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Access to blood cancer treatment and cellular therapy is expanding for residents in the Greater Austin area.

The overview: The Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center announced a collaboration with Texas Oncology in April. The relationship will allow St. David’s South Austin Medical Center physicians to treat blood cancer and cellular therapy patients within Texas Oncology offices in Round Rock.

What they're saying: “For patients who need transplant or cellular therapy, timing, coordination and access to specialized care determine outcomes,” said Aravind Ramakrishnan, medical director of the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, in the release. “Our shared focus is enhancing the patient experience and ensuring every individual receives seamless, high-quality care throughout their treatment journey.”

From education to cancer care, read about three recent updates from Southwest Austin-area hospitals.

1. Ascension Seton Southwest expands services: Some changes that have been made over the past few months include the addition of a spinal surgeon, an intermediate care unit and upgraded equipment.

2. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Austin prepares students for future careers: The Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Austin celebrated its first cohort of students to graduate from the Project SEARCH program May 20. The medical center partnered with Austin ISD, Goodwill and the Texas Workforce Commission to complete the program, which helped students with disabilities prepare for their future careers.

3. St. David’s teams up with Texas Oncology to expand blood cancer treatment: The Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center announced a collaboration with Texas Oncology in April. The relationship will allow St. David’s South Austin Medical Center physicians to treat blood cancer and cellular therapy patients within Texas Oncology offices in Round Rock.

The first of a two-phase renovation at River Place Country Club is now complete, Arcis Golf announced June 29.

The overview: The Austin club’s renovations include a new two-story fitness center, dining and social spaces, and a new retail setting.

“Our vision is to create clubs that become an extension of our members’ lives,” Blake Walker, founder and CEO of Arcis Golf, said in a news release. “Today’s private club experience is about much more than exceptional golf. It’s about creating places where families gather, wellness becomes part of everyday life, friendships grow and memories are made naturally.”

The two-story wellness hub includes dedicated strength and cardio areas, a Pilates studio, yoga studio and a recovery suite. The recovery suite features NormaTec compression boots, red light therapy and a zero-gravity massage chair. Another amenity space offers members a Finnish sauna and Frost Locker cold therapy space.

Last year, the Austin-area job market grew faster than any other major metro in the country—adding 27,200 jobs in 2025, which represents 2% year-over-year growth, according to an April 2026 report from Opportunity Austin.

Diving in deeper: The health care industry is among the fastest-growing, and is expected to grow 2.4% annually, adding about 6,780 workers per year, said Ashley King, director of health care partnerships at Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

As of November, the education and health services sector had added 4,100 jobs, or 2.5% growth, from the prior year, according to Opportunity Austin’s January 2026 economic indicators. Meanwhile, the information sector, which includes most of Austin’s tech workforce, declined 2.4%, or about 1,200 jobs, during the same time frame, according to the report.

What's happening: Nursing programs across the country turned away 93,176 qualified applications in 2025—a record high—primarily due to insufficient clinical placement sites, faculty shortages and limited classroom space.

Despite the hurdles, health sciences was the fastest-growing area of study at Austin Community College in fall 2025.

Former state Sen. Don Huffines was appointed as the Texas comptroller of public accounts, Gov. Greg Abbott announced July 2.

Huffines, a Dallas-area native with a bachelor's degree in business administration in finance from The University of Texas at Austin, will take over as the state's finance and budgeting officer from acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock. Huffines will officially begin his service Aug. 1.

Huffines defeated Hancock, who became acting comptroller one year ago, in the March Republican primary. He'll now face former state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November general election for a four-year term.