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mPublished – They are the common sights in the area now, but when the South Texas health system opened its own independent emergency room a decade ago, it was the second facility at the time, and its potential impact was unclear.
But that was at the time, after over 11,716 patients were recognized over the years, and nearly 200,000 patients were provided overall.
On Thursday, STHS celebrated the 10th anniversary of Mission ER and celebrated people who met the health care needs of the area at the facility.
In March 2015, a second independent emergency room was opened after it was opened by the hospital. STHS currently has seven such facilities in the Rio Grande Valley.
For Giulianinho, the independent ER director, the facility has played a key role in the area by providing more access to the care of residents of western Hidalgo County.
“We are children, the elderly, the young adults, we see trauma. We gave birth here,” Niño said.
Under the white tent on a windy day, STHS officials and staff stood with smiles on their faces as they celebrated the milestone, along with members of the US Border Patrol McAllen Station and emergency medical technicians.
Independent ER offers the same round the clock service as the STHS hospital emergency room, as well as outpatient services such as laboratory, radiology, mammograms and bone density testing.
Over the course of a decade, the facility has provided a total of 193,603 patients locally, including 76,793 pediatric patients.
In fact, over the years she has seen the impact of the community, particularly in her ability to treat patients with stroke or heart attacks.
“We have contributed to many patients, especially those with stroke and heart attacks,” Niño said with pride. “We were able to identify them and handle them quickly.
Since they opened, 483 people suffering from stroke were treated there, and 3,073 people were treated for chest pain (since 2018). There were also tens of thousands of X-rays, CT scans and ultrasound.
According to STHS handouts, the average stay in the ER is about 106 minutes. On average, patients are discharged from the hospital up to 16 minutes from the ER.
For Niño, listening to community feedback only highlights the need for an independent ER that can address health concerns in communities with limited access to health care.
Among the staff members celebrating the facility’s milestone was Jessica Munguia.
“As a mission native, it was really great to be back and serve the mission community,” Munguia said.
Mission native Munguia began her career at STHS in 1998 and moved to an independent ER as a mammogram technique to give back to the community that later raised her.
“I take my role as a mammogram technology very seriously and know that they rely on me to provide a good service,” Munguia said with a smile.
Although ER’s outpatient centers initially did not see many patients, Munguia explained that they gradually began to gain traction and attention towards their services.
Currently, the facility offers a total of 13,237 mammograms from the outpatient department.
“Every woman I meet has some impact on my daily work,” Munguia said, adding that she enjoys being a source of patient comfort.
“I’m worried because they have a chunk so they’re just in there because they want to be active about breast health, so whether they’re coming in, it’s just an impact for me and reminds me that the services I’m offering are very rewarding.”
She is excited to see the facility reach a 10-year milestone and find it rewarding to see the community embrace the South Texas health system.
Munguia and Tabitha Wildenborg are another STHS staff member and were recognized for their work on Thursday.
According to Niño, STHS also has close ties with the US Border Patrol, from which agents are being treated for dehydration or other more serious injuries.
Robert Vega, Border Patrol Supervisor and Lead Coordinator for the RGV Sector’s Medical Programme, said the ER opening agents need to be transported elsewhere.
“It’s so close and a great way to get quality care faster for patients who need it,” Vega said.
From headaches to fevers, massive car accidents and even helicopter crashes, all health care and medical needs helped everything for the border patrol by STH.
“This is the first in the middle, so it’s a simple fix for a medical emergency,” Vega added.
STHS also honored Border Patrol at his hometown Heroes Awards, further acknowledging 239 EMTs in the RGV sector. This is the provider of the largest number of valleys, Vega says.
