pep talk

Although I like to think I have a pretty good handle on issues that are important to campus, I missed a big one recently with the closing of Schutte’s Corner. I read about it in Laura Elder’s Biz Buzz. I was a regular during the restaurant’s heyday; the convenience couldn’t be beat, the “poor and hungry” offered a good value and some well-executed variety, and you couldn’t throw a piece of fried okra without hitting three people you knew (Not sure this was a good thing…) 

While more recently there might have been some issues with consistency, overall it was still a good place to grab a bite and I’m sorry to see it go. While there’s no shortage of lunch choices these days (unless you want Indian or Thai food on the island), Schutte’s was still a special place—a place of comfort, friends, familiarity and a wicked chicken & dumplings—for many of us at UTMB.        

You may have heard or read something these past few days about a pending policy decision related to cancer care for illegal immigrants. Locally, The Daily News and Houston Chronicle ran with stories that have been picked up nationally and put UTMB at the center of a long-simmering debate about immigrant rights and more specifically, care to the uninsured in the U.S. I have a feeling this issue and discussion will be with us for a while, so I promise to come back and share my perspective. But in case you missed this other story in the long shadow cast  by immigrant cancer care, USA Today ran a story on MRSA (the drug-resistant superbugs) and highlights efforts at UTMB, where we are pretty aggressive in our efforts to combat the nasty critters. Read the USA Today story.