Debate Over Children’s Hospital Continues Hours Before Election

EL PASO, TX. – Tuesday, November 6,voters will decide whether El Pasoans should spend $120-million dollars to build a children’s hospital.

Opponents say there’s no need for an independent children’s hospital, while proponents say it’s time to change the status quo and think of the future. “Build it and they will come, this isn’t like the baseball story,” said one doctor.Dr. Jose Alva is the longest practicing pediatrician in El Paso.

Alva says just because a facility is built it doesn’t mean sub-specialists will be attracted to it. Rodolfo Fierro-Stevens is one of the 20 pediatric sub-specialists who practice inthe El Pasoarea. He and 17 others support the children’s hospital saying the promise of a children’s hospital, more than a decade ago is what lured him to El Paso.

“Along with me came another 6 or 7 pediatric sub-specialists with the hopes of being part of that program but itnever materialized,”Fierro-Stevenssaid.Dr. Alva says nationwide, county-run facilities aren’t good at attracting sub-specialists and that even thougha children’s hospital mightexist in El Paso, children with certain disorders would still have to travel for treatment.

“Those sub-specialists are going to stay in the big cities, Houston, Dallas, New York, Chicago. You know, where they’re going to make the big bucks, not in El Paso.”Alvasaid. ButFierro-Stevens says with Texas Tech’s recent expansion to a four year medical school–the perfect environment is now set for a children’s hospital.

“We want to have powerful institutions that can attract people,” Fierro-Stevens said. As for the promise thattaxpayers will have a one-time burden of $120- million dollars, Dr. Alva says he doesn’t buy it.

“Knowing what we pay physicians from the outside just staying here one day or two days. It will be impossible for taxpayers not to afford some money.” Alva said. Fierro-Stevens says studies show the hospital can be self-sustaining just with Thomason’s patient base without even adding his or other sub-specialists’ patients to the mix.

“Because we have a lot of insurance patients that are going to be using that hospital. So, just by that simple fact, we are going to increase the revenue of that hospital.”

The children’s hospital that is being proposed would be a five-story, 140-bed facility. People with a home valued at $100,000 dollars will have to pay $2.38 more in taxes each month. The children’s hospital would lease the space from Thomason and have an independent board.

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Written for broadcast by Celina Avila

Edited for KVIA.com by Miguel Martinez