Edinburg, TX, May 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley is officially open! The new hospital is prepared to provide acute pediatric specialty care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“Our team is excited and ready to serve this community. From this moment on, children in the Rio Grande Valley with complex medical conditions will have access to care here at home, regardless of their ability to pay,” said Matt Wolthoff, President of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley.
Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley boasts 119 pediatric beds and more than 700 employees.
It is the first designated freestanding children’s hospital in the Valley, a region with more than half a million children. The $100 million eight-story hospital is the 10th free-standing not-for-profit children’s hospital in Texas.
Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley is located at 2820 W. Michaelangelo Dr. in Edinburg, Texas.
The hospital’s emergency department opened its doors at midnight. The first inpatient transfers from DHR Health are already being planned, along with a scheduled surgery today as well.
“We fully anticipate a busy day as we open our doors and deliver a whole new standard of care to our kids and families,” Wolthoff said.
Services and treatment offered by Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley include acute inpatient and outpatient surgery with pediatric anesthesiologists; emergency services including a Level III Pediatric Trauma Center and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; imaging and laboratory services; and more.
Driscoll’s vision
Driscoll broke ground on the hospital in November 2021. The creation of the hospital was intended to accommodate healthcare needs in a rapidly growing region that had historically faced a shortage of pediatricians.
Driscoll sees more than 150,000 patients a year, and many regularly made the journey from the Valley to Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi to receive specialty care.
“The need for patients and their families to be close to home, that is why this hospital exists today. Proximity and accessibility to our kids was at the forefront of our mind before we ever broke ground or drew up blueprints,” said Driscoll President and CEO Eric Hamon.
With the opening of the hospital, Driscoll also aims to provide a place of employment for healthcare professionals from the Valley who left home to seek employment elsewhere with more opportunities for healthcare jobs. As Driscoll staffed up, it encouraged these healthcare professionals to “come home.”
More notably, Driscoll’s RGV hospital will be training the next generation of pediatric professionals with the Valley’s first pediatric residency training program. The residency program is scheduled to begin within the next two years.
“Pediatric healthcare in the Valley is changing forever. This wouldn’t be possible without our patients, their families, and members of the community that believe in our nonprofit mission. Together, we heal,” said Hamon.
Facts and figures
- 119 pediatric beds, including 63 NICU beds
- Eight surgery suite operating rooms
- 175,000 square feet, $100 million in construction and equipment cost
- Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley will generate $124.7 million per year in economic growth to Texas, according to a Perryman Group study commissioned by Driscoll.
MEDIA: Photos and video of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley can be found at this Dropbox link— including timelapse footage of its construction. To schedule an interview or for more information, contact Fernando Ramirez.
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About Driscoll: Driscoll is the premier healthcare provider for kids in South Texas. We are a nonprofit healthcare system that has served communities in the Lone Star State since 1953. Today, Driscoll is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare system in the region, offering care at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley, and at specialty centers and clinics across South Texas. Our non-profit community-based health plan, Driscoll Health Plan, offers Texas families access to local physicians and other lifesaving benefits.
Teresa Rodriguez Driscoll Children's Hospital 9563694320 Teresa.Rodriguez@dchstx.org
