NOW OPEN: Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley
May 08 2024 - 11:02AM
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