STHS honors employee with STHS Veteran of the Year award

SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM HONORS LONGTIME EMPLOYEE, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, WITH THE STHS VETERAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

To show its appreciation for his 12 years of military service and 46 years of service as a healthcare hero, STHS has named Reymund DeLeon its 2024 STHS Veteran of the Year

South Texas Health System, the largest integrated network of healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley, is proud to employ nearly 100 veterans who follow up their brave service to our great nation by helping support the healthcare needs of patients across the system’s 12 facilities.

Each year, STHS recognizes one of those beloved veteran staff members with its STHS Veteran of the Year award, an honor bestowed upon a longtime STHS staff member who has proudly served in our nation’s military and then provided exceptional care to the people of the Rio Grande Valley.

This year, STHS named Reymund DeLeon, an EEG technologist with South Texas Health System McAllen’s Respiratory Services Department, as its 2024 STHS Veteran of the Year for helping provide quality, compassionate care to patients during his 46-year career with STHS.

“This award is a privilege,” says Reymund, who was recognized during a surprise ceremony at STHS Behavioral’s annual A Salute to Valley Veterans Concert & Community Fair over the weekend. “I feel recognized, and I feel good.”

At the age of 17, Reymund was encouraged by his brother to join the military.

“He asked me ‘do you want to try something new?’ and the next thing I knew I was in the military,” recalls Reymund, who served in the Army National Guard and earned the rank of Sergeant. “I served for 12 years and those were the best years of my life.”

During his tenure with the Army National Guard, Reymund was stationed in locations across the United States and even had the opportunity to travel with the state-based military force to Honduras. But it was the basic training he received in Central Texas that would inspire Reymund’s future.

“During medic training in San Antonio, I realized that I really wanted to work in the medical field,” he recalls. “Not only did I receive inspiring medical training, but the experience cemented my desire to serve others in need.”

Following his service to country, Reymund began his career as a housekeeper within the Environmental Services Department at McAllen General Hospital, which would be renamed as STHS McAllen, in May 1978. Four years later, he had the opportunity to receive additional training that would help him advance his career.

“He moved into the Cardiopulmonary Department as an equipment technician,” says Reymund’s supervisor Mary Lopez, RT, Director of Cardiopulmonary Services, STHS McAllen & STHS Heart. “He then took it upon himself to learn how to do EKGs and EEGs. There is no task too small or too big for Reymund; he always has a solution.”

Nearly a half century later, Reymund – the longest-standing veteran at South Texas Health – continues to excel.

“He’s extremely dedicated to his work, much like he is to our country,” says Lopez. “The love and loyalty that he demonstrates daily to our patients and his fellow staff members is nothing short of exceptional; he’s always going above and beyond the call of duty for our community just like he did during his service to our great nation.”

South Texas Health System extends a heartfelt thank you to Reymund, and all our staff members who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, for their commitment to in defense of our nation’s freedom, to the patients who entrust us with their care and the overall health and well-being of the Rio Grande Valley community.

About South Texas Health System
South Texas Health System is a multi-facility healthcare system serving patients throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The system includes four acute care facility campuses with specialties in pediatrics, heart and vascular services, maternity and women’s health and trauma services. Inpatient and outpatient treatment for behavioral health needs and addictive disorders is also provided through the system’s South Texas Health System Behavioral facility. South Texas Health System is affiliated with the South Texas Clinical Partners ACO, Prominence Health Plan, and Cornerstone Regional Hospital. The system operates an advanced Level I Trauma Center at South Texas Health System McAllen, the first and only freestanding children’s facility and pediatric ER at South Texas Health System Children’s, the region’s only freestanding heart hospital and specialized cardiac ER at South Texas Health System Heart, and seven freestanding emergency rooms located in and around Weslaco, Mission, Edinburg, McAllen and Alamo. For more information about the system and its comprehensive services, please visit www.southtexashealthsystem.com.

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