Between late September and early October, three health systems shared plans to construct new or replacement children's hospitals.
Add another one to the list with Rio Grande Valley Driscoll Children's planned 119-bed pediatric hospital in Texas, a few miles from the Mexican border.
Corpus Christi-based Driscoll Children's is building what will be the only designated freestanding children's hospital in the region in Edinburg, less than ten miles from the border. The new facility will serve children living on both sides of the border, Matt Wolthoff, CEO and president of the new hospital, told Becker's.
"There is a large population that is going back and forth [across the border] every day," he said. "[Serving them] is part of what we do."
The Rio Grande Valley area served by the Driscoll Children's system stretches over 33,000 square miles in a region described by the health system as "highly underserved."
The project, which is scheduled to open in May, is currently estimated at over $100 million in construction, infrastructure and equipment costs. That figure is a "moving number," a spokesperson said.
Driscoll Children's, which is funding equipment and infrastructure costs, will lease the hospital from Edinburg-based DHR Health, which is funding construction costs. Driscoll will have the option to buy the facility over a ten-year period.
The Rio Grande Valley is one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas, Mr. Wolthoff said. Offering such a facility is vital to support such a fast-growing region with a population that needs affordable access to healthcare.
"It's an exciting time to be in healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley," he said.