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City of Edinburg Begins Construction on New Medical Conference Facility

DHR to break ground on Conference Center
By JOEY GOMEZ
Published: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:28 PM CST

Aiming to enrich the medical community and the public at large, the city begins construction on a new and lavish medical conference facility this week.

The City of Edinburg and Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance officially break ground on the future Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on March 3, at 10:30 a.m. The facility will be located on the eastside of the Del Prado Business Park, one block south of Alberta Road on McColl in Edinburg.

“The Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance is a place where doctors and other healthcare practitioners from throughout South Texas will come together to hear from the leading experts in medicine and healthcare,” said Mayor Richard Garcia. “Already, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance is recognized as one of the leading hospitals in Texas and this facility will further enhance its ability to bring world class healthcare to Edinburg and to the entire region. In the end everybody benefits, the doctors, the patients and the community.” The $9 million square foot conference center, designed by The Warren Group, will provide architectural amenities including a 1000 seat auditorium and two multipurpose rooms, each accommodating over 80 people. The auditorium will feature multiple viewing screens, a 3,100 square foot main stage, a state-of-the-art sound system, and theatrical lighting. LED lighting will be used throughout the conference center. In addition, the auditorium will have satellite broadcasting capabilities, according to DHR staff.

“There is a need to have educational activities for the benefit of our physicians, medical staff, and the community as a whole,” said Marissa Castaneda, DHR Chief Operations Officer. “Healthcare is an industry that grows increasingly complicated, so ongoing education for our staff, patients, and medical staff members is one of the components necessary to continue serving our community and providing optimal health care for the residents of the Rio Grande Valley.”

The 38,000-square-foot facility is aimed to open November 2011, and will provide more than 25 new jobs. The county and city taxes for the conference center will equate to more than $244,000, according to Edinburg Economic Development. There are currently nine hospitals and 7,000 hospital employees in the Edinburg Medical Corridor.

“The Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance is another key addition to the corridor that further consolidates the City’s position as the South Texas leader in health care and medical education,” said EEDC executive director, Pedro Salazar. “The conference center will also bring a great deal of conference traffic that will help us further develop retail, restaurant, and hospitality services in the corridor.”