Edinburg, Texas: DHR Health is pleased to announce that its Epilepsy Center has been officially accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). This is the highest level of accreditation available for epilepsy care in the United States. Additionally, this achievement marks a historic milestone as the DHR Health Epilepsy Center is the first and only nationally accredited facility located south of San Antonio and Houston.
An accredited NAEC epilepsy center offers specialized, multidisciplinary care designed to improve seizure control, particularly for drug-resistant epilepsy. Benefits include access to advanced diagnostics (video EEG/imaging), comprehensive surgical options, expert care teams, and specialized services like psychological counseling and specialized epilepsy management.
The designation by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers is awarded only to centers that meet rigorous standards for patients, staffing, technology, and outcomes. DHR Health joins an elite group of institutions nationwide recognized for excellence in epilepsy care.
“The achievement is not only a milestone for DHR Health but for the entire South Texas community,” said Dr. Leonel Estofan, DHR Health neurologist who specializes in epilepsy and who oversees DHR Health’s Epilepsy Center of Excellence. “It reflects our mission to deliver exceptional, patient-centered care and to lead with innovation and clinical excellence.”
“Joining the elite ranks of NAEC-accredited centers confirms that our surgical staffing, technology, and clinical outcomes meet the highest standards of excellence in the nation and further ensures that patients with complex, drug-resistant epilepsy do not need to travel out of the area for world-class neurosurgical care,” said Dr. Juan Torres-Reveron, DHR Health Neurosurgeon.
Key benefits of NAEC-accredited centers include:
High-Level Expertise: Access to epileptologists, specialized neurosurgeons, and neurophysiologists.
Advanced Diagnostics: Specialized Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) with video-EEG to accurately diagnose seizure types and focus points.
Comprehensive Treatments: Access to advanced surgical procedures.
Comprehensive Care Approach: Care often includes specialized nurse practitioners, psychologists, and social workers to address the impact of epilepsy on life.
Specialty Services: Treatment for comorbid conditions like depression/anxiety, genetics counseling, and pregnancy planning.
At the DHR Health Epilepsy Center, there is a full spectrum of care for people living with epilepsy—from diagnostics and surgical treatment to ongoing support and education. The DHR Health Epilepsy Center is home to the region’s only epilepsy surgical program using the ROSA robot and the only ABRET-certified EEG lab in South Texas. Dr. Leonel Estofan is a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy, and Dr. Juan Torres-Reveron is a neurosurgeon who specializes in epilepsy surgery.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes recurring, unprovoked seizures. A person may be diagnosed with epilepsy after two or more unprovoked seizures—or after a single seizure with a high likelihood of recurrence. While some seizures are linked to brain injury or genetics, many cases of epilepsy have no identifiable cause.
If you would like more information about the DHR Health Epilepsy Center, please call (956) 362-8500 or visit https://dhrhealth.com/epilepsy.
About DHR Health
DHR Health was founded in 1997 by a visionary group of local physicians and business leaders to address the healthcare challenges and disparities faced by the people of the Rio Grande Valley, a region in deep South Texas that has been historically underserved, lacking access to healthcare resources found in major metropolitan areas.
Today, DHR Health stands as one of the largest physician-owned hospital systems in the United States. The health system has expanded access to world-class, comprehensive care through six inpatient facilities and more than 80 outpatient clinics. Serving a diverse community of over 1.5 million residents, DHR Health is powered by a medical staff of over 625 physicians, 355 advanced practice providers, and 1,970 nurses among its 7,275 employees, offering access to more than 70 medical specialties and subspecialties throughout the region.
Headquartered in Edinburg, Texas, DHR Health is committed to serving Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy counties. Recent expansions include a medical campus in Starr County to expand access to primary and specialty healthcare services, advance clinical research, and train the next generation of physicians through the establishment of a clinic and training space for Starr County’s first ever family medicine physician residency graduate medical education program, a new hospital in Brownsville and the upcoming behavioral health hospital in Pharr, Texas, built in partnership with the City of Pharr, and the State of Texas.
DHR Health is dedicated to advancing clinical research and expanding graduate medical education to train the next generation of physicians in the Rio Grande Valley. With the region’s largest medical residency program and the only fellowship programs in South Texas, DHR Health continues to invest in graduate medical education and recently partnered with the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine to provide undergraduate medical education training opportunities for future physicians.
Distinguished by innovation and excellence, DHR Health became the first Level I Trauma Center in the region and continues to invest in advanced medical technologies, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), robotic surgery platforms such as the Da Vinci 5 and ROSA systems, and the ION robotic-assisted bronchoscopy system. The health system proudly operates South Texas’s only freestanding and certified women’s hospital, recognized as a Level IV maternal care center for delivering the highest standard of care and has collaborated with Driscoll Children’s Hospital to provide pediatric care for those children. DHR Health has established and continues to expand access to kidney transplant services in the Rio Grande Valley.
DHR Health continues to create a world-class health system to advance medicine and increase access for the communities we serve by empowering caregivers to heal through compassion, knowledge, innovation, integrated care and excellence.
Learn more about DHR Health at www.dhrhealth.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
