VALLEY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER IN HARLINGEN & BROWNSVILLE: PROVIDING COMPASSIONATE CARE FOR VALLEY RESIDENTS & VISITORS FOR 90 YEARS

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1 PRESS RELEASE VALLEY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER IN HARLINGEN & BROWNSVILLE: PROVIDING COMPASSIONATE CARE FOR VALLEY RESIDENTS & VISITORS FOR 90 YEARS HARLINGEN / BROWNSVILLE, July 2015 Valley Baptist Medical Center- Harlingen and Valley Baptist-Medical Center-Brownsville, with their caring, dedicated doctors and compassionate staff, have been the Rio Grande Valley s leaders for excellence in health care and medical advancements for 90 years. Valley Baptist has pioneered many types of heart and stroke procedures, joint replacement / orthopedic surgeries, women s and children s services, minimally-invasive surgeries, and other medical advancements in the Valley. Valley residents recently recognized the two Valley Baptist hospitals as the Best of the Best in Brownsville and Harlingen. Readers of the Brownsville Herald newspaper once again selected Valley Baptist-Brownsville as Best Hospital and Best Emergency Room in the Brownsville area, while Valley Baptist-Harlingen was honored for having the Best Hospital, Best Rehabilitation Services and Best Diet Center in the Harlingen area by readers of the Valley Morning Star. Valley residents who suffer strokes -- brain attacks in which oxygen-carrying blood is cut off to their brain by blockages in blood vessels now have a better chance of survival, thanks to endovascular neurology procedures which were performed for the first time in South Texas at Valley Baptist-Harlingen. The new procedures provide Valley patients with a longer time window in which to survive strokes and hopefully minimize disabilities. Previously, stroke-reversing medications could only be given if the patient arrived at the hospital within three to four hours after stroke symptoms began. But the new interventional stroke procedures can be performed up to eight hours or more into a stroke.

2 During the endovascular stroke procedures at Valley Baptist, medications to reverse a stroke are administered through catheters (thin tubes) -- directly to arteries supplying blood to a patient s brain. In other cases, Dr. Ameer Hassan and Dr. Wondwossen Tekle, the Valley s first specially-trained interventional neurologists, use special equipment in two biplane labs / neurovascular angiography suites at Valley Baptist to insert tiny medical devices to clear blockages in the blood vessels. Life-saving care provided by Valley Baptist physicians and staff also made Valley Baptist-Harlingen and Valley Baptist-Brownsville the first hospitals in the Valley to receive Gold Plus awards for care of stroke patients from the American Heart Association. In addition, Valley Baptist-Harlingen and Valley Baptist-Brownsville were the first Valley hospitals to be accredited as Primary Stroke Centers by the national accrediting organization for health care facilities, the Joint Commission, and by the State of Texas. Patients from across the United States and Canada come to Valley Baptist for orthopedic surgery. Valley Baptist-Harlingen is the first hospital south of San Antonio to be certified specifically for knee and hip replacement surgeries by the accrediting organization, the Joint Commission. Valley Baptist-Brownsville was the first hospital in Cameron County to offer robotic-assisted partial knee replacements. The Navio procedure has resulted in smaller incisions and quicker healing times for many patients. Valley Baptist-Brownsville also has updated surgery suites which are benefitting patients needing a wide variety of surgeries, including laparoscopic and other minimallyinvasive surgeries. In addition, both Valley Baptist-Harlingen and Valley Baptist-Brownsville offer precision surgery for gynecological, urological, and general surgery patients using a robotic system. The robot has been used to treat painful gall stones as well as perform hysterectomies - through a single tiny incision, about an inch long, in the patient s navel. These single-site surgeries allow Valley patients to go home with virtually no scars visible from their surgery. Both Valley Baptist-Brownsville and Valley Baptist-Harlingen offer a complete array of women s and children s services, including newborn intensive care units to treat the Valley s tiniest patients; private labor/delivery/recovery suites; family-centered maternity care / post-partum units; women s surgery suites; day surgery centers; convenient areas for outpatient services; and prepared childbirth classes. As a leader in women and children s health care, Valley Baptist-Harlingen opened the first pediatric intensive care unit in Cameron County (with 14 beds). In addition, Valley Baptist has opened Healthy Women s Centers in Harlingen, Brownsville, and San Benito which are helping to increase access to pre-natal care for Valley women. These Healthy Women s Centers offer free pregnancy tests, educational information, and referrals for pre-natal care. With 586 beds, Valley Baptist-Harlingen is by far the largest hospital in Cameron

3 County, and serves as a Lead Level 3 Trauma Center for the area. Nearly 60,000 patients per year are treated in a 38-room Emergency Department, complete with a roof-top heliport. The hospital has 40 adult ICU beds, 17 operating room suites; and four cardiac catheterization laboratories, including two bi-plane labs. Our goal is to provide the highest quality and most compassionate care in a safe environment for you and your family, said Todd Mann, Chief Executive Officer for Valley Baptist-Harlingen. In Brownsville, Valley Baptist-Brownsville is the largest hospital and boasts an award-winning Emergency Department and Level 3 Trauma Center. In addition, Valley Baptist-Brownsville was the first hospital in Texas to receive a Target Stroke Honor Roll award for fast response in treating patients who come to the hospital with lifethreatening symptoms of stroke. Quality patient care is foremost in all that we do at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville, said Leslie Bingham, CEO for Valley Baptist-Brownsville. In recent years, Valley Baptist-Brownsville expanded beyond its main 243-bed hospital off Central Boulevard, by opening an ambulatory surgery center and imaging center featuring an open MRI at the North Brownsville Medical Plaza in north Brownsville. Valley Baptist-Brownsville has also expanded services at its campus in East Brownsville, which includes Brownsville's first inpatient behavioral health facility (with 37 additional beds). Addressing an important health concern in South Texas, Valley Baptist- Brownsville and Valley Baptist-Harlingen also offer diabetes education programs, which are certified by the American Diabetes Association; as well as foot care institutes and wound care centers with specialized care for diabetes and other patients. In the fight against obesity, Valley Baptist s Surgical & Medical Weight Loss Program promotes a healthy diet and lifestyle as well as offering bariatric surgery for Valley residents. Always striving to serve the people of the Valley, Valley Baptist offers free screenings at health fairs and other events, support groups and numerous educational opportunities, including the popular Dessert with the Doctor talk series on medical issues. With over 3,000 employees and 600 doctors on their medical staffs, the two Valley Baptist hospitals form vital anchors for the growing medical complexes which are major contributors to the Rio Grande Valley s economy. The doctors, nurses, and other caring healthcare professionals form Valley Baptist s greatest asset in fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve health for life, through compassionate service inspired by faith. For more information, please visit or call (956) in Harlingen or (956) in Brownsville.

4 PHOTO Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen has been saving lives and serving Valley residents with excellent care every day of the year for nine decades.

5 PHOTO As Brownsville s largest hospital, Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville offers an array of health care services for Valley residents and visitors.