Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital is the only dual accredited facility in the Rio Grande Valley The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International has renewed the accreditation of DHR Health Rehabilitation Hospital for a three-year cycle.  The accreditation covers inpatient medical rehabilitation programs including Adult, Children and Adolescents, Stroke Specialty, Spinal Cord Injury, and Amputee Specialty Program.  This recognition makes the facility the only dual accredited inpatient rehabilitation hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.  The DHR Health Rehabilitation Hospital is accredited by both The Joint Commission and CARF.  The first CARF accreditation was received in 2013 for Adult, Children and Adolescents, and Stroke Specialty.  Recently, the Rehabilitation Hospital received the renewal accreditation and recognition on two additional services: Spinal Cord Injury Specialty and Amputee Specialty Programs. “DHR Health strives to provide continuous quality improvement, stated Dr. Saroja Viswamitra, Medical Director at the DHR Health Rehabilitation Hospital.  “During a CARF survey,…

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Driscoll Children’s Hospital physicians have published an article on how pediatric patients are affected by COVID-19. Authors of the article are Ali Hasan, MD, Chief Resident at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Noormah Mehmood, MD, Chief Resident at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, and Jaime Fergie, MD, Director of Infectious Diseases at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. The article, titled “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and Pediatric Patients: A Review of Epidemiology, Symptomatology, Laboratory and Imagining Results to Guide the Development of a Management Algorithm,” was published in Cureus. To read the article, go to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7123290/.   About Driscoll Children’s Hospital … “Devoted to expert care, education, outreach, and advocacy.” Driscoll Children’s Hospital is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with more than 30 medical and surgical specialties offering care throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley, Victoria, and Laredo. Through the vision and generosity of its founder, Clara Driscoll, Driscoll Children’s Hospital opened in…

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BlueCross BlueShield of Texas selected DHR Health as a Blue Distinction® Center for Spine Surgery, Knee and Hip Replacement and Substance Use Treatment and Recovery BlueCross BlueShield of Texas selected DHR Health as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery and Blue Distinction Center for both Knee and Hip Replacement and for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery. DHR Health is proud to be recognized by BlueCross BlueShield of Texas for meeting the robust selection criteria set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.  Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to demonstrate quality care, treatment expertise, and better overall patient results and Blue Distinction Centers+ demonstrate more affordable care in addition to quality care, treatment expertise, and better overall patient results.  Both distinctions offer improved patient safety and better health outcomes based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from…

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Rio Grande Valley community partner receives funding for coronavirus response  Rio Grande Regional Hospital and Valley Regional Medical Center, affiliates of HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, announces that the HCA Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of HCA Healthcare, and a tax-exempt trust affiliated with HCA Healthcare provided $20,000 in grants to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley for the Coronavirus Resource Readiness and Response Campaign.  The $20,000 in grants will allow the Food Bank of the RGV to produce 100,000 meals. “Like our colleagues that are serving on the frontlines of this crisis by providing life-saving care to patients, local organizations are also stepping up to address the needs of their communities in remarkable ways, including emergency response, addressing food shortages and providing childcare for healthcare workers and first responders,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “HCA Healthcare is…

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For their exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that serve to improve the school and community, the Lamar Academy/IB Student Council and the McAllen Memorial High Student Council have each been recognized as 2020 National Gold Council of Excellence by National of Student Council (NatStuCo). “Receiving a National Gold Council of Excellence Award reflects the highest dedication on the part of the school to providing a strong, well-rounded student council program,” said Nara Lee, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Director of Student Leadership. “NatStuCo applauds the work of the National Gold Councils of Excellence and challenges them to continue their leadership and service to their schools and communities.” To meet the requirements for the National Council of Excellence Award, a student council must meet a variety of criteria. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, a democratic election process, the councils have…

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As the situation around the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve and with Hidalgo County’s shelter in-place in effect, Goodwill makes a plea to the public to hold onto those valuable donations of clothing and household items until it can reopen. Goodwill stores and donation stations have been closed to the public since Monday, March 23rd.  Even with the closure, donors are dropping off items, causing donations to be left outside and rummaged through (see attachment). “During this crisis, people ransack donations that have been left outside of our closed facilities.  When donations are exposed to the elements, it tends to make them unusable.   When we get back to normal operations, we welcome the opportunity to thank donors, personally, for giving to Goodwill.  Until then, we urge donors to hold on to their donations,” said John Owen, President & CEO, Goodwill Industries of South Texas. In the coming weeks and months,…

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Driscoll Children’s Hospital Nurse Residency Program’s new Graduate Registered Nurse Residency Program was accredited with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) after an extensive evaluation. “We are proud that the Transition to Professional Nurse Program at Driscoll Children’s Hospital is recognized by ANCC as one of the highest-quality transition programs for nurses,” said Julie Pina, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. “ANCC accreditation gives nurse residents assurance that Driscoll Children’s Hospital offers an elevated transition program with a clear course of instruction and reliable evaluation methods. With ANCC accreditation, our transitioning nurses gain the skills and confidence needed to perform effectively within a new practice setting,” she said. Driscoll Children’s Hospital’s Transition to Professional Nurse Program is the first in South Texas to obtain the ANCC accreditation. The accreditation adds several benefits to the Driscoll program: Nurses can claim they participated in an…

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This communication is to announce the transition of our Plant Leader, Horacio Repetto, to a new role leading the GE Aviation Materials team (GEAM) in Dallas, TX after 3 and a half years at McAllen. Horacio has been a great champion of the GE McAllen shop, a great advocate of our community while significantly driving a culture of change and continuous improvement. We are very confident he will continue to do so in his new capacity at GEAM, supporting all of our customers with various material solutions. We are pleased to announce that Len (Leonard) Davis has accepted the role of GE McAllen Plant Leader, reporting to Dan Fermon. Len was selected for this role based on his strong operational background, component repair knowledge, and experience across multiple functions and businesses. His previous experience includes a 3-year stint at the GE Aviation McAllen facility, where he led the LPT Nozzle…

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Celebrate the season with holiday cards designed by the patients of Driscoll Children’s Hospital! Twelve different card designs are available for purchase. You can also place a custom order featuring your company’s name and logo. For more information, please call (361) 694-5011 or order online at www.driscollchildrens.org/holiday