Selene Bocanegra Tizapan RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation provided UTRGV with a $30-million grant to establish the Diabetes Center of Excellence.
The center will be built in Harlingen near the university’s Institute of Neuroscience.
On a Sept. 16 news release, UTRGV announced the received grant would aim to combat diabetes in the Rio Grande Valley.
According to a 2017 study by the National Library of Medicine, 30.7% of residents in the Valley have diabetes.
The money will also help establish a limb prevention clinic to better address the urgent need for amputation prevention.
Executive Vice President of Institutional Advancement Kelly Nassour said the new center will be a game changer.
“It is going to be a game changer for the Valley because we are going to do everything from diagnosing diabetes, treating diabetes, following up with the patients, talking about nutrition, some prevention,” Nassour said. “There’s just so many things planned and it’s really going to change health care for all of our citizens in the Rio Grande Valley.”
The Diabetes Center of Excellence is still in its planning phases.
According to a UTRGV news release, the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation has awarded the university $90-million since 2015.
