SAN CARLOS, TEXAS –  “At one time, there was nothing here, there was nothing but land,” said Yolanda Chapa, chief administrator of Hidalgo County. “But now you see a Boys and Girls Club. You see a WIC office. And now, a clinic.”

Chapa addressed a group of civic, community and education leaders during the grand opening Nov. 14 of the UTRGV School of Medicine’s third Area Health Education Center (AHEC).

The AHEC will serve the community to close gaps in access to healthcare and offer medical students educational opportunities. Hidalgo County leaders, community members and UTRGV representatives were present and shared their thankfulness and appreciation for what the center will do for San Carlos.

“I’m thankful for the partnerships that made this happen, and for the opportunity to be of service to our communities. That’s what UTRGV and the School of Medicine are all about,” said John Ronnau, PhD, senior associate dean for Community Health Partnerships at the UTRGV School of Medicine and director of the AHEC program.

The center, located at 230 N. 86th St., will operate one to two days a week, with plans to expand services to five days a week over the next few years. 

For more information about the AHEC, call the program office at (956) 665-6401.

The UTRGV School of Medicine has opened its third Area Health Education Center (AHEC) this week, this one in San Carlos. There are two other AHECS, one in Starr County and one in Cameron County. The San Carlos ribbon cutting and grand opening was Wednesday, Nov. 14, and was attended by Hidalgo County leaders, community members and UTRGV representatives. The AHEC will serve the community to close gaps in access to healthcare and offer medical students educational opportunities. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.