Cleft palate or cleft lip is a birth defect that can greatly disfigure the mouth of the baby and is more prevalent among the Hispanic population. While the condition is treatable, cleft children often face a long journey of special care, including as many as a dozen surgeries over the course of their childhood. They often must wear special braces and likely see all sorts of physicians, including neonatologists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, dentists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and plastic surgeons. They also spend a significant amount of time with speech therapists as they learn to talk in their formative years.

About Our Specialized Team

In 2000, Valley Baptist-Harlingen opened The Craniofacial Cleft Lip and Palate Team of the Children’s Center, the first of its kind south of San Antonio and Corpus Christi. With the help of Valley Baptist and the support of many people, including Valley Baptist Chief Executive Officer, James G. Springfield, Carlos Cruz, M.D., head of the Center, formed the first active Cleft Palate and Lip Team in the Rio Grande Valley. An extraordinary team of physicians and professionals was assembled with the goal of creating a higher quality of life for cleft children and their families.

Prior to Dr. Cruz’s efforts, Valley children with cleft lip or palate had to leave the geographic area to see a special team of physicians and health care personnel that could provide coordinated care. After witnessing the frustration that Valley cleft families faced and understanding the need for a comprehensive cleft team in the Rio Grande Valley, Dr. Cruz realized the need for a comprehensive cleft team in this area. His desire to create a cleft team in South Texas also stemmed from the statistical evidence showing that Hispanics, along with other minority groups, have a higher rate of cleft births compared to non-minority groups.

Serving Our Community

Thanks to the Craniofacial Cleft Lip and Palate Team at Valley Baptist-Harlingen, hundreds of patients and their families now receive higher quality care comparable to that at any metropolitan institution in Texas. Local children can now visit Valley Baptist’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Pavilion once a month and see multiple physicians at one time. Cleft team members meet to discuss the patients and their course of treatment and the children benefit tremendously from the quality comprehensive treatment they receive. Physicians and patients work together and often form a unifying bond of concern and action.

From the neonatologists, oral surgeons, orthodontists and dentists to psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, plastic surgeons and speech therapists, the needs of every cleft patient are covered here in the Rio Grande Valley. With great partners like Dr. Carlos Cruz, The Matt and Patty Gorges Children’s Center at Valley Baptist-Harlingen  and the Valley Baptist Foundation, the cleft team has been a great success. Dr. Cruz, who has worked in five different venues with various teams, confidently states that his group is high quality, adding, “It is not even just a group, it goes beyond that… it is wonderful.”

 

 

Comprehensive Staff Services

The cleft team, which consists of more than 35 physicians and professionals, is comprehensive enough to even include psychiatrists and a Parent/Patient Support Group that helps cleft family members deal with the crisis.

 
Craniofacial Lip & Cleft Palate Team