Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley Opened Its Doors Driscoll Training Center Ribbon Cutting Senator Cornyn Visits & Tree Planting Ceremony In this issue: Lieutenant Governor Patrick Tours New Hospital
IN THE LOOP RGV NEWSLETTER | JULY 2024
Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley Opened Its Doors
Driscoll Training Center Ribbon Cutting Senator Cornyn Visits & Tree Planting Ceremony
In this issue:
Lieutenant Governor Patrick Tours New Hospital
Letter from Eric Hamon President & CEO, Driscoll Health System
We are thrilled to share the excitement and joy that comes with the opening of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley.
This moment is more than just the unveiling of a new facility; it represents hope, progress, and a brighter future for countless children in our community. The air is filled with a sense of relief and anticipation, knowing that children in the Valley now have access to the specialized care they need right here at home. As we reflect on this significant milestone, we are overwhelmed with gratitude and pride. The journey to this day has been one of dedication, hard work, and unwavering community support. The hospital's opening is a beacon of hope, symbolizing the collective efforts and dreams of everyone involved. It's a time for us to celebrate, to feel proud of what we have accomplished together, and to look forward to a future where every child has the chance to thrive. Thank you for being part of this remarkable journey with us,
God Bless and make it a great day,
Eric Hamon President & CEO Driscoll Health System
Driscoll Cuts Ribbon to $2.7 Million Training Center in Rio Grande Valley
On February 13, Driscoll leadership and Rio Grande Valley officials gathered to celebrate a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new training center. The training center houses three simulation labs that will replicate the day-to-day reality of working in a hospital or clinic, such as practicing for routine or emergency scenarios. Driscoll has invested $2.7 million into the project so far. This is Driscoll’s second training center, and the first pediatric training center in the Rio Grande Valley.
The facility is expected to provide more than 1,100 hours of training a year to personnel across multiple disciplines. Employees, ranging from new graduates to seasoned medical staff, will be among those receiving training. The training center will also help staff the newly opened Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley, the region’s first designated freestanding children’s hospital.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Tours $100 Million Driscoll Children’s Hospital RGV Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick visited South Texas on April 20 to tour Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley before it opened. At a press conference with Driscoll leadership and staff, the lieutenant governor spoke about his fondness for the Valley and about the importance of opening a new children’s hospital in Edinburg. “This is going to be an answer to prayer. You don’t have to go to Corpus and stay overnight,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, referring to the long drive patients in the Valley had to make to receive care at Driscoll Children's Hospital Corpus Christi, the nearest specialty acute care hospital for kids. “Now you have a place in the valley that they can go to. And their families can have hope and they have the care that they need. It’s really significant,” Patrick said. The lieutenant governor said people would look back 30 years from now and recognize the opening of the hospital as historic.
Driscoll RGV Celebration
A few weeks before the opening of the RGV's first designated children’s hospital (and on the same day as the lieutenant governor’s visit), Driscoll Board of Directors, staff and community members gathered to celebrate on April 20. During this special evening Driscoll members recognized the years of work leading up to this historic moment for healthcare in the Valley.
A Day in the Life
Ahead of the hospital opening, Driscoll nurses and staff practiced emergency scenarios to stay on their feet for the big day. Driscoll employees practiced “Day in the Life” training exercises, including a Code Blue (medical emergency), Code Yellow (disaster), Code Pink (missing patient), and others. The energy, excitement, and the collective feeling of wanting to be perfect for our first patients made these exercises fun and memorable.
DCH RGV Opened Its Doors Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley officially opened May 8, 2024. The eight-story, $100 million hospital is prepared to provide acute pediatric specialty care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. “Our team is excited and ready to serve this community. From this moment on, children in the Rio Grande Valley with complex medical conditions will have access to care here at home, regardless of their ability to pay,” said Matt Wolthoff, President of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley.
Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley opened with 119 pediatric beds and 700 employees. It will generate $124.7 million per year in economic growth to Texas, according to a Perryman Group study.
Senator Cornyn Visits & Tree Planting Ceremony
Senator John Cornyn met with Driscoll leadership on May 30 to receive a tour of the new Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley. The senator delivered remarks at a press conference and participated in a tree planting ceremony. “Families and children now have access to 175,000 square feet of premier medical infrastructure,” Sen. John Cornyn said during his speech to media, local officials, and healthcare workers. “I just toured the new hospital and what an incredible facility it is. It offers nearly 120 patient beds, eight operating rooms, sophisticated technology, and even a therapy dog named Tesla,” Cornyn said.
Wild Olive
During Senator Cornyn's visit a native tree was planted to symbolize the importance of Driscoll’s growth in the Valley. The Quinta Mazatlán, a McAllen urban bird sanctuary, was instrumental in providing the perfect tree for this historic occasion, a native tree, a Wild Olive, also known locally as Anacahuita. Throughout history, olive trees have symbolized friendship, cleansing, healing, victory and above all: a sign of peace. All things we wish for our families at Driscoll. Wild Olive trees are sturdy, adapted to our weather and produce beautiful white flowers. This tree and its branches represent the families of the Valley, and home for Driscoll.
In the Community • Brownsville Charro Days • Pharr State of the City • McAllen State of the City • McAllen Boys & Girls 2024 Gala • Vipers Games • Good Morning McAllen Breakfast • The Challenge - RGV City of Edinburg • Make a Wish RGV • CASA Superhero 5K • Cystic Fibrosis Foundation • IDEA Public School’s Farm to Fork • The Crawfish Boil • Casa Royal Ball • City of Pharr Mayor's Prayer Luncheon • Children’s Bereavement Center Annual Gala • State of the City Address City of Harlingen • South Texas College Career Day • Sames Harlingen & McAllen Ribbon Cuttings • Moon over Mazatlan
HR Update
The staffing plan for the hospital's opening exceeded expectations, and with the facility now fully operational, the work continues. The HR team is working closely with department leaders to identify and address any ongoing resource requirements. This includes providing training support for staff, handling administrative tasks, and offering other tailored assistance to meet the hospital's evolving needs. For example, just one month into the hospital's opening, increased patient volume and acuity levels required adding more staff to support the higher patient census and acuity levels. This also resulted in the opening of a fourth floor. Several pediatric job openings currently need to be filled. We want to remind employees that we offer a referral bonus program if you help us recruit. Please refer qualified candidates to help us bring on the best nurses to provide excellent care for our patients. For any HR-related questions or needs, please don't hesitate to contact our HR team. They are more than happy to assist you.
Development Update
Hard Hat Tours
Thank you to all the community members and friends of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley for joining us, both then and now, for our hard hat tours. Your support and participation have been invaluable, and we are grateful for your continued commitment to our mission.
CMN Champion
Each year, Driscoll Children’s Hospital welcomes one patient as the Children’s Miracle Network patient champion. This year’s CMN Champion, Paislie, and her family joined Matt Wolthoff, President of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley, and our Driscoll CMN Team to visit some of our Rio Grande Valley fundraising partners, such as Costco Wholesale, Dairy Queen, Panda Express, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. Paislie and her family had an opportunity to share her courageous story and thank them for helping to raise money for our local Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley patients.
Alfredo Galan Human Resources Manager alfredo.galan@dchstx.org Cell: (956) 346-3936
Betty Salinas Human Resources Business Partner betty.salinas@dchstx.org Cell: (956) 632-8389 Clarissa Patino, PHR Human Resources Business Partner clarissa.patino@dchstx.org Cell: (956) 330-1264
DRISCOLLCAREERS.ORG
DCH RGV Patient Story
Natalie Escobedo
Natalie’s world revolved around all-things cowboys. A spirited young girl from the Rio Grande Valley, things changed when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the tender age of twelve. Suddenly, her days were replaced by hospital rooms and chemotherapy sessions. For eleven long months her family traveled to Corpus Christi for treatment.
Despite the harsh reality Natalie’s spirit remained unbroken. After being cared for by Driscoll, Natalie is now in remission.
Putting no time to waste, Natalie is giving back to other kids in need with her mom Melissa at the Edinburg Cattlemen’s Roundup.
Sponsored by Lyssy & Eckel Feeds, the annual South Texas Cattlemen’s Roundups are auctions held at local cattle auction barns throughout Driscoll’s 31-county service area.
The cherished community events are a way for kids to help other kids in need, and Natalie is a shining example of that spirit of giving.
Join Driscoll on Saturday, August 10, 2024, at 10 AM at the Edinburg Livestock Auction.
2024 Save the Dates
Hallettsville Tuesday, June 11 | 12PM Hallettsville Livestock Auction Three Rivers Monday, June 17 | 12PM Live Oak Auction Alice Tuesday, July 9 | 11AM Gulf Coast Livestock Market Rio Grande City Friday, July 12 | 11AM Triple G Livestock Auction
Beeville Friday, July 19 | 10AM Beeville Livestock Auction Barn Cuero Friday, July 26 | 6PM Friar Ag Center Edinburg Saturday, August 10 | 10AM Edinburg Livestock Auction
Letter from Matt Wolthoff President, Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley
It has been an extremely exciting Spring in south Texas for Driscoll Health System and I am thrilled to announce the opening of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley - the only freestanding designated children’s hospital in the Rio Grande Valley, the fifth of its’ kind in the state, and thirty- third nation-wide. This is a pivotal moment for our community, marking a tremendous enhancement in the accessibility and quality of specialty acute care for our children in deep south Texas. We have built a world class team dedicated exclusively to the needs of children, ensuring that they receive the specialized care and attention they deserve. This team is composed of the best and brightest in pediatric healthcare from south Texas and beyond. In fact, now that the hospital is open, we are seeing more and more talented healthcare professionals, including pediatric specialists, looking to return home to the Rio Grande Valley to serve in our mission. In the first two months of operation alone, Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley has accepted 185 transfers from RGV acute care hospitals, admitted 293 children as inpatients, performed 593 surgeries, and seen a total of 1660 children in our emergency department. This did not include the NICU for the first month of operation, which as of this writing has a census of 50 babies, as we brought those 63 beds on three weeks after opening the tower. The community’s reception has been overwhelmingly positive, just validating the need for our facility and services. We recognize this is a starting point and to truly meet the needs of our community, we will need to grow and expand capacity in the near future. I feel truly blessed and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead this initiative alongside so many dedicated professionals. The Driscoll Way is alive and well in the Rio Grande Valley and we will continue to work tirelessly in the pursuit of excellence and to ensure all children in south Texas have access to the healthcare that they deserve.
Together, we heal.
Matt Wolthoff
driscollchildrens.org
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