In response to an ongoing shortage of health care professionals in the Rio Grande Valley, 80 industry representatives and school districts recently gathered at South Texas College to discuss how to support and encourage students to pursue careers in the medical field. Currently, health care is a field that occupies more than 25 percent of the region’s total employment. As the first institution in the nation to offer a registered…
The Mid-Valley has a new healthcare option with Knapp Medical Center extending urgent care at a Mercedes clinic it jointly operates with the UTRGV School of Medicine. Knapp Medical of Weslaco recently added urgent care to the services offered at the UT Health RGV/Knapp Family Health Center at Expressway 83 and North Mile 2 W Road. A wide range of essential medical services are offered by UTRGV staff during daytime…
With a growing need to transport patients over longer distances and in a wider variety of weather conditions, Air Methods has opened a fixed wing base — AirLift 10 Texas — in New Braunfels that will support the entire state and communities already served by AirLift Texas bases. “This is very exciting for the Rio Grande Valley as we’re seeing more and more patients needing to be transported to hospitals as…
DHR Health hosts its annual “Circle of Care” Caregivers Conference on Nov. 18, offering valuable resources, support and empowerment to caregivers from across the Rio Grande Valley. DHR Health hosts the event in the month of November every year in honor of National Family Caregivers Month, and offers an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges faced by caregivers. The “Circle of Care” Caregivers Conference has been a longstanding initiative…
The DHR Health Institute for Research and Development announced has launched a clinical trial that will evaluate the use of mobile phone-based eye-tracking software as a diagnostic tool for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Senseye software looks to revolutionize the way in which healthcare providers and patients diagnose and manage mental health conditions. If Senseye meets FDA approval, it would diagnose PTSD through eye movements, without the need to conduct…
Rio Grande Regional Hospital recently conducted its first TransCarotid Artery Revascularization procedure to treat carotid artery disease and prevent future strokes. Before TCAR, the main treatment option for severe carotid artery disease was an open surgical procedure, carotid endarterectomy. CEA removes plaque from inside the carotid artery to restore normal blood flow to the brain, but the large incision leaves a visible scar the length of the neck. It carries…
Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, a member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, is the only hospital in the Rio Grande Valley to receive a five-star rating in the latest hospital ratings report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The five-star rating is the highest possible rating (on a scale of one to five). It reflects exceptional quality care being provided to Valley patients by physicians, nurses and…
Three Rio Grande Valley hospitals are addressing the region’s chronic nursing shortage with a bold plan to develop their own registered nurses. The hospitals are Harlingen Medical Center, Mission Regional Medical Center and Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco. The group’s parent company is California-based Prime Healthcare. The latter has entered into an agreement with the Texas School of Health Sciences to offer an 18-month, 40-hour weekly immersion program that will…
DHR Health has welcomed Dr. Christian D. Avalos to its team of cardiologists at the DHR Health Heart Institute. In his role as an interventional cardiologist, Avalos will specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of heart and blood vessel conditions using advanced catheter-based techniques and specialized imaging methods. Avalos’s expertise extends to addressing coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, and congenital heart ailments, as well as preventing heart disease and…
UTRGV will offer a new Doctor of Physical Therapy program starting summer 2025 to increase the number of trained therapists in the Rio Grande Valley and access to therapy services. The program, under the UTRGV Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health Professions, will have an anticipated cohort of 40 students per year. The 113-hour program was approved by both Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and…