PHARR, Texas - DHR Health has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new public-private behavioral health facility it is building in north Pharr.

The hospital campus will be located at 4800 North Jackson Road in Pharr and will include a new 161,000 square foot building. The City of Pharr is providing the land.

Following an appropriation by the Texas Legislature last session, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is providing a $85 million dollar grant for the state-of-the-art project. The City of Pharr is providing the land.

“This morning, we are here to mark a major milestone, a very meaningful step going forward in addressing mental health needs, not only here in the Rio Grande Valley, but throughout the state of Texas,” said Marissa Castañeda, senior executive vice president, at the start of the groundbreaking ceremony.

“This day would not be possible without the invaluable support of our partners across the region. We are especially grateful for the City of Pharr. DHR Health's new behavioral hospital will soon be built. This partnership has truly helped bring our vision to life.”

Yuri Gonzalez, the City of Pharr’s news director agreed.

“I'm truly honored to be here representing everybody that works with the great City of Pharr. This project really represents our shared commitment in improving mental health services, but also building a stronger, healthier, more resilient community, and that's what we plan to do,” said Gonzalez, who shared emceeing duties with Castañeda.

“I'm truly inspired and seeing our leaders with the City of Pharr and just other great leaders coming together, making sure that this project, but most importantly, that this vision becomes a reality. So once again, congratulations to everyone involved in this great project,” Gonzalez said.

DHR Health currently operates an 87-bed inpatient behavioral hospital in Edinburg. The DHR Health Behavioral Hospital will have 100 beds, with a focus on providing a comprehensive approach to mental health care for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients. The hospital will also house intensive outpatient therapy programs.

“What an honor it is for me to stand before you this morning at what I call a transformational change in healthcare that is going on at the greater bedside that is our community. We as physicians are trained to heal and to treat patients and take those powers and knowledge and wisdom to be able to assess and then properly treat an individual mind, body and soul,” said Dr. Carlos Cardenas, MD, chairman of the board of DHR Health, in his remarks from the podium.

“Today, we stand at a crossroads. DHR health has been at the forefront of transforming healthcare in South Texas. It has been a transformational journey. One point four million people deserve the same level of healthcare to any other similar sized metropolitan area. And that is us.”

Piece by piece, DHR has been adding to the jigsaw puzzle, Cardenas said.

“Today, we break ground on a tremendous piece of that puzzle that has come forth as a cooperative, corroborative, public-private venture between DHR Health, the City of Pharr, the State of Texas, and our greater community at large. This is how great things happen. It's how transformation happens.”

The new hospital is expected to open in the summer of 2026 and will represent Pharr’s first hospital. Pharr Mayor Dr. Ambrosio Hernandez, MD, said the new hospital is “a transformative milestone” for Pharr and the Rio Grande Valley because it will bring critical mental health services directly to the community.

Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian website to read the full story.

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