Abe and Annie Seibel Foundation gives UTMB $3 million for a student center at Jennie Sealy Hospital
The Abe and Annie Seibel Foundation, administered by Frost Bank, is providing $3 million toward a student center in the new Jennie Sealy Hospital at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
The center will encompass the hospital’s fifth floor and will have a wide array of resources for UTMB students and medical residents. The floor will include a large classroom exclusively for residents and students, workstations for individual and collaborative learning and on-call rooms for residents.
The fifth-floor student center will be named the Seibel Student Center.
“This transformational gift from the Seibel Foundation provides UTMB a unique center within a hospital that greatly enhances our academic medical center,” said Dr. David L. Callender, president of UTMB. “Enrollment at all four of our schools is increasing and the Seibel Student Center ensures that UTMB continues to provide a world-class learning environment.”
Janet Gathright, Seibel Foundation administrator, said, “Both Abe and Annie were known for their charitable work in the city of Galveston. We are extremely proud of this gift which allows Abe and Annie Seibel to continue to benefit so many students and residents, who, through their careers, will improve the lives of countless people.”
The Seibel Foundation provides interest-free loans to qualified Texas residents attending Texas colleges or universities and designates a portion of the available funds each year to support the construction of residence halls and student centers at Texas colleges and universities.
The $438 million Jennie Sealy Hospital on UTMB’s Galveston campus will be a state-of-the art facility with more than 252 patient rooms, including 60 intensive care rooms.
Construction of the 765,000 square-foot facility is scheduled to be completed later this year and will be open for patients next year.
After Jennie Sealy opens, renovation of the existing John Sealy Hospital will continue in order to improve facilities for women’s, infants and children’s services.
The two hospitals will be connected with overhead walkways leading to the Clinical Services Wing, a new facility that houses core medical services including the pharmacy, clinical laboratory, kitchen, clinical equipment services, sterile processing, maintenance and logistics. All productive areas will be at least 25 feet above sea level and utilities are on upper floors.
