Texas Border Business
By Jennifer L. Berghom
Laguna Vista, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Valley dignitaries and the community on Wednesday celebrated the grand opening of its UT Health RGV Primary Care clinical site in Laguna Vista at 723 Santa Isabel Blvd.
UT Health RGV Primary Care at Laguna Vista is one of the medical sites the School of Medicine has been opening throughout the Valley as part of its mission to expand access to healthcare.
UTRGV and the School of Medicine worked closely with city and community leaders to open the primary care practice, which will serve an area that had been without such services nearby for years.
“I want to thank the leadership and residents of the Town of Laguna Vista for the opportunity to collaborate in establishing a primary care practice,” said Dr. John H. Krouse, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, executive vice president for Health Affairs at UTRGV and dean of the School of Medicine. “The opening of this site is consistent with our strategic goal of providing patient-centered care in communities across the Rio Grande Valley. We are thrilled to offer the best quality care to the residents of Laguna Vista and the Laguna Madre areas.”
Residents and community leaders gathered outside the clinical site to learn more about the services being offered and toured the facility. Dignitaries in attendance included Texas Rep.-elect Alex Dominguez (Dist. 37), Laguna Vista Mayor Susie Houston, members of the Laguna Vista Town Council and Community Development Corporation, South Padre Island Mayor Dennis Stahl, and representatives from the Point Isabel Independent School District.
UT Health RGV Primary Care at Laguna Vista offers a full range of primary care services to the community, including:
- Acute/Urgent Care.
- Well Care-all ages.
- On-Site Labs.
- Care for Chronic Conditions.
- School Physicals.
- Sports Physicals.
The practice operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, offers same-day appointments and welcomes walk-in appointments.
LONG-AWAITED IN THE COMMUNITY
The primary care site is providing much-needed care to the community, Houston said, and in fact, healthcare providers at the practice already have saved the life of a resident who visited the site recently with a medical emergency.
“It’s an honor to have my alma mater down here opening a clinical site,” said Houston, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from UTRGV legacy institution UT Pan American and completed some post-graduate coursework at legacy institution UT Brownsville-Texas Southmost College. “I’m proud to see the university grow to what it is now.”
The Laguna Madre community had been without a primary care provider for years, she said after a physician who had a practice in town moved out of the area. Residents have had to travel to Harlingen or Brownsville to see a physician, which was difficult for those who are elderly or do not have access to transportation.
Community leaders had been looking for another provider and began working with UTRGV and the School of Medicine about a year and a half ago to restore health care services to the Laguna Vista area.
“We felt this was the perfect place for UTRGV to have a medical presence,” she said. “We needed it and UTRGV wanted it.”
“Laguna Vista hopes this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship,” she said.
The grand opening included a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the facility.
UT HEALTH RGV
UT Health RGV Primary Care at Laguna Vista is one of many medical offices the UTRGV School of Medicine—through its clinical practice plan, UT Health RGV—has been opening to provide primary and specialty care to communities throughout the Valley.
Medical schools throughout the country usually have affiliated practices operated by faculty members who are licensed physicians, as well as other healthcare professionals and medical staff. Having a school of Medicine-affiliated physician provides patients with access to individuals who are training the next generation of healthcare providers, many of whom are involved in research related to diseases that affect the health of Valley families.
UT Health RGV has several offices open that provide primary and specialty care, including pediatric pulmonary, environmental health, genetics and neurology care, women’s health specialists, general and endocrine surgery, rheumatology and other services. More locations will be open in the coming months, including employee health centers at UTRGV’s campuses in Brownsville, Edinburg, and Harlingen.
