WHETHER YOU LIVE ON SOUTH PADRE ISLAND OR ARE VISITING, CONVENIENT ACCESS TO A VAST ARRAY OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND FACILITIES IS CLOSE TO HOME.

Excellent medical, dental and chiropractic services are available on the Island and in Port Isabel, and hospitals are available in Brownsville, Harlingen and San Benito.

There are several full-service medical clinics in the immediate area – Padre Island Health Specialists, 3401 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, (956) 761- 5663; SPI Clinic, 3000 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, (956) 761-3996; PI Medical Clinic, 1200 Hwy. 100, #5, Port Isabel, (956) 943-6675 and Port Isabel Health Clinic, 202 Second St., Port Isabel, (956) 943-1774.

Family and emergency dental services are provided by The Dentist – Emma L. Gavito, DDS, 4912 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, (956) 761-1012 and Dr. Grayson Sellers, 314 Queen Isabella Blvd, Port Isabel, Texas, (956) 943-4166.

General and emergency Chiropractic care is available at Island Chiropractic & Accupuncture Clinic, 3511 Padre Blvd., Suite B, South Padre Island, (956) 761-6006; Laguna Madre Chiropractic, 402 S. Garcia, Port Isabel, (956) 943-9943 and Lighthouse Chiropractic Family Health and Wellness Center, 103 Queen Isabella Blvd., Port Isabel, (956) 943-9355.

Five full-service hospitals are available in the immediate area – Valley Baptisit Medical Center Brownsville, Valley Regional Medical Center – Brownsville, Harlingen Medical Center, Valley Baptist Health Care System – Harlingen, and Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital – San Benito.

Valley Baptist Medical Center Brownsville has been providing medical services in the Rio Grande Valley since 1923. A 200 plus-bed, acute care facility, the hospital is operated by over 850 professionals. The Valley Baptist Medical Center Brownsville is a full service facility, offering both inpatient and outpatient service ranging from simple laboratory tests, to those requiring sophisticated technology such as magnetic resonance imaging. VBMCB offers a wide range of cardiac services, The Center for Diabetes Management, an Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility, and a special facility devoted to Women’s Medical Services that includes 32-beds, a new 21,500 square foot Emergency Department, a 32-bed Newborn Nursery and meeting rooms for Women’s Service events. The Professional Tower houses 18 physician offices and VBMCB’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit was the first of its kind in Brownsville with a second Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiac Outpatient Area and a new 24- hour-stay unit. www.valleybaptist.net

Valley Regional Medical Center is a 190-bed acute care hospital located in the rapidly developing north side of Brownsville. Valley Regional has been serving Brownsville, South Padre Island and communities north of Brownsville including Harlingen since 1975. A designated Trauma Center, the hospital also offers many sophisticated services such as Emergency Care, the Chest Pain Center, Neonatal Intensive Care, Neurosurgery, Cardiac Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery. Additionally, General Medicine, Woman’s Care Services, General Surgery and Outpatient Surgery provide a stable base of services. Valley Regional recently completed the installation of the most current CT technology, which allows its doctors to study body systems with the greatest detail. During 2004, the hospital underwent an expansion which added a second Intensive Care Unit and sixteen medical and surgical beds. www.valleyregionalmedicalcenter.com

Harlingen Medical Center is redefining the way healthcare is delivered throughout the Rio Grande Valley. HMC is a general acute care hospital led by physicians specializing in cardiovascular care, orthopedics, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology. They provide quality healthcare and patients receive the benefit of advanced technology, while receiving care that is focused on their individual needs. HMC services include a 24-hour emergency center designed and equipped to handle emergency situations, family members are allowed 24 hour access to the patient and a sleeper bed for an overnight visitor is provided in all rooms, and all private rooms are designed and equipped for every stage of treatment. HMC also cares about the special needs of women, from childbearing years through menopause. HMC is committed to providing excellent in healthcare for women and their compassionate and skilled staff combined with the most advanced medical technology creates a wide range of care options. The Women’s Center services include 6 homelike labor and delivery rooms, 2 OB-GYN operating suites, nursery close by and staffed to provide tender loving care for the new baby and the nurse to patient ratio is such to provide close, personal nursing care. The Pediatric Care Unit is designed to care for the young patient from infant to teenager. All rooms in the Pediatric Unit are private rooms, there is a treasure chest of toys, magazine and amusements of young patients, and guest trays for parents. Educational and outreach programs are also provided to improve the health of the community. www.harlingenmedicalcenter. com

Valley Baptist Medical Center, in Harlingen, is a leader in South Texas when it comes to excellence in health care, medical advancements, and high-tech equipment. In quality ratings, Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen has received the top 5- star rating in three different service lines — putting Valley Baptist among only two percent of the hospitals in the United States which have been achieved that honor, according to the HealthGrades “Hospital Report Card.”

HealthGrades, an independent healthcare information company based in Colorado, analyzes nearly every hospital in the United States and publishes ratings using a 5-star system. Valley Baptist received the highest 5-star rating in orthopedic and joint replacement procedures; back and neck surgery; treatment of stroke; and carotid endarterectomy (surgery to repair an artery which has been clogged by fat or plaque). Valley Baptist is ranked among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation in vascular surgery. In addition, Valley Baptist is rated as the best hospital in Texas for orthopedic services and ranks in the top five percent in the nation in joint replacement surgeries.

Valley Baptist Medical Center is one of the largest medical centers in South Texas with approximately 600 beds. Valley Baptist has been serving the Harlingen area and the Rio Grande Valley community since 1925. Valley Baptist and its physicians have pioneered many types of heart procedures in the Valley. The Valley’s first open heart surgery and first cardiac catheterization were performed at Valley Baptist in 1977. Since then, Valley Baptist and its Heart & Vascular Institute have continued to bring advancements in diagnosis and treatment to the region, as well as a comprehensive program for the early detection and treatment of heart disease.

Valley Baptist has also been the home of many milestones in other types of medical treatments, including trauma care. Valley Baptist was the first Lead Level III Trauma Center designated in South Texas. At Valley Baptist, trauma patients are treated in a large, 32-bed, state-ofthe- art Emergency Department. A rooftop heliport speeds up the transport of trauma patients into the award-winning Emergency Room. In emergency situations, every second counts, and it becomes critical for patients to be brought to the nearest trauma center as soon as possible.

Valley Baptist is also the Valley’s leader in women and children’s health care. In 2003, Valley Baptist opened the Valley’s first Children’s Center, a colorful, attractive 62-bed facility which offers specialized medical care for children and infants. Valley Baptist also has 32 rooms for new mothers and newborn babies in the Valley Baptist Mother / Baby Maternity Unit, as well as a 38- bed Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Valley Baptist’s spacious, attractive East Tower includes a 14-room labor, delivery and recovery area; a 32-bed gynecology unit; a 30-bed Day Surgery Center and a wide variety of outpatient services.

Valley Baptist has the largest staff of doctors in the area, with over 300 physicians serving on the Valley Baptist Medical and Dental Staff. These excellent physicians are supported by more than 2,400 employees, making Valley Baptist one of the largest employers in the Cameron County area.

As one of the few remaining not-for-profit hospitals in the Valley, Valley Baptist is dedicated to continually upgrading and improving services for its patients and the community. Valley Baptist is also committed to medical education and research. Valley Baptist was chosen as the teaching hospital for the Valley’s first medical school, the Regional Academic Health Science Center of the Rio Grande Valley. The medical school is located across the street from the Valley Baptist hospital campus, which lies between Ed Carey Drive and Treasure Hills Boulevard, just east of Business Highway 77 Sunshine Strip in Harlingen. www.valley baptist.net

Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital, in San Benito, was established in 1949, and named for a flight nurse from San Benito who was killed in World War II. Dolly Vinsant is served by over 150 physicians representing most specialties available in the area.

South Padre Island is also serviced by Valley Air Care of Harlingen. Valley Air Care was established in 1995 and dramatically changed mobile health care for the area. Traveling at 150 miles per hour, excellent medical care is just moments away for all residents and visitors to the area.