PHARR, Texas – Pharr leaders are looking to establish a longterm relationship with a health system in order to bring a fully-fledged hospital to the city.
They note that Pharr is the biggest city in the Rio Grande Valley without a hospital.
Confirmation that a hospital is a top goal came at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $14.3 million freestanding clinic and emergency room South Texas Health System is building on W. Ridge Road near S. Cage Boulevard in Pharr. It will be the seventh such facility STHS has built in Hidalgo County.
In his remarks at the podium, Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez welcomed STHS.
“We’re very excited to have you here. This is a great footprint for the City of Pharr. It fits our master plan,” Hernandez told STHS officials.
But, he predicted, the clinic would be “one stepping stone to something larger.”
Hernandez, pictured above, noted that Pharr’s population is growing and so are the health care needs of its residents.
“Our endeavor is to not only have a free-standing ER but we need inpatient beds. We need our patients taken care of here,” Hernandez said.
“One way or another the city of Pharr is going to put in infrastructure for its residents. We have capital, we have investors, we have the ability to do it. And we have the willpower to get it done. That’s what the residents of Pharr are looking for. They’re very excited to have you guys (STHS) here because you’re the first to step up to the plate. We are looking for a long standing relationship, long standing, not something short, and we’re looking for the best practices, quality.”
Hernandez interspersed English with Spanish. He concluded his remarks by saying: “Ahora tenemos aqui la sala de emergencia. Y lo que sigue es algo mejor, un hospital para ustedes, porque lo merecen.” (Know that we will continue going forward. We’re starting with the ambulance, communication. Now we have an emergency room. What’s coming next is even better, a hospital, because you deserve it.)
Interviewed after his remarks, Mayor Hernandez, a medical doctor, said a hospital is something Pharr desperately needs.
“This is what we need. We love McAllen, we love Edinburg, we love Renaissance, DHR, Rio Grande Regional, McAllen Medical. We love them. Great services. Nothing against them. It is not a competition. We want to compliment what is already there. Our residents deserve immediate care,” Hernandez told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.
It was put to Hernandez that there are two hospitals just a mile or so to the east of where the new clinic will be built on Ridge Road. Namely, Rio Grande Regional Hospital and McAllen Medical Center.
Hernandez responded: “You are right, absolutely. But we are vertical, if you look at how our city is shaped. Not everybody lives on Ridge Road. So, we need to have access. Our residents want and deserve and need access immediately. And so we need to put the infrastructure near them. They should not have to go to the infrastructure. We are going to bring it to you. That is the goal.”
Hernandez reiterated that Pharr is not looking to compete with other healthcare institutions. “We are not here to compete with our current health systems in the area. We are here to compliment what they do and work in partnership.”
It was also put to Hernandez that a previous city administration in Pharr tried to land a hospital. He responded: “We had very good leadership back then, the commission was solid. It just wasn’t the right time. But it absolutely is the right time now.”
Hernandez stressed that he and the city commission are looking for long-term partnerships.
“My days as mayor will be gone but we are going to leave everything in place in the city of Pharr. Great infrastructure, from drainage, to streets, to EMS, to Internet, to education, the bridge, to, now, health system-wise infrastructure. Everything will be left for the benefits of the residents.”
Mayor Hernandez’s remarks in full
Here are Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez’s remarks from the podium at the STHS event:
“Good Morning. Bienvenidos. Welcome
“Obviously, I am from the Rio Grande Valley and I am the mayor of Pharr and a physician as well. And I’m bilingual, so every time I speak, that’s what you’re going to get. So, let’s go.
“So welcome the great city of Pharr. Bienvenidos todos a la Ciudad de Pharr. (Welcome to the City of Pharr). We are very proud of have South Texas Health System in our city.
“Make no mistake, we are at a premier site and we know our population needs to be taken care of. And, we agree with all the statements that have been made from your leadership. And I want to thank the (STHS) board and UHS Corporation, of course, for choosing the City of Pharr.
“For those of you who are religious in nature, the number seven means a lot, right? El dia siete es donde descanso Dios, right? (The seventh day is when God rested.) Why, because you are made whole. So, we made you whole. Thank you for staying in the City of Pharr. For the record. (Applause)
“So, we’re very excited to have you here. This is a great footprint for the City of Pharr. It fits our master plan. Lo que necesitabamos. Siempre necesitabamos algo de emergencia, y ahora lo van a tener la gente de Pharr, en el centro. Sabemos que necesitabamos ambulancia. Necesitabamos algo para comunicar. (What we needed, what we have always needed is something for emergencies and now the people of Pharr are going to have that in the middle of town. We know we needed an ambulance. We needed something to communicate).
“We have the best comms center in the Valley, hands down. You guys should go by and see it whenever you have a chance. We have every component for health care except infrastructure when it comes to bed capacity or emergency services. And that’s where you’re fine corporation comes into play. So we thank you for that. That’s a milestone in itself.
“The city of Pharr, para que sepa la gente, esto es nomas el principio, lo que se espera es mucho mas grande. (So that people will know, this is just the beginning. What we can expect is much bigger.) Every four years we launch a big campaign to change the city of Pharr in some manner for its residents. And indeed everything we do seems to affect the region and we’re proud of that.
“One of the biggest steps that will be coming is the fact that this is a milestone, but it is one stepping stone to something larger. We’re fully aware that our population is growing and so are our needs for health care. Sabemos muy bien. (We know very well.) There are many great institutions in the area. However, we are as big as Mission, bigger than Weslaco, bigger than Harlingen. We were a little bit bigger than Edinburg but Edinburg has grown and we realize that but our needs are still the same. Therefore our endeavor is to not only have a free-standing ER but we need impatient beds. We need our patients taken care of here. Our residents, here with whomever, wants or desires to be.
“One way or another the city of Pharr is going to put in infrastructure for his residents. We have capital, we have investors, we have the ability to do it. And we have the willpower to get it done. That’s what the residents of Pharr are looking for. They’re very excited to have you guys here because you’re the first to step up to the plate. We are looking for a long standing relationship, long standing, not something short, and we’re looking for the best practices in quality. Docs, you are doing a very fine job. But never apologize, you are great leaders and physicians and we thank you for being there.
“So we will be moving forward in that endeavor building on your footprint. I just want to let the City of Pharr know that. Que pa’ delante vamos a seguir. Vamos a empezar con el ambulancia, comunicacion. Ahora tenemos aqui la sala de emergencia. Y lo que sigue es algo mejor, un hospital para ustedes, porque lo merecen. (Know that we will continue going forward. We’re starting with the ambulance, communication. Now we have an emergency room. What’s coming next is even better, a hospital, because you deserve it.)
“So that is what you are going to get and that’s what we’re here to commit to. Thank you.”
Quality journalism takes time, effort and…. Money!
Producing quality journalism is not cheap. The coronavirus has resulted in falling revenues across the newsrooms of the United States. However, The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service is committed to producing quality news reporting on the issues that matter to border residents. The support of our members is vital in ensuring our mission gets fulfilled.
Can we count on your support? If so, click HERE. Thank you!
