PHARR, Texas - The South Texas Health System Trauma & Critical Care Institute is set to open its seventh freestanding emergency department, South Texas Health System ER Pharr, on Monday, October 7.
The $14.3 million facility, located near the intersection of Cage Boulevard and Ridge Road, was mentioned by Juanita “Janie” Cavazos, property development manager for Pharr Economic Development Corporation, in a presentation she made at a Rio Grande Valley Partnership “Commercialization and Investment Tour” event held at the Pharr One Center earlier this week.
“The South Texas Health System facility is 10,500 square feet. It is a freestanding ambulatory surgical emergency center. Its opening date is on October 7,” Cavazos said.
STHS ER Pharr is located at 435 W. Ridge Rd. in Pharr.
According to an STHS press advisory the new facility will be the only emergency room in the city of Pharr.
“It will provide round-the-clock emergency medical care for adult and pediatric patients residing in Pharr and its surrounding communities. The closest ER for the people in the southern parts of Pharr, the full-service ER will treat patients dealing with a variety of medical conditions including chest pain, broken bones, minor lacerations, flu and other ailments, as well as stabilizing treatment for trauma, head injury, stroke, heart attack, respiratory distress, abdominal pain and orthopedic injuries,” the advisory states.
The press advisory says the new facility will feature nine treatment spaces, including six private/semi-private exam rooms and three spaces unique to STHS ER Pharr. They include a trauma room that will allow medical staff to swiftly treat and stabilize patients with higher acuity conditions before transferring them to a local Trauma Center, person of size room that features a ceiling-mounted lift for safe patient handling and mobility for patients of size, and a fully enclosed decontamination room where staff can remove hazardous materials, including chemicals, radioactive substances, and infectious material, from patients in need.
“South Texas Health System is officially making a footprint in Pharr,” says Daniel Garcia, director, STHS ER Pharr, STHS ER Monte Cristo and STHS ER McColl. “The city has experienced tremendous growth over the years, and this type of facility is desperately needed to serve residents living in Pharr and the surrounding communities.”
Beyond emergency care, Garcia said STHS ER Pharr will also provide outpatient diagnostic services, including computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, X-ray and digital radiography with limited wait times.
Garcia added: “It’s all part of South Texas Health System’s commitment to provide quality, compassionate emergency care to the people of the Rio Grande Valley. As the Valley’s largest integrated network of healthcare, we’ll be able to provide life-saving care in-house or life-stabilizing treatment and then easily work with our sister facilities, including our Level I Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center at STHS McAllen and dedicated cardiac facility at STHS Heart, to ensure higher acuity patients get the care they need in a timely manner.”
While the new ER center officially opens to the public on October 7, South Texas Health System will hold two special events to celebrate the new facility on the STHS ER Pharr grounds on Thursday, October 3.
The first will be a ceremony with local dignitaries and community leaders from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., where attendees will be able to take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion. That event will be followed by a community celebration from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. that will feature no-cost health screenings, a community resources fair and tours of the facility. The entire community is welcome to attend the evening event.
Editor’s Note: To contact the new facility, call (956) 403-5550. For more information on the system’s seventh freestanding emergency department, visit https://www.southtexashealthsystem.com/our-facilities/south-texas-health-system-er-pharr.
