hospital was the site of the Genene Jones murders, one of the largest serial killer cases in American history.

In 2014, the hospital was expanded to its current state with the completion of the Sky Tower, which contains the main entrance of the hospital.

As the primary teaching hospital for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, University Hospital is a regional Level I Trauma Center and a leader in organ transplantation.

Expansion

New Women's & Children's Hospital

A new 300-bed Women's & Children's Hospital with private rooms opened in late 2023. The project features a heart, vascular and endoscopy suite, new parking structure and an additional shell space for future growth.

The new hospital plans feature special amenities for mothers and babies and will be prepared to care for high-risk deliveries and complications during and after pregnancy. There will be a dedicated Obstetrics and Gynecology Emergency Department, Caesarian-section rooms, and a level IV neonatal intensive care unit connected to the labor and delivery unit.

The tower is equipped to care for sick or injured children with a Children's Emergency Department, a pediatric rehabilitation gym and family friendly rooms.

New South Side hospital

University Health Palo Alto Hospital is under construction on San Antonio’s South Side. It will be on a 68-acre campus at the intersection of South Zarzamora Street and Jaguar Parkway, across from Texas A&M University–San Antonio. It's part of University Health’s outreach to underserved regions of Bexar County. Groundbreaking for the hospital happened on January 18, 2024.

The five-story hospital is designed to open in 2027 with 166 inpatient beds. It will be able to expand to 286 beds as community needs grow. It will feature a 24/7 emergency department, labor and delivery suites, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), operating rooms, radiology and laboratory services, and inpatient units for medical and surgical care. Next to the hospital, a 100,000-square-foot medical office building will house outpatient clinics and specialty care services.

The Palo Alto campus will also include University Health Vida, a three-story, 60,000-square-foot multi-specialty health center and the new headquarters for the University Health Institute for Public Health. Scheduled to open in 2026, Vida will offer primary care, mental health services, women’s health, and preventive care, with a focus on social determinants of health.

This development is a large investment in healthcare for the South Side, especially after the closure of Texas Vista Medical Center. The project is part of a broader $900 million expansion by University Health to bring care closer to residents throughout the San Antonio area.

New hospital in Selma

University Health Retama Hospital will be a community hospital in Selma, Texas, along the I-35 corridor north of Loop 1604. The facility will help University Health reach quickly growing areas in northeastern Bexar County. Groundbreaking for the hospital took place on February 21, 2024.

The hospital will be a four-story, 604,561-square-foot facility with 140 inpatient beds at opening, and the capacity to expand to 286 beds to accommodate future growth. It will offer a 24/7 emergency department, labor and delivery unit, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), operating rooms, radiology, lab, pharmacy services, and inpatient units for medical and surgical care.

An adjoining 100,000-square-foot medical office building will house outpatient services, including family medicine and a variety of medical and surgical specialties.

The Retama Hospital is slated to open in 2027, aligning with University Health’s goal to decentralize care and bring services closer to patients’ homes.

See also

• University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
• South Texas Medical Center