EDINBURG — The construction of the Rio Grande Valley’s first standalone children’s hospital is one step closer to completion.
A topping-off ceremony marking the placement of the final beam on Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley took place here Thursday with officials from Driscoll, DHR Health, Edinburg and McAllen gathered for the celebration.
“The topping off ceremony honors the construction process and involves placing the last steel beam on the building,” Laurie Lozano, a member of Driscoll’s development foundation board, explained during the ceremony.
It was almost exactly a year ago that these officials came together at this very spot for the groundbreaking of the hospital’s construction and it will likely be another year before the hospital is operational.
Eric Hamon, president and CEO of Driscoll Health System, said they hope to see their first patient at the new Edinburg hospital in the final months of 2023.
The eight-story facility will include a pediatric intensive care unit, a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an emergency department, and acute inpatient and outpatient surgery.
“We’re eager to open our doors to the first designated children’s hospital here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Matt Wolthoff, president of the new children’s hospital, said in his remarks.
Wolthoff described the hospital as a continuation of Driscoll’s services here in the Valley, noting they already have clinics in Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen.
“This hospital is the next step in that commitment, to take care of those kids on an inpatient basis, on an acute care basis,” Wolthoff said. “We’re very, very excited about the ability to take that next step and continue to really provide that specialty care here at home.”
Building the new hospital here is being done through a partnership between Driscoll and DHR Health.
DHR Health agreed to construct the facility — located on their Edinburg campus off the corner of McColl Road and Dove Avenue — which Driscoll will lease.
Together, the two entities invested more than $100 million into the new facility. Approximately $55 million came from DHR Health while $50 million came from Driscoll.
For the construction, DHR entered into a contract with the city of Edinburg through which the city agreed to make an initial grant payment of $2 million to DHR once the hospital is completed and operational.
Starting a year after the hospital is operational, the city will pay another $1 million every year for eight years, according to the contract.
In exchange, the hospital is anticipated to attract businesses, new development and other investments.
The hospital is also expected to create at least 300 new, full-time jobs or “full-time equivalent” jobs.
Ultimately, they expect to have a staff of 500 to 600 people, according to Eric Hamon, president and CEO of Driscoll Health System.
“We will have our doctors and nurses hired before we open up to see our first patient,” Hamon said after the ceremony. “We’ve already got 75% of our staff hired but we’re going to grow so we’re always looking for more nurses and doctors.”
“We are excited, we love the community — we’ve been coming here for years,” Hamon added, “but we’re glad to bring an inpatient product to the children that deserve it.”
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Driscoll reaches milestone in construction of RGV children’s hospital
