BROWNSVILLE, Texas - DHR Health is slated to officially open a 59-bed general hospital in Brownsville, Texas, in the coming weeks.
According to information sent to the Texas Health & Human Services Commission, DHR says the hospital will have 39 medical/surgical inpatient beds at single occupancy and 59 at double occupancy, along with "clinical laboratory services, diagnostic x-ray services, treatment facility, including surgery, a 24/7 basic emergency department, intensive care unit with three beds, and seven nursing stains with around-the-clock nursing care."
In order to build and operate a general hospital in Brownsville, DHR Health had to seek an exception to a federal prohibition against expansion of the facility capacity of a physician-owned hospital.
DHR Health is a physician-owned hospital based in Edinburg, Texas. It needed the approval of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to expand into Brownsville.
As it considered DHR’s application, CMS invited public comment. Some of the correspondence CMS received was in favor of DHR’s expansion. Some was against. Here, below, are letters sent by three state lawmakers in support of DHR’s expansion plans.
February 22, 2022
The Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure,
I write in full support of the application for expansion by Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR Health). As a locally owned and operated health system, DHR Health is deeply committed to the betterment of our community.
Over the years, DHR Health has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in bringing the most advanced health care services to our region and to eliminate the need for our community members to have to travel hundreds of miles to San Antonio or Houston to get the care they need here at home. With no public hospital in Hidalgo County where DHR Health is based, DHR Health serves as our community safety-net hospital and gives approximately $44M in charity care annually, and over $400M in charity care over the last decade.
Additionally, DHR Health supports our community in a myriad of ways. The health system donates hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to support community events, charities, and causes. Its employees donate thousands of hours annually to support local charities and public service events. In addition, DHR Health hosts two annual fundraisers - the Fishing for Hope (FFH) fishing tournament and the Renaissance Cancer Gala which together raise over $600k for our community. The FFH tournament supports the operations of a free non-profit charitable health clinic providing care to the uninsured. The Renaissance Cancer Gala supports the Renaissance Cancer Foundation which provides financial support to low-income and uninsured individuals who are battling cancer. These are just a few examples of how DHR Health supports its community.
I am proud to have a physician-lead community partner like DHR Health in my district. Thank you for the opportunity to provide my support.
Sincerely,
Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa
State Senator, District 20
March 9, 2022
The Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure,
I am writing to you to show my support for Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Ltd.’s (DHR Health) physician-owned hospital high Medicaid facility expansion application. DHR Health is a locally-owned and operated community health system located in my district.
DHR Health has transformed the delivery of healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley. Twenty five years ago, our residents had to travel hundreds of miles to gain access to specialized and advanced healthcare services. Due in large part to DHR Health, that is no longer the case.
DHR Health has grown to meet the needs of our community and offers the most comprehensive and advanced healthcare services in the region. For example, DHR Health offers 70 specialties and sub-specialties, the region’s first and only Level 1 trauma facility, the region’s only transplant program, a comprehensive stroke center, and the region’s first and only dedicated women’s hospital. The Women’s Hospital at Renaissance is a designated Level IV maternal care facility (the most advanced) and has a Level III neo-natal intensive care unit with outcomes in the top 5% in the world according to the Oxford-Vermont Network. Additionally, DHR Health has been instrumental in partnering with Driscoll Children’s Hospital to bring the most advanced pediatric services to our region. Expected to open in 2023 on DHR Health’s campus, Driscoll Children’s Hospital will open as the nation’s 35th freestanding children’s hospital and will transform pediatric care in the Valley.
I personally have received care at DHR Health and can attest that they provide high quality care for our community. For these reasons and more, I support DHR Health’s application for expansion.
Sincerely,
State Representative R.D. “Bobby” Guerra
House District 41
March 10, 2022
The Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure,
I write in support of Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Ltd.’s (DHR Health) physician-owned hospital high Medicaid facility expansion application. DHR Health is a locally owned and operated community health system located in the City of Edinburg. I am proud to represent this community-based institution in the Texas Legislature.
DHR Health is headquartered in the City of Edinburg and has been a catalyst for both economic growth and a transformation of our city and region’s healthcare system for the better. The City of Edinburg is now the fastest growing city in the Rio Grande Valley and that is in no small part due to DHR Health. Twenty five years ago, the land where DHR Health sits today was agricultural. Today sits a sprawling state-of-the-art medical campus offering my community access to some of the most advanced health care services along the U.S.-Mexico border, including the region’s first and only Level I trauma facility. With 5,000 employees and an economic impact of $1B+ annually, DHR Health is an economic engine that has transformed this part of my community into a bustling and integral part of the city.
I fully support DHR Health’s expansion application and look forward to the benefits that future expansion will bring to my constituents. Please let me or my office know if I can provide any other support for this expansion.
Very truly yours,
Representative Terry Canales
Texas House District 40
Editor's Note: The above news story is the first in a series of stories about DHR Health's expansion into Brownsville.
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