There is no doubt that 2006 was a landmark year for Valley Baptist-Brownsville, and 2007 will be just as eventful. The last 12 months represent the hospital’s second full year as part of Valley Baptist Health System, and it has been a time of much progress.

The Health System has made a significant investment in the hospital over the past two years, as seen by the renovation in many areas, as well as by the addition of Brownsville’s first all-digital Breast Center and PACS digital radiology system; a new Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory; new Hyperbaric Chambers; and new laboratory equipment. This is just part of $40 million which Valley Baptist has committed to invest at VBMC-Brownsville in order to provide superior health care in state-of-the-art facilities -- while offering greater value and convenience for patients and physicians.

Brownsville area patients are also now benefiting from the opening at VBMC-Brownsville of Valley Baptist Home Health; a new Sleep Center to treat residents with sleep problems; and the Heritage Program for Senior Adults, which provides much-needed mental health services to older adults in our community. In addition, VBMC-Brownsville is one of the first hospitals in South Texas to receive “Recognition” status from the American Stroke Association, for our life-saving Stroke Program. Valley Baptist-Brownsville also received a 4-Star national award in outpatient care for its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. The award, from Professional Research Consultants, is based on the percentage of patients who rated the facility as “excellent” for overall quality of care.

Other exciting developments include a new 41-bed long-term acute care hospital in north Brownsville, which Valley Baptist is developing along with Solara Healthcare and local physicians; and a new 70,000-square-foot Medical Plaza, which will house an outpatient surgery center, a state-of-the-art imaging center, outpatient rehabilitation, and new physician offices along the Expressway in north Brownsville.

Quality patient care is foremost in all that we do, and Valley Baptist-Brownsville has successfully implemented the Six Sigma approach to systematically improve service to our patients. Valley Baptist-Brownsville is a pioneer in applying Six Sigma to health care, producing measurable results to meet the needs of our patients and physicians.

What is now Valley Baptist-Brownsville was the first hospital in the Rio Grande Valley, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1923 as Mercy Hospital. In 2006, we began the restoration of the original Chapel used by the Sisters for 50 years. This is an exciting project for our community, and of great importance to Valley Baptist as a faith-based institution. Our plans are to open the chapel to the public in the winter of 2007.

Thank you for choosing Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville. We are very proud to be part of Valley Baptist Health System, and are committed to the communities we serve. We believe in the “voice of our customers” -- our patients, physicians, guests, volunteers and employees -- and want you to know that our vision is to provide you with the highest quality of care, outstanding service and excellent operations.

Leslie Bingham Senior Vice President & Chief Executive Officer Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville