17 WINTER TEXAN TIMES www.wintertexantimes.com DECEMBER 10, 2025 Physicians are independent practitioners who, with limited exceptions, are not employees or agents of South Texas Health System. The System shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website. 252907866-2993628 7/25 Learn more at southtexashealthsystem.com/er WE’RE EVERYWHERE You NeedUs WITH SEVEN FREESTANDING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AT CONVENIENT LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM® IS BRINGING QUALITY CARE CLOSER TO HOME. Our freestanding emergency departments are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each location is staffed with medical personnel and equipped with diagnostic technology similar to what you would find in our facility emergency rooms, making them capable of providing care typically beyond the scope of most urgent care centers or night clinics. Six of our seven locations have received Chest Pain Management certification and Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certification from The Joint Commission. Our freestanding emergency departments also offer a wide range of health checks and screenings – with limited wait times. Diagnostic, imaging and lab appointments are available on a same-day, walk-in basis. Discounted rates are available for cash payments. STC students use skills to support Valley children living with diabetes By Joey Gomez, STC South Texas College students are helping to transform a developing 30-acre camp for children with Type 1 diabetes by utilizing their skills to build furniture, recreational features and sensory stations for the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association (STJDA). For more than a year, STC faculty and students from multiple programs have partnered with STJDA to support its vision of creating a residential camp for children with chronic illnesses and special needs. Since then, STC programs including Construction Supervision, Architecture, Culinary Arts and Welding have contributed to the camp’s development on the outskirts of Willacy and Hidalgo counties. What began with a request for picnic tables has grown into an ongoing collaboration that now includes constructing wooden tables, sensory activity stations and even a giant wooden chair designed to give young campers a playful photo spot. Construction Supervision faculty member Israel Medrano said the partnership reflects the program’s commitment to giving back to communities in need. “It’s super important for us to give back,” Medrano said. “We have always said that a commitment to community service is something we always try to instill in our students so they can strive to be better as they grow and provide for their families. Being able to build something knowing it will help these kids is just a wonderful feeling.” Medrano said hands-on service projects help students learn by allowing them to step out of the classroom and make a difference for the people they hope to work for in the future. “We are doing theory all the time,” he said. “Being able to build something for somebody in the community, especially on a project like this, is fantastic. It gets students out of their comfort zone and lets them experience what it means to give back.” STJDA Executive Director and Cofounder Debra Franco said STC’s contributions have accelerated the organization’s dream of building a permanent camp facility. Last year alone, the nonprofit served more than 24,000 children across the Rio Grande Valley and expects to reach nearly 28,000 in 2025. “Partnering with organizations See STC pg. 20 South Texas College students in partnership with the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association (STJDA) have spent the last year creating picnic tables and sensory tables to help create a welcoming camp space for children living with Type 1 diabetes and special needs.
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