Former Driscoll Patient Gives Back
Injury Prevention
Doctors and medical staff can affect lives well beyond health and wellness. For Maria Garza Dill, MD, a Family Practice Physician in the Rio Grande Valley, her childhood experience at Driscoll Children’s Hospital inspired her to help others. In 1971, Dr. Dill met James W. Simpson, MD, at Driscoll’s Rio Grande Valley outreach clinic. At 12, based on guidance from Dr. Simpson, she began a three-year journey to convince her parents she needed a lifesaving heart surgery. Her parents had already lost two other children and were not prepared to lose another. “I recall my first visit with Dr. Simpson sitting next to me and drawing a detailed heart with the blood circulating for me to keep. Every visit, he would get a piece of blank paper and redraw a heart for me with added details as I grew older and learned more with every visit. By age 15, I convinced my parents I fully understood the necessary procedure and agreed to our first trip to Corpus Christi for my heart catheterization and subsequent corresponding surgery,” said Dr. Dill.
“My recovery after the surgery and follow-up visits continued with Dr. Simpson and the team of resident doctors until I was 18. The 6 years of clinical care and interaction with Dr. Simpson, the pediatric residency doctors, the outreach clinic, and hospital nurses showed me that I, too, was destined to help people. After graduating from the DCH Cardiology program, I continued to graduate school, then medical school, and returned to the Rio Grande Valley to continue my medical career and serving others,” she said. In January 2022, after touring Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Dr. Dill and her husband Dan, established the Dr. Maria Garza Dill Cardiology Endowment for the benefit of children with congenital heart disease and other rare cardiac conditions. In June 2023, The Cardiology Conference Room at Driscoll Children’s Hospital was named in honor of Dr. Dill. Celebrating the special occasion were Driscoll Residents from the Rio Grande Valley, Giselle Ricoy, Doctor Osteopathic from Brownsville, TX, and Jannzeth Trevino, Doctor Osteopathic from Mission, TX.
As part of our Trauma Services Program, our Injury Prevention Team promotes critical safety initiatives through community education and car seat distribution. In a hospital setting, education is provided at the bedside. However, as we trend injury types in the pediatric population, we understand there is an opportunity to be proactive in educating our patients and families in the community. Currently, our team has a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. This grant was written by Karen Beard, Injury Prevention Supervisor at Corpus Christi. Although we are not designated as a Trauma Program at Rio Grande Valley, we have hired a team to begin these initiatives in preparation for the future and support this grant.
Alberto Rodriguez is our Injury Prevention Coordinator at Rio Grande Valley. Currently, the team has held numerous events in the community partnering with law enforcement and fire departments, and other organizations. From November 2022 through June, the team has given out 400 car seats and has held 154 car seat classes in different communities/counties. The Injury Prevention team has educated 42 families on hot car and pedestrian dangers. The injury Prevention team has also provided education to over 100 professionals in the community, including various law enforcement agencies. Injury Prevention has held one National Certification Class and will hold another class in August. They have also developed a mentorship program to help keep certified child passenger safety technicians certified.
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