Doctors Hospital Receives 2020 Laredo Morning Times Readers’ Choice Award for Best Hospital and Best ER
Hospital administration, the board of governors, medical staff and employees thank the community for the honor of being selected this year’s recipient of the 2020 Laredo Morning Times Readers’ Choice Award winner for best hospital and best ER. “Thank you for choosing us,” states Eladio Montalvo, Interim CEO. “Our commitment to compassionate, quality care is our main goal. We put patients at the center of all that we do, from our inpatient services supported by dedicated and caring doctors, nurses and specialty staff to our fully equipped and staffed emergency departments.”
A Rich History
Doctors Hospital of Laredo opened in May of 1974 by a group of physicians. The facility was located on 500 E. Mann Road. The vision of a few physicians has resulted in years of growth, development and change.
“We are so grateful to the doctors that have been here since the beginning. We continue to work with many of the physicians that have been here for over 46 years. They brought their vision to the table and it has developed into what Doctors Hospital is today,” states Montalvo.
Several developments occurred during the late 1970s at the Mann Road facility, including the addition of an emergency department. In the 1980s, a women’s wing was added along with pediatrics and a neonatal intensive care unit. An important milestone for the hospital occurred in 1987 when the first cancer treatment center opened. As time passed, more specialized physicians were recruited, hospital departments expanded, employees were hired, and the hospital experienced several company ownership changes.
In June of 1999, a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc., in King of Prussia, PA, became the hospital’s eighth owner. In October 1999, construction of the new Doctors Hospital began. The hospital officially opened to the public at its current location on McPherson Road on August 18, 2001.
When the new facility opened in 2001, it was surrounded by ranch land. Today, it is located in a fast-growing, modern area of the city, surrounded by commercial, retail and residential developments. Doctors Hospital continues to keep pace with our growing community. Millions of dollars have been invested to add and expand medical care to serve the residents of Laredo.
Growing with the Community
Within the next 15 to 20 years, the city of Laredo is expected to nearly double in size. In consideration of this growth, Doctors Hospital of Laredo continues to invest in its infrastructure, enhance its service lines and improve the quality of care provided to this community. Looking back at 2019, Doctors Hospital had a busy year adding new technology and new services.
Here is a recap of the projects completed last year:
- Doctors Hospital made significant investments in 2019 to expand freestanding surgical and emergency department centers. Providence Health Center located at 230 Calle del Norte underwent a $7+ million renovation. The project included re-equipping three operating rooms, the post anesthesia care unit, pre-op, and central sterile departments to restore surgical operations. The project also included replacing outdated infrastructure components and enhancing the lobby and interior building aesthetics, including painting, installing new tile flooring and adding way-finding signage to create a more welcoming and modern space. Renovations were completed in early 2019 followed by a celebratory open house. Surgical cases began soon after.
- Doctors Hospital held a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony for Doctors Hospital ER Saunders on November 13, 2019. The 10,346-square foot facility provides much needed additional 24-hour emergency medical services to central Laredo. With an investment of $9 million, Doctors Hospital Emergency Room Saunders features six exam rooms and three rapid medical exam spaces, as well as three internal waiting spaces. Conveniently located at 1300 Saunders Street with easy access to main city arteries including McPherson Road, Highway 59 and IH 35, Doctors Hospital Emergency Room Saunders also offers diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, including X-ray, CT and Ultrasound. Doctors Hospital Emergency Room Saunders, the second freestanding ER in the area, offers high quality, around-the-clock emergency care.
- Through the recruitment efforts of Laredo Physician Group and Independent Physician Management (IPM), Doctors Hospital also welcomed ten physicians through the end of 2019. The physician specialties included one hospitalist, one sports medicine physician, one OB/GYN, one radiation oncologist, two general surgeons, one primary care physician, two orthopedic surgeons, and one neurologist. Some of the physicians started in 2019 and the rest are scheduled to start in 2020.
- Other highlights included the 2019 Laredo Morning Times Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Hospital” and “Best Emergency Center,” the 2019 Get with the Guidelines ® Target Stroke Honor Roll Silver Plus Award, and most recently earning CMS Hospital Star Rating of 4 out of 5.
Moving forward through these challenging times, Doctors Hospital has taken extraordinary measures to help ensure the health and safety of patient, physicians, staff and the community. Whether providing advanced, life-saving treatment to an individual suffering from a heart attack or stroke, bringing a beautiful baby into the world, or treating a patient recovering from COVID-19, the physicians, nurses and staff are delivering trusted, quality patient care every hour, every day. With visitation suspended, the team continues to serve as a much-needed bridge between patients and their loved ones.
“Providing quality healthcare, advanced technology and a caring staff are all important parts of what makes Doctors Hospital so special,” says Montalvo. “As our community grows, we are steadfast in our mission to provide the highest quality, most compassionate care possible. We are grateful for the continued support from our medical staff, employees, patients and community for their loyalty and support. We are safe, trusted and ready for our community.”