EDINBURG, Texas - DHR Health has confirmed it is parting ways with Texas A&M University Health Science Center.
News of the split was announced by A&M in a news release earlier today.
A few hours later, DHR issued its own news release. It reads:
“DHR Health is proud to announce that it is the sponsoring institution for seven (7) newly accredited residencies and fellowships by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) totaling 107 accredited new residency and fellowship positions for the Rio Grande Valley. These programs will begin on July 1, 2023.
“Texas A&M Health had been invited to participate in these programs, with a Letter of Agreement signed March 20, 2023 between DHR Health and Texas A&M Health to work together on these new residencies.
“DHR Health has learned today that Texas A&M Health is withdrawing from this agreement. DHR Health acknowledges this, and respects Texas A&M Health’s decision and wishes them well.
“DHR Health possesses all necessary resources, faculty and support to launch these excellent programs next month. These include the first-ever Emergency Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology and Surgical Critical Care Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs in the Rio Grande Valley, the only Urology residency in the RGV, and as well DHR Health’s own Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and General Surgery residency programs.
“DHR Health is committed to remain the leader for GME in the Rio Grande Valley, as a health system and now as an independent ACGME-accredited sponsor for our future physicians’ training programs.”
It was only a couple of months back that, to great fanfare, Texas A&M University Health Science Center and DHR Health announced increased collaboration in clinical research and graduate education.
The two institutions held a signing ceremony at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on March 29, with leaders from both institutions saying the collaboration will offer better integrated services for the residents of the Rio Grande Valley.
Those leaders included Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp, Jon Mogford, COO and senior vice president of Texas A&M Health, Dr. Carlos Cardenas (pictured above), chairman and co-founder of DHR Health, and Dr. Manish Singh, CEO of DHR Health.
In today’s news release, Texas A&M University Health Science Center said it will “end the planning and development of academic and clinical research affiliations” with DHR Health. “Upon further evaluation of our respective missions, we feel this separation is in the best interest of both organizations, the communities we serve and the state,” the news release states.
The news release points out that no current Texas A&M sponsored residents will be impacted by this decision. That is because all current residents at DHR Health are sponsored by previous academic affiliates and the health system.
“We continue to develop the best options to train our students and remain committed to bringing value and collaborative care to our South Texas communities,” said Jon Mogford, PhD, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Texas A&M Health.
The news release says Texas A&M Health has “long been committed” to the Valley through research, education and resources.
“From existing partners to the Global Institute for Hispanic Health and Healthy South Texas to water safety projects in the colonias and expansion of our nursing programs at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center, we will continue to strengthen current partnerships and engage new collaborators that improve the health and well-being of the communities in the Rio Grande Valley,” the news release states.
The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service understands that DHR was hopeful of securing, with Texas A&M’s help, $25 million from the state Legislature during the recently concluded 88th session for an education and research building. The building would likely have been erected on DHR’s main campus in Edinburg. Texas A&M University Health Science Center was going to be involved in this research.
However, the Guardian understands that when differences between the House and Senate versions of House Bill 1 – the budget bill – were being reconciled by a conference committee late in the session, the $25 million for the education and research building was appropriated solely to Texas A&M. Texas A&M is expected to build the education and research center on its McAllen campus.
The Guardian sought confirmation that funds earmarked for DHR were moved to Texas A&M from state Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, but a call and email to his office was not returned.
There was no mention of the $25 million research center in today’s news release from DHR.
Earlier this year, Dr. Singh, DHR’s CEO, called on state lawmakers to help his institution become a a national leader in Hispanic medical research. Singh made his pitch for state funding during the RGV Partnership’s 2023 Valley Legislative Tour in late January. The tour included a visit to DHR’s new hospital in Brownsville.
“We have a chance to make a transformational change in the state of healthcare in Texas, to become a national leader in cutting edge, clinical trials of Hispanics,” Singh told the Guardian, just before making his presentation to state lawmakers.
Singh said legislators need to pay attention to the changing demographics of Texas. The Hispanic population is growing fast and a high percentage of the state’s workforce will be Hispanic in the not too distant future.
“Our legislators need to pay attention. If we want to maintain the economic engine here of Texas, they need to pay attention to this population,” Singh said.
Editor’s Note: Rio Grande Guardian healthcare reporter Julia Rodriguez contributed to this story from Edinburg.
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