Status
Closed
Closing Date
December 2010
Location
San Antonio, Texas
QEI
$21M ($40M Project)
Description of QALICB
University of the Incarnate Word is located in a highly distressed area in San Antonio, TX. The proceeds of the investment were used to build a 50,000 square-foot School of Optometry which includes an on-site clinic providing discounted healthcare for low-income optometry patients. NMTCs were the only viable option to leverage and attract donations and other investments. The University of the Incarnate Word School of Optometry (UIWSO) began its professional program in 2009. Although it began admitting students at that time, the school was significantly lacking resources; equipment, laboratories and classroom space were in short supply. Today, thanks to Pacesetter CDE and the NMTC program, the UIWSO eye care facilities have the most advanced diagnostic instruments and technology that serve the citizens of San Antonio and South Texas. The clinic has the ability to serve thousands of patients per year. This project is fully built out and student enrollment is growing. There are currently only 17 schools of optometry in the United States, and only one in Texas. Pacesetter CDE’s management had the opportunity, firsthand, to see the students in class, in action in the laboratory, and the patients receiving in-depth, top-notch clinical eye care. While public school is in session, children stream into the school to learn about the eye, its functions, and other interesting science facts. The children, mostly from elementary schools located in LIC census tracts, are also given free eye examinations.
Community Benefits
This project hit five key metrics, high paying jobs, benefits to the community through lowered healthcare costs, significant capital expenditures, local area revenue impact, and expansion of educational opportunities. Pacesetter CDE’s investment helped create a center of excellence that also created an eye clinic that provides healthcare access at a reduced price to qualifying LIC patients. These services provide reduced cost care to low-income community residents and free eye examinations to thousands of children in Bexar County. They will also provide eye care clinical services to a number of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in San Antonio.