UTRGV-HCA pact to create residencies in McAllen, Brownsville

UTRGV and HCA Healthcare have developed an affiliation agreement to provide residency positions to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville and Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen.

The two hospitals are Gulf Coast Division affiliates of HCA, a national corporate hospital system.

“This is significant because … this is the first time we’re actually having specific residency training programs down in Brownsville and really enlarging our presence there,” said Dr. Michael B. Hocker, dean of UTRGV School of Medicine.

In an interview last Monday, Hocker said the agreement will bring “somewhere between 150 and 200 additional residency and fellowship spots.”

The agreement is pending final approval by the UT System Board of Regents, according to a UTRGV news release.

Once a student receives their undergraduate degree, they go to medical school and receive their medical degree. Then, they go to basic training, or residency.

 “It’s kind of the job training where you learn about your specialty,” Hocker said.

Beginning in July 2024, the inaugural class will have 30 to 40 residency positions, he said.

One benefit that comes out of this agreement is the increased likelihood of these physicians staying within the community, according to David Irizarry, CEO of Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville.

“This continues to grow the care that’s being provided in our community,” Irizarry said in an interview Tuesday. “This brings new experiences for physicians in training. [They are] more likely to stay within our community, and it continues to elevate the care that we provide the citizens of Brownsville and Cameron County.”

The agreement will also help provide support to the existing physicians that are in the community, he said.

“We’re expanding our resident slots, which is important for South Texas,” Hocker said.

He said Texas is the 47th state “as far as lack of physicians per capita,” citing the Association of American Medical Colleges State Physician Workforce Data Report released in January 2022.

“We have the lowest [number of], you know, physicians per capita,” Hocker said. “So not only in primary care but specialty care. Not only do we need to graduate more medical students who want to stay in the area, but we need resident physicians.

About 60% to 70% of residents are likely to stay in the area where they train, he said.

Julietta Ortega, a biology sophomore, said it is helpful to have more residencies available here in the Valley instead of having to travel somewhere else and having to worry about the extra expenses.

“You already spend so much on doctorates and grad school and transportation, too, is a lot,” said Ortega, who plans to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. “So, I think it’s really helpful. It’ll bring down the cost a lot.”

Aldo Guzman, an exercise science junior who plans to become a physical therapist, believes it is a great opportunity for the Valley and UTRGV students.

“It opens up the opportunity for them to stay close to home,” Guzman said. “It will grow the medical industry down here. So, more likely, they will stay down here making the Valley a bigger place for medical innovation, instead of going upstate or somewhere else out of state.”

Hocker said training programs will raise the quality of health care in the area.

“Academic medicine and these training programs will just raise the quality of health care and access to specialists,” Hocker said. “It’s a win for the RGV, it’s a win for HCA. Most importantly, it’s truly a win for the patients in the Rio Grande Valley.”