KEEP VALLEY BAPTIST'S PEDIATRIC UNIT OPEN!
OUR CHILDREN DESERVE CARE, NOT CUTBACKS.
To the leadership of Valley Baptist Health System, hospital administrators, and community decision-makers:

We are calling on Valley Baptist Health System to keep its pediatric unit in Brownsville, Texas, open and accessible to the children and families who depend on it.

A child's health should never come down to a financial decision. Our children are not numbers on a spreadsheet, and pediatric healthcare should never be viewed simply as an expense to eliminate.

Brownsville is a large, growing community with thousands of families who depend on accessible healthcare. Our community also serves a significant population of patients who travel across the border from Mexico seeking medical attention. These families depend on local hospitals for timely, compassionate care, especially when their children become sick and need hospitalization.

What happens to these children if we take away another place where they can receive care?

Closing the pediatric unit would place an additional burden on families who may already be struggling financially, lack reliable transportation, or cannot afford to travel to another city when their child needs medical attention.

When a child is sick, every minute matters. Parents should not have to worry about how far they must travel, where they can find an available pediatric bed, or whether they can afford to get their child the care they need.

We must also consider the impact on our entire community. Brownsville and the surrounding Rio Grande Valley deserve accessible pediatric healthcare. Our children deserve the same opportunity for quality medical care as children in larger cities.

We understand that hospitals face financial challenges. However, we believe decisions about children's healthcare must consider more than the bottom line. The well-being of our children, the accessibility of medical services, and the needs of our community must be part of that equation.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR:
Keep the Valley Baptist Brownsville Pediatric Unit open.
Protect access to inpatient pediatric care for Brownsville's children and surrounding communities.
Be transparent with the community about the reasons for the proposed closure and its impact on local families.
Put children's health and community needs ahead of financial considerations.
THIS IS BIGGER THAN A HOSPITAL.
This is about mothers and fathers who need somewhere to take their sick children.

It is about babies, toddlers, school-aged children, and teenagers who deserve access to appropriate medical care close to home.

It is about families who cross the border seeking treatment and depend on our healthcare system.

It is about nurses, physicians, and healthcare professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for our children.

And it is about the future of Brownsville.

We cannot continue to lose access to essential healthcare services and expect our community to thrive.

A community that puts children first must protect the places that care for them.

We ask Valley Baptist leadership to reconsider any decision to close the pediatric unit and work with our community to find a way to keep these services available.

Please sign this petition, share it with your friends and family, and help us make our voices heard.

Our children cannot always speak up for themselves. It is our responsibility to speak up for them.

CHILDREN OVER PROFITS. HEALTHCARE OVER CUTBACKS. OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER.

KEEP OUR PEDIATRIC UNIT OPEN!