KHOU (Ch. 11), Nov. 20, 2008 Some 1,250 employees were laid off Thursday, most of them doctors and nurses. Most of the damage to UTMB caused by Hurricane Ike occurred on the first floor of the campus' 80-plus buildings. Asked why critical facilities weren't relocated to higher elevations, David Marshall, said, "The hospital could make that choice, but they decided to spend $120 million on indigent care instead of spending that money to put things on a high floor. I think it was the right choice." Marshall is assistant vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer at UTMB.