Harlingen: A Leader in Health Care Industry

Valley Baptist Medical Center (VBMC)

Valley Baptist Medical Center is the primary referral hospital for comprehensive and sub-specialty care in South Texas. Ranked one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation - and the only one south of Houston - for saving lives and reducing complications in heart patients, according to Thomson Healthcare. This 450-bed general hospital and Level III Trauma Center Provides state-of-the-art medical, surgical, obstetric and pediatric care.

VBMC Capabilities
  • Medical, cardiovascular, surgical, neurological and newborn/pediatric intensive care
  • Air ambulance transportation
  • Cardiac catheterization with interventional and electro physiology capabilities
  • Active cardiovascular, general, neurosurgery, ophthalmic, orthopedic, plastic and urological surgery services
  • Pulmonary and gastrointestinal endoscopy
  • Hemodialysis
  • Outpatient multi-specialty diabetes care
  • Wound care services
  • Hospice care
  • Rehabilitation facility providing inpatient and outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech/language therapy
  • Radiology services including CT, MRI, sonography, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and radiation therapy

  • Valley Baptist Medical and Dental Staff
    Specialty
    Quantity
    Specialty
    Quantity
    Allergy/Immunology
    1
    		Pain Management
    3
    Anesthesiology
    18
    		Pathology
    8
    Cardiology
    18
    		Pediatrics - General
    27
    Cardiovascular Surgery
    6
    		Pediatrics - Cardiology
    6
    Critical Care
    8
    		Pediatrics - Critical Care
    11
    Dermatology
    3
    		Pediatric Dentistry
    7
    Diabetes/Endocrinology
    2
    		Pediatrics - Endocrinology
    1
    Emergency Medicine
    16
    		Pediatrics - Genetics
    1
    Family Practice
    43
    		Pediatric Gastroenterology
    1
    Gastroenterology
    5
    		Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
    6
    Genetics
    2
    		Pediatric infectious diseases
    2
    Hospitalist - In Patient Care
    8
    		Pediatric - Neurology
    2
    Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO)
    1
    		Pediatrics Pulmonology
    1
    Internal Medicine
    84
    		Pediatrics - Rheumatology
    1
    Neonatology
    4
    		Pediatric surgery
    11
    Nephirology
    8
    		Physical Medicine and Rehab
    3
    Neurophysiology
    1
    		Plastic Surgery
    1
    Neurology
    3
    		Podiatry
    12
    Neurosurgery
    4
    		Psychiatry
    3
    OB/GYN
    17
    		Pulmonary diseases
    6
    GYN
    1
    		Radiology
    16
    Oncology/Hematology
    13
    		Radiation Oncology
    2
    Ophthalmology
    13
    		Rheumatology
    1
    Oral surgery
    6
    		Surgery - General
    6
    Orthopedic Surgery
    9
    		Urology
    7
    Otolaryngology (ENT)
    9
    		Dentistry
    8
    Source: Harlingen's Physicians Network

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC)

Mission
To develop programs of excellence in medical education and research and bring the considerable educational and clinical care resources of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to the citizens of the Rio Grande Valley.

  • An innovative multi-site academic community based in Brownsville, Harlingen and Edinburg.
  • Consists of a Medical Education and a Research Division and a School of Public Health.
  • Public health RAHC programs designed to address the diseases and public health issues that disproportionately afflict our region's population.
Facilities
  • $25 million campus, inaugurated in 2002.
  • $20 million campus, inaugurated in 2006.
  • $25.5 million Teaching/Learning Lab to house the Harlingen Veterans Healthcare Center and the U.S. Hispanic Nutrition Research and Education Center, inaugurated in 2007.
  • Enjoys widespread community support
  • More than 250 community-based practitioners have been qualified as clinical faculty of the RAHC
Medical Students
  • 3 classes have graduated from the ACGME accredited Internal Medicine Program.
  • Recent Internal Medicine resident graduates have a 100% pass rate
  • 75% of recent Internal Medicine graduates reside in the Rio Grande Valley.
  • 70% of recent Internal Medicine graduates are bilingual.
  • Over 400 medical students have completed at least one clinical rotation at the RAHC.
  • RAHC rotations are highly regarded by UTHSCSA faculty and students.
Producing Doctors for the Rio Grande Valley
  • 2002 - 2003: 8 Residents
  • 2003 - 2004: 12 Residents, 4 Graduates
  • 2004 - 2005: 13 Residents, 1 Chief Resident, 4 Graduates
  • 2005 - 2006: 15 Residents, 1 Chief Resident, 4 Graduates
  • 2006 - 2007: 16 Residents, 5 graduates
  • 1 Graduate currently practices Internal Medicine in the Rio Grande Valley
  • 3 Graduates currently practice Family/Community Medicine

South Texas VA Health Care Center At Harlingen (STVHCS)
  • A satellite outpatient clinic of The Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Provides ambulatory/primary care services to veterans.
  • 34,000 square foot facility opened Nov. 19, 2007
  • 47 full- or part-time medial professionals.
  • VA Outpatient Clinic offers primary care, mental health, social work, optometry, nutrition, emergency care and short stay admissions.

New services available at the new center include: audiology, dental, physical therapy, orthotics, podiatry, spinal cord injury care, mental health (including PTSD treatment) minor procedures, pharmacy, laboratory, digital X-ray, CT scan, diabetic retinal imaging and pulmonary function testing.

Su Clinica Familiar
Su Clinica Familia is the primary ambulatory medicine site, a JCAHO-accredited community health center providing longitudinal care for primarily indigent residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Su Clinica Familiar has convenient on-site radiology, laboratory and pharmacy services.

Valley Diagnostic Center
Valley Diagnostic Center is a group practice of sub-specialists and general internists housed in a modern office center with on-site laboratory and radiology services located next to Valley Baptist Medical Center.

Harlingen Medical Center

  • 24-hour Emergency Center designed and equipped to handle nearly all medical situations.
  • High quality care in cardiovascular services, neurology, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology.
  • Family members allowed 24-hour access to the patient. A sleeper bed for an overnight visitor has been incorporated into every room.
  • Educational and outreach programs to improve the health of the community.
  • All 112 private rooms are designed and equipped for every stage of treatment.

South Texas Emergency Care Foundation/Valley AirCare

  • Valley AirCare began on Feb. 1, 1995
  • Has transported more that 4,900 citizens of South Texas and Northern Mexico since its inception.
  • For long distance flights, Valley AirCare employs a fleet of medically configured, pressurized and non-pressurized piston, and jet aircraft, including a Learjet capable of flying at more than 500 mph.
  • Member of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), Texas AAMS, and other national and state organizations.
  • Community-owned, not-for-profit organization
  • Governed by a board of directors selected from the communities who are members of the organization.

The Foundation is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. The Foundation is the only CAMTS accredited EMS system south of San Antonio. Accreditation is important for the patients as it shows that the Foundation maintains the highest level of patient care and safety. There are only 111 CAMTS accredited programs in the US and Canada.

Air and ground services provided to

  • Brownsville
  • Harlingen
  • La Feria
  • Los Fresnos
  • McAllen
  • Palm Valley
  • Port Isabel
  • Primera
  • Raymondville
  • Rio Hondo
  • San Benito
  • Santa Rosa
  • Weslaco
  • Combes
  • Rancho Viejo
  • South Padre Island.

Service is also provided to the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy, as well as the unincorporated areas of other counties in South Texas. Fixed wing services are provided nationwide and to Mexico and Canada.

Rotor-wing Division

  • Offers rapid air medical transportation by helicopter throughout South Texas within 150 mile radius of Harlingen, its home base.
  • Equipped and licensed at the Mobile Intensive Care Unit level by the Texas Department of Health.
  • Available on request for inter-facility transfer of critically ill and intensive care patients.
  • The American Eurocopter AS350 BA helicopter has a cruising speed of more than 130 mph with a moving map system using satellite

Fixed Wing Division

  • Provides air medical services to and from the Rio Grande Valley to any point in the Continental United States, Mexico and Canada.
  • Especially useful for patients who must be flown long distances to receive specialized care such as at burn centers like Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio or Galveston's UTMB.
  • Provides rapid air evacuation to Valley hospitals for citizens and visitors to Mexico who become ill or injured.
  • Flies into Mexico using jets and turboprop aircraft and brings the critically ill and injured to hospitals in the United States.
  • Licensed by the Texas Department of Health as mobile intensive care units.
  • CAMTS accreditation and flight medical credentials meet or exceed all requirements of the air medical industry
  • Committed to providing the highest level of patient care.

Ground Transportation
The Foundation is committed to provide the best possible ground transportation to its community and citizens. The Ground Division consists of the most technological advanced equipment and modern fleet, combined with a staff of highly trained, dedicated professionals making STEC on of the top EMS services in the State of Texas.

911 Ambulance Services
A fleet of ambulances is strategically located in the area to facilitate efficient response times to the communities and the vast rural area served by the Foundation. 911 emergency transportation services are provided by contract with local cities and Cameron County. Over the past 25 years, the ground ambulances have responded to more than 227,000 calls for help.

Non-emergency Ambulance Services
Scheduled non-emergency ambulance transportation is provided to hospitals, nursing homes, patients at home and other facilities. Many patients need medical attention and transportation to and from medical facilities even though their condition may not require emergency response. While most patient transfers are in the local area, some are made to destinations outside of the Valley to distant parts of the State.

Critical Care Transport
Critical care transportation is designed to transport patients with specialized needs, usually from one medical facility to another on an emergency basis. These patients are typically in an emergency care unit such as Intensive Care at a Valley hospital. When it is necessary to move these patients to another facility, a specialized team must be sent. The team, which is composed of a Critical Care Registered Nurse, a Paramedic and an Emergency Medical Technician (if needed), responds in a specially equipped vehicle. The patient is then transported to the destination hospital.