STHS McAllen Marks 40 Year Anniversary

South Texas Health System (STHS) McAllen opened its current location in December 1985 to expand access to advanced care close to home. Forty years later, the eight-story hospital off Expressway 83 serves patients and families across a four-county stretch of the Valley—and has earned national recognition in areas including patient safety and stroke care.

The move launched a new chapter for an institution that spent more than five decades in downtown McAllen under familiar names: McAllen Municipal Hospital, McAllen General Hospital, and McAllen Methodist Hospital. Relocating to the new building allowed the hospital—then known as McAllen Medical Center—to expand specialty services for the region.

Early on, the 441-bed facility became the first in McAllen and neighboring cities to offer open-heart surgery, one-day cardiac catheterization, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—milestones that changed what patients could access without leaving the Rio Grande Valley.

That work continues today. “Over the last four decades, STHS McAllen has invested in advanced medical technology while building a dynamic, collaborative team of healthcare professionals to expand its services and enhance patient care,” said Emma Montes-Ewing, CEO of STHS McAllen. She added, the hospital has grown into “a comprehensive medical center” offering specialties that include emergency medicine, intensive care, neurology, radiology, and many surgical specialties.

STHS McAllen has provided care to hundreds of thousands of patients. The hospital is home to a Level I Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Its surgical services department also includes robotic-assisted procedures using the newly acquired da Vinci 5 (DV5) system. 

“STHS McAllen has become the leading facility in the region, providing exceptional care for patients from Brownsville to Roma, including trauma and stroke care at the highest level,” said Syed K. Hussain, MD, a neurosurgeon affiliated with the Comprehensive Stroke Center. He added that patients who once had to leave the Valley for specialized care can now stay closer to home.

To mark 40 years at its current location, STHS McAllen hosted a community celebration on Thursday, December 11, in the main parking lot. During the event, three team members—Alma Ruth Alvarez, Martha Cadriel, and Olga Garcia—received the STHS McAllen All-Star Award for enduring service. They are among 21 staff members who began their careers at McAllen General Hospital and helped open the current building.

Montes-Ewing credited the hospital’s impact to its staff. “The resolute dedication to healthcare excellence of STHS McAllen’s 1,000-plus employees has been the backbone of the facility’s success and its impact in the Rio Grande Valley,” she said.

For more information on services at STHS McAllen, visit southtexashealthsystemmcallen.com.