Category Archives: Healthcare

VBR Business Briefs

Community Healthcare News Technology Comments
Nursing students in Starr County are the beneficiaries of a new grant program that provides financial support as they complete their clinical training. (Courtesy)

Starr County Health Care Gets Boost Healthcare in Starr County recently received a major boost through internship grants for students pursuing careers in medical fields while completing their clinical training. A $100,000 Healthcare Internship Fund Grant with resources provided by the Texas Workforce Commission will offer stipends of up to $900 for Starr County students seeking health care careers. The grant program is a partnership between the Roma Independent School…

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Valley Regional Medical Center Named to Top 100 Hospitals

e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments

Valley Regional Medical Center has been recognized as a top performing hospital in the 2026 Modern Healthcare 100 Top Hospitals program powered by Premier. “We are extremely proud of and grateful to our colleagues and clinicians on our medical staff whose dedication made this achievement possible,” said Joe Hernandez, CEO of Valley Regional Medical Center. “Our commitment to best practices helps us deliver high-quality care with our patients at the…

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Texas Valley Coastal Bend VA Wins Best Patient Experience Award

e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments
VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System

VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System in Harlingen has been awarded the 2025 Veterans Health Administration Customer Experience Award for Best Patient Experience Award for facility complexity level 2. This national recognition honors VATVCBHCS demonstrating the Under Secretary for Health’s Veterans First priority by delivering exceptional patient experiences and exemplifying VHA’s mission to build trust, improve access and provide high‑quality, veteran‑centered care. The VHA CX Awards recognize facilities that…

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Dentists Provide Care Across RGV

Healthcare News Comments
Rodeo Dental is a committed Dentists Who Care partner. The company’s CEO, Dr. Saam Zarrabi, serves as president of the board.

A mobile unit rolled into towns across the Rio Grande Valley in 1996 and made children healthier along the way.  A small group of local dentists applied for funding from the Community Development Block Grant program and gathered donations in launching Dentists Who Care, a nonprofit group. They also gathered a group of volunteer dentists committed to “Bridging Smiles. Transforming Lives,” a motto seen on dentistswhocare.org. The dentists took time…

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Pharr EMS Expands Prehospital Care

e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments
Pharr EMS and TRAUMAGEL

Pharr EMS has introduced TRAUMAGEL into its emergency medical response system, becoming the first EMS service in the Rio Grande Valley and south of Houston to use the innovative, life-saving technology. TRAUMAGEL is a plant-based hemostatic gel designed to control moderate to severe bleeding in seconds. Applied directly to a wound, the gel conforms to the injury site to rapidly control bleeding, helping stabilize patients until they receive advanced medical…

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STHS Heart to Host Heroes With Heart 5K

Community Events e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments

In observance of American Heart Month and to help educate the community on the importance of heart-healthy behaviors like regular physical activity and a well-balanced diet, South Texas Health System Heart will host its 12th annual Heroes with Heart 5K Walk/Run on Feb. 28 on the STHS Heart campus in McAllen. Open to the community, this year’s 5K will honor Rio Grande Valley service industry professionals who have survived and…

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DHR Health Hosts “Circle of Care” Conference

Community Events e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments
caregiver

DHR Health celebrates family caregivers by inviting them to its 12th annual “Circle of Care” Caregivers Conference on Dec. 6 at at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. The event is designed to empower caregivers with knowledge, resources and inspiration while also prioritizing something they often neglect — their own health and well-being. Taking place from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the conference includes workshops, interactive educational sessions, wellness-focused discussions,…

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Doctor Helps MS Patients In RGV

Healthcare News Comments
Saxophonist Quentin Donalson and tubist Oscar Ortiz share their musical talents with the crowd at the McAllen Wind Ensemble Veterans Day 2025 concert. (Photo McAllen Wind Ensemble)

Dr. Roberto Alejandro Cruz moved to the Rio Grande Valley in the summer of 2020 and a few months later developed a vision for a comprehensive multiple sclerosis center at DHR Health. Five years later, the DHR Health Neuroscience Institute in McAllen received an official designation that makes it the only center of its kind south of San Antonio. Cruz is the center director of a medical facility that earned…

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STC Offering Free CPR Courses

Community e-Brief Features Education Featured Healthcare News Comments
South Texas College Continuing Education is holding free Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support and first aid with certification.

South Texas College Continuing Education is currently holding free Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Basic Life Support and first aid classes with certification from the American Heart Association. Registration is now open to anyone in the community including health care professionals, police officers and community members who seek training that can help save lives in emergency situations. The free CPR courses are funded by a grant from Texas Mutual, which has been providing…

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Solis Mammography Opens in Brownsville

e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments

Solis Mammography, the nation’s largest independent provider of specialized breast health services, is now operating out of Valley Regional Medical Center, expanding screening and diagnostic breast imaging services to Brownsville and the lower Rio Grande Valley region. Patients in the Brownsville and lower Rio Grande Valley communities may now experience the latest in innovative technology, including the integration of AI software with 3D mammography for greater accuracy and earlier-stage cancer detection.…

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