Valley Baptist History Continued
Along with the growth and changes came extensive building projects at both the hospitals in Harlingen and Brownsville. In Harlingen, Valley Baptist moved to its present location, on Pease Street off Ed Carey Drive in Harlingen, in 1956. A six-story South Tower was built at Valley-Baptist Harlingen in the 1980’s, followed by the four-story East Tower in 1998 and a six-story Medical Arts Pavilion in 2001. The East Tower features the Valley’s first Children’s Center for pediatric patients, a “Mother-Baby” obstetrical unit which emphasizes family-centered maternity care; a 32-bed gynecology unit; a 38-bed Newborn Intensive Care Unit; convenient areas for outpatient services; a 30-bed Day Surgery Center; operating rooms, a roof-top heliport, and a 32-room state-of-the-art Emergency Department.
In Brownsville, a new wing and major renovations were added in 1952, resulting in an emergency room, pediatric and psychiatric units, a new laboratory and an operating room – along with air conditioning. In 1963, the Brownsville hospital added 52 more beds, a labor and delivery area, surgical suites and a radiology department. In 1983, part of the original 1923 building in Brownsville was demolished and replaced with the current three-story patient tower. In 1999, the third floor of the Women’s Center and Emergency Department three-story tower opened in Brownsville. The addition included ten Labor/Delivery/Recovery Suites, four Women’s Surgery Suites, observation areas, and an expanded 34-bed neonatal intensive care nursery. Then in 2003 and 2004, the Brownsville hospital expanded its Radiology Department, which featured a new CT Scanner, Angiography Suite, ultrasound systems and nuclear medicine camera. Also in the last decade, the Edelstein Professional Building opened on the Brownsville campus, housing additional physician offices and a pharmacy. And in 2005, Valley Baptist-Brownsville added a new state-of-the-art Cath Lab, a new mental health program for senior adults, as well as improvements in the main lobby, outpatient registration, and more. This investment in the hospital will continue into the future, with plans for more renovation and investment in state-of-the-art technology.
Both hospitals were responsive in meeting the unique needs of their communities. Cognizant of the great need for trauma care in the Valley, both Valley Baptist-Harlingen and Valley-Baptist Brownsville are Level III Trauma Centers. Both VBMC-Harlingen and VBMC-Brownsville offer Cameron County’s only accredited diabetes education centers, helping to meet a critical need especially among the Valley’s Hispanic population. And both hospitals are known for offering health screenings, health fairs, support groups and health education at no cost to the community.
Looking to the future together, Valley Baptist-Harlingen and Valley Baptist-Brownsville remain committed to continuing a “Tradition of Excellence” and serving our communities with the latest advances in medicine and state-of-the-art high-tech equipment, capably handled through the caring, human touch of our dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff.
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