McAllen Hospitals Offer Comprehensive, High-Quality Care
Quality choices in major medical care give residents peace of mind
Among the biggest champions for the importance of quality health care in McAllen is native son and DHR Health Chairman of the Bard and Chief Adminstrative Officer Carlos Cardenas, M.D. After leaving for college and medical school, Cardenas returned to McAllen to help found DHR Health, the largest physician-owned hospital in the nation.
DHR Health
“When you look at the pillars that make up the foundation of any community, when it comes to economic development, health care is one of those key pillars. We’ve been focused on that – to be able to build that part of what we need to do to be able to make this a great community to recruit and retain [businesses and families],†Cardenas says.
Doctors Hospital is also the flagship hospital for the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, which Cardenas says brings an incredible amount of resources and ability to the region as well as opportunity for the community.
“Recent studies have shown that patients are better cared for in teaching hospitals where the outcomes are, in general, better than they are in other facilities,†he says. “The school of medicine also gives us an opportunity to grow our own talent starting in McAllen Public Schools.”
The hospital is currently a Level III trauma center, and, according to Cardenas, is on track to becoming a Level II center. He says the hospital is also working to put specialists in place to be able to perform liver transplants in addition to kidney transplants. DHR Health also plans to build a children’s hospital.
Rio Grande Regional Hospital
As the only hospital in the Rio Grande Valley named as a 100 Top Hospital by IBM Watson Health, Rio Grande Regional Hospital has racked up an impressive list of accolades, including the 2018 Obstetrics & Gynecology Excellence Award and 2018 Labor & Delivery Excellence Award. In addition, HCA, the parent company of Rio Grande Regional Hospital, was the only health care system in the region named one of the Ethisphere Institute’s World’s Most Ethical Companies.
Adriana Morales, the hospital’s director of community and public relations, says the affiliation with nation’s leading provider of health care services allows the hospital to “provide patient-centered medical care, practiced with integrity and compassion.”
“Throughout the years, RGRH has always remained focused and committed to meeting the needs of our patients and the community. Rio Grande Regional Hospital provides multiple access points to meet patients where they live,” Morales says. “As the Valley continues to grow, so does the importance of expanding our services, providing additional resources and establishing facilities in communities who need it most.”
In addition to the hospital’s main emergency room, which is designated as an Advanced Level III Trauma Center, the hospital – a 320-bed, full-service, acute-care facility with more than 500 physicians representing more than 35 specialties – also operates two off-site, full-service emergency departments.
“Rio Grande Regional Hospital also brings world-class care through our full range of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services offered both at the hospital and at our surgery center. We focus on the needs of the patients to ensure health care is accessible to everyone through our outreach services. Throughout Hidalgo County, RGRH offers four women’s clinics, three regional medical laboratories and a family practice clinic,†Morales says.
South Texas Health
Like DHR Health and Rio Grande Regional Hospital, South Texas Health System – which operates McAllen Medical Center and McAllen Heart Hospital – is a Level III Trauma Center. An accredited chest pain center, McAllen Heart Hospital was named among the top 10 percent in the nation for overall cardiac services and coronary interventional procedures for 2018.
“South Texas Health System is important to the health care delivery system and its effects on quality of life. By keeping the population healthy, there is a ripple effect on the community health status. If you have a healthier community, then we are also improving the quality of lives with better treatment options and outcomes in mental, physical and social domains,†says Lisa Killion, assistant administrator of marketing and public relations for the health system.
Killion says the health system also provides ongoing community outreach to schools, employers and neighborhoods with wellness and educational programs to meet the growing needs of the McAllen community. In addition, she says the McAllen Medical Center and McAllen Heart Hospital have a positive impact on the health of the city’s economy.
“Health care is a big economic driver since the hospitals are some of the largest employers in South Texas,†she says. “Our hospitals are critical to strengthening public health, providing access to care, offering the state of the art technology and providing personalized high quality treatment. Understanding the needs of the population such as behaviors, socioeconomic and environmental issues, help shape and mold new health-care services and programs that are vital to serving local communities.”