New clinic sees patients of all ages; represents expansion of medical education
into Mid-Valley
MERCEDES – A new family practice clinic in Mercedes has opened to
see patients of all ages, from children to adults and seniors, as part
of a new Knapp Medical Center / UTRGV Family Practice Residency Program
for the Mid-Valley.
The brand-new clinic opened on Monday, August 21, 2017. It is housed in
a recently-constructed 13,800-square-foot building, conveniently located
right off Expressway 83 at the N. Mile 2 West Rd. exit in Mercedes, at
2810 W. Expressway 83. The clinic is across the street from “Med
High” (the South Texas High School for Health Professions) and the
Science Academy of South Texas, and located next door to the new Mid Valley
Nursing & Rehabilitation skilled nursing facility.
The family medicine clinic is now open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. The clinic is under the direction of Dr. Miguel Tello, Family
Medicine Physician and Associate Program Director for the Knapp / UTRGV
Family Practice Residency Program.
The new clinic now boasts new furniture and medical equipment, with 18
exam rooms. The initial group of six family practice resident doctors
will utilize those exam rooms includes experienced physicians who have
treated patients in a variety of settings – ranging from colonias
in the Valley to remote jungles and other challenging environments in
South America and elsewhere. Those physicians are: Eddy Berges, MD; Diego
Moreno, MD; Eliana Costantino Burgazzi, MD; Miguel A. Sanchez Rivas, MD;
Carolina Gomez de Ziegler, MD; and Marita del Pilar Sanchez Sierra Marino,
MD. They are fluent in English and Spanish.
“We needed a seasoned group of physicians who would be able to handle
the stress of being a first-year class,” Dr. Tello said. “Their
varied experiences and backgrounds really add a unique dimension to this
class.”
One of the residents, Dr. Eddy Berges -- who practiced medicine in the
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico before coming to the Valley -- noted
that family medicine physicians provide a wide range of services, including
preventive health, to people of all ages.
Dr. Carolina Gomez de Ziegler, who practiced medicine in Venezuela before
coming to the Valley, added that family practice is a very complete specialty.
“You can take care of everything for a person – for her environment,
and her family,” she said.
Rene J. Lopez, CEO of Knapp Medical Center, noted the historical nature
of the program, which represents an expansion of medical education into
the Mid-Valley.
“The Knapp/UTRGV Family Practice Residency Program will help create
more opportunities in the Mid-Valley for those who would like to receive
training as family medicine physicians,” Mr. Lopez said. “In
addition, the educational and clinical components of this exciting project
will be great assets for the entire Mid-Valley, thanks to our partnership
with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, the
City of Mercedes, and the Knapp Community Care Foundation.”
For more information on the family medicine clinic, please contact Alexandra
Smith, GME Program Coordinator for the Knapp / UTRGV Family Practice Residency
Program at KnappFamilyMed@utrgv.edu, or visit
https://www.KnappMed.org/Services/Family-Practice-Residency-Clinic.aspx or
www.utrgv.edu/som/residency/family-medicine-kmc. To make an appointment
to be seen by one of the physicians, please call (956) 973-3531. Walk-in
patients are also being accepted.
A new family practice clinic in Mercedes is now open to see patients of
all ages as part of a new Knapp Medical Center / UTRGV Family Practice
Residency Program for the Mid-Valley (photo by Paul Chouy / UTRGV).
Six new family practice resident physicians are now seeing patients at
the new Knapp / UTRGV Family Practice Residency Clinic in Mercedes. From
the left are Dr. Miguel A. Sanchez Rivas, Dr. Marita del Pilar Sanchez
Sierra Marino, Dr. Diego Moreno, Dr. Miguel Tello (Associate Program Director),
Dr. Eliana Costantino Burgazzi, Dr. Eddy Berges, and Dr. Carolina Gomez
de Ziegler (photo by Paul Chouy / UTRGV).