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Artwork created in honor of the partnership between TTUHSC El Paso and Paso del Norte Health Foundation

April 19, 2022

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso recently commemorated its partnership with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and health partners across the region with a sculpture by El Paso artist Julio Sanchez De Alba. Located in front of the new Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic, the 8-foot sculpture welcomes visitors to the clinic and Hunt School of Dental Medicine.

Local artist Sanchez De Alba brought together three red, green, and blue human figures holding hands to create the sculpture. The design represents the logo of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and symbolizes partnerships across the region to improve the health and quality of life. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso officials revealed the work with the Texas Tech University System’s Board of Regents and members of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s Board of Directors in attendance. The unveiling took place prior to the regents’ meeting on the TTUHSC El Paso campus in February.

“For me, this design represents a diverse group of people working together. That’s what the clinic is doing for El Paso by training future dentists to help our community,” Sanchez De Alba said. “I love that concept, and it makes this sculpture more meaningful to me. I’m proud to bring it to life on the TTUHSC El Paso campus.”

With a steel frame and fiberglass exterior, Sanchez De Alba’s creation is built to survive El Paso’s weather and will welcome visitors for decades to come. The sculpture is a fitting representation of how TTUHSC El Paso, the Borderland community and partners like the Paso del Norte Health Foundation opened the first dental school in Texas in 50 years, as well as its state-of-the-art clinic. “We are proud to stand alongside our partners at TTUHSC El Paso for this special sculpture inspired by the Health Foundation’s logo and dedicated to the Power of Partnerships,” said Tracy J. Yellen, CEO of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. “None of our work happens without the partnership of hundreds of organizations and individuals committed to the health and quality of life in our region. The sculpture is a life-size depiction of the Health Foundation’s logo – which represents our unique border culture that unifies people in three states and two countries to improve health. It is special to us for many reasons – and even more so now as it stands here on the TTUHSC El Paso campus.”

The Health Foundation has contributed under the Health Leadership priority area, $6 million in 2016 to help with the recruiting and hiring of world-class faculty members, the school’s accreditation process and the development of the most innovative dental school curriculum in the country. It gave another $5 million in 2021 to assist with the initial operations of both the Hunt School of Dental Medicine and the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic. This financial commitment has helped TTUHSC El Paso build a clinic and dental school with the latest technology where highly sought-after faculty with renowned expertise teach the next generation of dentists.

The Hunt School of Dental Medicine opened in 2021 and offers the most innovative curriculum in the country. As part of its efforts to improve the accessibility of oral health care in the community, the school offers reduced-cost dental care in its 38,000 square-foot public dental clinic, the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic. The facility comes equipped with 145 treatment chairs where students work with faculty providers to deliver high-quality oral health care to Borderland residents. The clinic expects over 60,000 patient encounters annually once the first four classes of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine have begun their training.

To learn more about the Health Foundation’s Health Leadership and Strategic Initiatives, visit pdnhf.org or click here.