Catholic parishes to hold healthcare district workshops

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TX – About 15 Catholic Church parishes will host health district forums throughout Hidalgo County beginning this last week of August.

On Aug. 10, the Hidalgo County Commissioner’s Court approved the petition for the creation of a Health Care District in Hidalgo County to appear on the county’s general election ballot come November.

Before then, Reverend Jerry Frank of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in San Juan will host workshops educating parishioners about the benefits of a healthcare district. Valley Interfaith will also be hosting workshops independent from Rev. Frank’s.

Rev. Frank said the workshops will have a multilevel presentation. He said administrators from the local non-profit and federally-qualified clinics will be in attendance to give input, along with hospital officials and and leaders from the RGV Equal Voice Network. The clinics include Nuestra Clinica del Valle, a federally qualified clinic with nine facilities in Hidalgo County, El Milagro clinic in McAllen, Hope Clinic in Mcallen and Desarrollo Humano Clinic in Pueblo de Palmas.

“First of all, we’ll have one or two representatives speak very shortly from the nine clinics [and] the three non-profits. Then we’ll have somebody that represents the other interests on the health district, Ramiro Garza for example, speak about the benefits for the community at large for a health district especially for the medical school. And then we’ll [open up for] questions,” Rev. Frank told the Rio Grande Guardian.

Rev. Frank previously voted against a health district in 2014. However, Frank changed his stance after hospital chiefs agreed to allocate 20 percent of the health district’s revenues toward non-profit and federally qualified clinics. 

The health district workshops schedule is featured below.