The Town Hall meeting and news conference conducted Tuesday by Dr. David Callender and Dr. Kenneth Shine received extensive coverage in numerous news outlets. A few included interviews with elected officials who attended the events at Levin Hall.
KTRK- TV (ABC, Ch. 13) had several versions of reports that were broadcast at 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m. In the video report posted on KTRK's Web site, Callender, when asked what UTMB will look like in the future, says: "It's too early for me to comment on any specific plans. We're trying to think of all the different configurations. What makes sense? What doesn't make sense? And offer a number of ideas that lets us pursue our opportunities. We need more time." In one version of the report, Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas criticizes what she said were plans by the UT System to lay off thousands of UTMB workers.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/health&id=6437453
In the Galveston County Daily News, Callender is quoted: "We probably can't get back to what we were before for some time. We have a lot of thinking and planning to do." And Shine, when asked if the School of Medicine was being moved to Austin, drew huge cheers and applause at Levin Hall when he delivered his one-word answer: "No."
http://galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=4c2d61ba4eec5c48
In the Houston Chronicle, both Callender and Shine said that some job losses were inevitable because of the storm. Callender said that damage will cost UTMB about $710 million. Of that amount, about $276 million is lost revenue. Callender said that John Sealy Hospital would eventually have about 200 beds. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/ike/6045911.html
In the KRIV-TV (Fox 26) report, Callender acknowledges the help of some elected officials when he says: "I am grateful that a number of leaders have stepped up and said ‘we'll help you manage this; you don't have to hurt your people. Let's work on this some more and we will get closer to getting this right.'" http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7598584&version=1&locale=EN-US
On KTRH News Radio (740 AM), Callender is quoted as saying that the loss of revenue will lead to the loss of some jobs at UTMB. "We can continue to pay our employees and have a little more time to think about what that initial configuration looks like and how we can best serve employees we may not need. If that happens, when that happens, we'll do the best we can to get them placed."
http://www.ktrh.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=121300&article=4367257