Podcast: Bailey praises vision of Harlingen leaders

HARLINGEN, RGV – The president of UT-Rio Grande Valley has praised Harlingen leaders for having the foresight over many years to bring medical education to their city.Dr. Guy Bailey sung the praises of Harlingen in an interview with the Rio Grande Guardianwhile hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the eagerly-awaited UTRGV School of Medicine Institute for Neuroscience.“This work predates my being here, or this university being here. It goes back to the vision of the leadership of Harlingen, the South Texas Medical Foundation here, the city, the EDC all working together,” Bailey said. “This is what happens when things work in harmony.”Bailey said the Institute for Neuroscience is a “huge” project for UTRGV School of Medicine.“The research and the clinic work that is done here will be very important for the health of the Valley. Everything from concussion to post-traumatic syndrome, everything that affects neurology will be treated here and researched here, so we are very excited,” Bailey told the Rio Grande Guardian.“I am also excited because this is the fruition of a great partnership with the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation. Without that foundation this would not exist. This is truly what happens when you have a partnership between the medical foundation, the legacy foundation and the university. When you are a university president and you think about how things ought to work, this is it. This is a model for how things should work.”Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation announced in 2017 that it would donate $15 million to the Institute for Neuroscience project. Going back a lot further, the City of Harlingen purchased 35 acres of land for a medical school two decades ago, later setting up the South Texas Medical Foundation to oversee their efforts.Editor's Note: The above podcast consists raw audio from the groundbreaking ceremony.Editor's Note: Click here to read the full story in the Rio Grande Guardian.Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.