The Medical Center of the Americas Foundation
The Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to advance the development of the MCA campus and advance the Paso del Norte region’s biomedical innovation pipeline. The Foundation is the keeper of the vision to position the Paso del Norte region as the global leader of health delivery, education and research concentrating on issues unique to the Hispanic, border and military populations.
MCA
The MCA is an integrated complex of medical facilities anchored by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, its primary teaching hospital University Medical Center of El Paso and the new El Paso Children’s Hospital. It is also site to a future biomedical research park.
How do we achieve the vision?
Working in partnership with institutional partners and regional stakeholders, the MCA Foundation develops and implements strategies that serve as the blueprint for the continued growth and success of the MCA campus and the greater regional life sciences community.
As the coordinator for the physical development of the MCA, the MCA Foundation developed the MCA Master Plan that was incorporated into the City of El Paso’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan on October 2008. The Foundation rezoned the MCA into SmartCode in the summer of 2011. SmartCode will enable the MCA to evolve into a beautiful and cohesive life sciences campus. Today, the MCA Foundation coordinates the acquisition of land and property located within the MCA to help it progress in a way that will attract healthcare service providers and life science researchers to our region.
Outside the scope of land development, the MCA Foundation also works to strengthen the community’s life sciences research agenda through the development of programs and services.
- Spearheading of the MCA Research Advancement Symposium, which took place February 2010 >>more
- The creation of Synapse, the first and only publication dedicated to the region’s life sciences community >>more
- The coordination of city funds for the development of a new medical hub >>more
- The planning of private biomedical research laboratories and incubators >>more

