Pediatric Surgeon Treating Valley Children at Valley Baptist; Enables Local Children to Remain in Valley for Many Procedures

HARLINGEN, TEXAS - October 13, 2004 –   Dr. Haroon Ismail Patel, the first pediatric surgeon in the Harlingen area, is performing surgeries at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen -- meaning that Valley children and their parents no longer have to travel to Corpus Christi or San Antonio for many pediatric procedures.

Dr. Patel specializes in the care of children of all ages, from before birth to 18 years of age. Board Certified in Pediatric Surgery and General Surgery, Dr. Patel performs general pediatric surgery, minimally-invasive procedures such as laparoscopy and thoracoscopy (using special cameras to look at medical problems in the abdomen and chest), and thoracic, abdominal and urologic procedures in children.

Having a pediatric surgeon in Harlingen will save money and time for Valley families -- and lessen the hardship for a child who needs surgery, since the child will be closer to home and their family support system.

Dr. Patel comes to Harlingen from Corpus Christi, where he has maintained a practice adjacent to Driscoll Children’s Hospital. His Harlingen office will be located in the medical office area around Valley Baptist Medical Center.

Dr. Patel said providing surgeries in Harlingen will help meet one of his goals -- to reduce inconveniences for parents, so parents can concentrate on helping their child recover from illness.

“We try to go the extra mile to make the overall experience of pediatric surgery as hassle-free as possible, so that parents can spend more time helping their child cope with the often-difficult experience of a hospitalization,” Dr. Patel said.

In addition to completing training and receiving board certification in general surgery, Dr. Patel completed two additional years of training exclusively in children’s surgery, and then received special certification in the sub-specialty of pediatric surgery. Dr. Patel completed his fellowship in pediatric surgery at New England Medical Center in Boston and a residency in surgery at Berkshire Medical Center at the University of Massachusetts, where he received an award for “Most Outstanding Resident in Surgery.”

In addition, Dr. Patel served as an Associate Resident in Pediatric Surgery at Children’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and as an Assistant Professor in Surgery and Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. Dr. Patel has authored or co-authored several articles which have been published in national publications, such as the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

For more information on pediatric surgery, visit Valley Baptist’s website at www.valleybaptist.net and Dr. Patel’s website at www.mykidsurgeon.com.