Support med school

Showing our support for our homegrown medical school, the UTRGV School of Medicine, is crucial to the health and economic future of the Rio Grande Valley. The Monitor recently highlighted

State Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosas valiant efforts during the last legislative session to increase the amount of funding needed for the Valleys only medical school. Troubling was how hard he had to fight, the perceptions he encountered and the lack of urgency by some of the Legislature. In the end, the states appropriated amount for the biennium was short $7.2 million from 2015.

The $54.1 million budgeted will sustain the school, but not enough to truly grow the emerging medical school. With the pressing medical needs and critical doctor shortages in the RGV, we can no longer squander opportunities. The medical school is at a critical point in its young life and an undisputed asset to the region. Most concerning was that state lawmakers in Austin felt local support was missing. Many of them cited recent non-payments from various municipalities in the Valley that gave their word and passed ordinances to support the school. Some legislators in Austin used this as evidence for their lack of backing school funds. To these municipal leaders: This is not a time to play victim if a component of the medical school did not land in your backyard.

Hidalgo and Cameron counties can take a page out of Starr Countys playbook and create a sustaining hospital that funds medical needs and infrastructure.

Earlier this year, I began to feel a debilitating pain in my leg, which later was diagnosed as a hip ailment. Whereas, my diagnosis was not life-threatening, I had to bear my pain for months because of the absence of available orthopedic surgeons in the Rio Grande Valley. The Valley has a large, yet vulnerable and isolated population, that cannot often travel to other parts of the state for medical care. Therefore, our options are to wait and take the pain. Even then I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

We can do better. I feel that if our families, cities, counties, organizations, businesses and corporations unite and focus on our medical school, we can maintain quality-care standards found in other parts of the state.

This is not a want but a need. Many lives are at stake, so building a coalition behind the medical school should be priority No. 1. If we dont, we can only aspire to be below-average again. The UTRGV medical school will produce high-quality doctors for the needs of our growing population. This is a wise and long-term economic investment of tax dollars; being short-sided today will be expensive tomorrow.

Lydia Lopez, Rio Grande City

Vote on new courthouse

I recently returned from the Hidalgo County Appraisal District and my property values went up, so will my tax bill for 2017. But according to Hidalgo County Commissioners, county taxes will not be raised. But if your values are raised, then so is your tax bill. Last August there was a petition to take a county wide healthcare district to voters, which only needed 50 signatures (they got 168.) How come we cant get a petition with 50 voters to vote on this issue? We already voted twice on the healthcare district.

I hope the OWLS are working on this because a public notice came out in the June 18 paper to issue $33 million for construction of this new courthouse under a CO (Certificates of Obligation.) That is tied to the tax rate.

I say if you want new offices for the judges then buy a 75-acre piece of land and make a new building exclusively for those judges and courts. I believe thats all we really need and that wont cost $140 million. Let the voters (AKA taxpayers) decide if they want this new courthouse.

Juan Ortiz, Weslaco

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LETTERS: On UTRGV medical school and new Hidalgo County courthouse - Monitor