Houston Chronicle, Dec. 7, 2008 In this opinion column, Houston Mayor Bill White, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Dr. Red Duke present numerous reasons to support the restoration of UTMB services. "After Ike decimated UTMB in Galveston, the storm surge receded but other medical institutions in the region have been flooded by the patient case load displaced from this historic, invaluable Texas asset. UTMB serves several critical functions. It has educated a large percentage of practicing physicians in Texas. The medical school also is an important research institution, with state research dollars supplemented by federal grants and private gifts."