Galveston County Daily News, Aug. 7, 2009
Galveston County commissioners are weighing options to help trigger the release of money for UTMB to build a new hospital tower. New to the mix is a proposal to raise the county tax rate and not risk voters rejecting the creation of a hospital district. State lawmakers earlier this year stipulated that they would help UTMB build a new hospital but only if Galveston County committed more money to help the county's uninsured patients. A new hospital is necessary for several reasons, including increasing UTMB's bed count back to pre-Ike levels.