Are university-affiliated clinics statutorily off-limits?

[Dr. Jekyl]

As mergers continue in the healthcare field, I'm noticing an increasing number of clinics that are affiliated in one way or another with universities. Here's a real-world example with names changed to protect the innocent employees of the potentially-guilty employer. XYU is a large, state-sponsored university system which offers medical degrees (and engineering, history, art, literature, etc. degrees) and does medical research. There are a number of clinics throughout the state which bear the XYU name but which are not (at least in practice) "schools." Once or twice a year, medical students will do rotations at some of the clinics for a week or so. I suppose that during the week or two a year students are there, the clinics could perhaps be considered schools if you want to stretch the definition of school. However, the main purpose of the clinics is clearly to provide healthcare to the public, not to educate students. Tax records show the clinic buildings being owned by "XYU Healthcare Systems," not simply XYU. There are no gun-related signs posted on premises. You, as a member of the general public, would not know whether or not students are there unless one accompanied a doctor or nurse into your exam room.

So, are these clinics statutorily off-limits as "schools"? It's somewhat of a rhetorical question since none of us is likely to know without examining business and tax records, contracts, leases, etc. I'm just curious what the prevailing feeling is about carrying at one of these clinics. I should state that I'm not an employee of XYU, XYU Healthcare Systems, nor do I work at a clinic. I'm wondering purely from a patient's or visitor's point of view.

[seamusTX]

My opinion is that places like UTMB and M.D. Anderson, which are owned by the state and where the staff may be university faculty or students, are off limits.

While concealed means concealed, patients may be expected to take off their clothes or be touched "intimately" by medical personnel.

Affiliated may mean something different, but it is not clearly defined in the statutes.

I don't like this situation any more than anyone else, but as usual I am not a willing candidate for making case law on a felony charge.

These gray areas need to be clarified. Actually, if campus carry is passed as proposed, they will no longer be gray areas or off-limits.

Let's hope the Lege does not come up with another convenient excuse for failing to pass campus carry this year.

- Jim

[hirundo82]

These gray areas need to be clarified. Actually, if campus carry is passed as proposed, they will no longer be gray areas or off-limits.

Let's hope the Lege does not come up with another convenient excuse for failing to pass campus carry this year.

- Jim

Unless the legislature decides to keep "teaching hospitals" off limits, as they did when they excluded them from the campus carry bill that passed one of the houses last session.

As a medical student (meaning I take public transportation to and from the hospital early in the morning and late in the evening), this impacts me directly.

[seamusTX]

I didn't read the proposed bill for this session carefully (because it's subject to a lot offf negotiation). Does it exclude any type of location in particular?

- Jim

[glocklvr]

I try to stay away from clinics that prohibit guns because I can tell you from personal experience there is nothing like being told to lift your shirt so the Dr can inspect some broken ribs only to remember that you forgot to leave the glock 23 in the truck.

[hirundo82]

I didn't read the proposed bill for this session carefully (because it's subject to a lot offf negotiation). Does it exclude any type of location in particular?

- Jim

There's nowhere excluded in the bill introduced this session, which appears to be exactly the same as the campus carry bill introduced last session. The teaching hospital exemption was in the version which passed the senate--it is discussed in this thread starting on page 3.

[alvins]

"most" teaching hospitals have nothing to do with being a school. Practically every hospital in the texas medical center is a teaching hospital. it simple means they have students from utmb or whatever doing clinicals at that location. now university of texas owned building i would think is offlimits.

It mearly depends on who owns the building. an affilation with another hospital means nothing to us.