Mega Doctor News
By Roberto Hugo González / Mega Doctor News
McALLEN, Texas — Texas Oncology’s expansion in McAllen represents a renewed commitment to providing cancer patients in the Rio Grande Valley access to advanced care without requiring them to leave their communities, Dr. Steven Paulson said during the Sept. 29 grand opening of Texas Oncology McAllen West.
Paulson, president and chairman of Texas Oncology, said the organization’s presence in McAllen predates the Texas Oncology name and extends more than four decades. Historical material also identifies Paulson as a longtime president and chairman of Texas Oncology.
“For us, this is an incredibly important addition to our resources in the Valley,” Paulson said. “Our center here has been stretched to the max for quite some time.”
Paulson said Texas Oncology has been operating for more than 50 years, although the organization is marking 40 years under the Texas Oncology name. McAllen, he said, was already part of its cancer-care network before that transition.
“We came to McAllen before we became Texas Oncology, but we’ve been here a little over 40 years,” Paulson said. “It is an incredibly important part of our organization.”
The new McAllen West clinic expands the organization’s capacity in a region where Texas Oncology leaders said patient demand and population growth had placed increasing pressure on its existing McAllen operations.
Paulson framed the expansion as part of Texas Oncology’s broader approach of bringing cancer treatment closer to patients, rather than concentrating services in distant metropolitan medical centers.
“Our commitment to the delivery of cancer care to Texans with cancer is that we want to make sure that no one, regardless of where they are, is denied access to the absolute best cancer care that they can have,” Paulson said.
He said patients should not have to compromise the quality or outcome of their treatment because of where they live.
Paulson also pointed to clinical research and personalized medicine as parts of the organization’s approach. He credited Dr. Guillermo Lazo, Texas Oncology’s area medical director for the Rio Grande Valley, with committing resources to identifying patients who may qualify for clinical trials.
“Texas Oncology is committed to making sure that we are there on the front lines for every patient with cancer in Texas,” Paulson said.
The McAllen West facility encompasses about 15,000 square feet. According to information presented during the grand opening, it includes a PET scanner, a full clinical laboratory, 15 examination rooms, four physician offices and 20 infusion chairs, including one private infusion room.
Texas Oncology officials also said its Valley offices have access to 65 clinical research protocols, most of them Phase III, through the US Oncology Research network.
Paulson described the new location as more than an increase in physical capacity.
“Texas Oncology’s addition of this location was a double down on our commitment to McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley,” he said.
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos welcomed the investment, saying cancer has affected families throughout the community and that access to healthcare is central to quality of life.
“What’s the most important thing in quality of life? Good healthcare,” Villalobos said. “So, Texas Oncology, thank you so much for doing this. I congratulate you, and we really welcome the expansion.”
Villalobos also connected the project to McAllen’s economic development, saying healthcare investment creates jobs while helping the region retain workers and services.
Paulson said the expansion remains centered on patients and access to treatment.
He said Texas Oncology wants people facing cancer to receive high-quality care regardless of where in Texas they live, making the McAllen West investment part of the organization’s continuing commitment to cancer care in the Rio Grande Valley.
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