South Texas Health System officially opens STHS ER Pharr

PHARR, Texas – Having an emergency room in a rural community is extremely important, especially when dealing with a medical emergency like a traumatic accident, heart attack or stroke.

This is the view of Brenda Ivory, chief executive officer, South Texas Health System Heart.

Ivory also oversees South Texas Health System’s freestanding emergency departments. In this capacity, Ivory spoke at the grand opening of STHS’s new $14.3 million Emergency Room in Pharr.

“It’s about how quickly emergency medicine personnel can provide lifesaving or life-stabilizing measures. Every second matters. The design enhancement at STHS ER Pharr will allow us to provide emergency care more efficiently and effectively,” Ivory said.

The Pharr facility is STHS’s 7th freestanding emergency department in the Rio Grande Valley. It is located near the intersection of Cage Boulevard and Ridge Road. 

 Here is a video recording of Ivory’s remarks at the grand opening:

STHS has four acute care hospitals and seven freestanding emergency departments in the Rio Grande Valley, making the South Texas Health System Trauma & Critical Institute the largest integrated network of emergency care south of San Antonio.

In 2023, 231,112 emergency visits were reported across South Texas Health System’s facilities, an 11percent increase from the previous year, making STHS one of the busiest emergency care networks in the State of Texas.

“The city of Pharr has experienced tremendous growth throughout the years and continues to expand, so a facility like this is much needed to serve residents in the city and surrounding communities,” said Daniel Garcia, BSN, RN, director of freestanding emergency departments at STHS’s Pharr, McColl and Monte Cristo facilities.

“The STHS ER Pharr team is looking forward to serving the people of the Hub City of the Valley with quality, close-to-home emergency care.”

STHS’s new facility will serve as the only emergency room in the Pharr city limits. The health system says the facility will provide round-the-clock emergency medical care for adult and pediatric patients dealing with a variety of medical conditions, as well as stabilizing treatment for higher acuity conditions like trauma, stroke and heart attack.

“The 10,500-square-foot facility features nine treatment spaces, including six private exam rooms and three spaces unique to STHS ER Pharr,” an STHS press release states.

“They include a trauma room that will allow medical staff to swiftly treat and stabilize patients with higher acuity conditions before transferring them to a local Trauma Center, a patient of size room that features expanded clearance space and a ceiling-mounted lift for safe patient handling and mobility for patients with excess weight, and a decontamination room where staff can work closely with first responders to remove or neutralize hazardous materials, including chemicals, radioactive substances and infectious material, from injured or ill patients to prevent further harm and optimize the chance of a full recovery for the exposed person.”

In addition to Ivory, attendees of the grand opening ceremony heard from South Texas Health System Board of Governors Chairman J. Humberto Rodriguez; City of Pharr City Manager Dr. Jonathan B. Flores; and Pharr City Commissioner Dr. Ramiro Caballero.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard H. Cortez provided a video statement on the impact the new freestanding ER will have in the City of Pharr and the surrounding communities.

Rodriguez has served on the STHS Board of Governors for four decades. He says he has witnessed first-hand the tremendous growth of the healthcare system.

Beyond emergency care, Rodriguez said, STHS ER Pharr will also provide outpatient laboratory and imaging services with limited wait times, including health checks and screenings, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, X-ray and digital radiography.

“It’s all part of South Texas Health System’s mission to be the leader in healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley and provide quality, compassionate care to the patients in the communities we proudly serve, whether they need emergency care, hospitalization or outpatient services,” Rodriguez said.

“As the Valley’s largest integrated network of healthcare, we’re committed to meeting the needs of our ever-growing community, and we look forward to continuing to expand our services to serve the people of the Valley.”

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