South Texas Health System Children's hospital is getting ready to celebrate 20 years of caring for the Rio Grande Valley.

According to a news release, the facility will commemorate the milestone with a special community event scheduled for March 4 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the main parking lot, located at 1102 West Trenton Road.

The event will highlight STHS Children's history as the first dedicated children's hospital in the Valley, as well as the committed staff and pediatric providers who have delivered healing and hope to 300,000 children and their families.

Before STHS Children's opened, specialized pediatric care in the Valley was limited, often forcing families to travel to Corpus Christi and beyond, according to the news release.

On March 4, 2006, STHS Children's opened as the first freestanding children's hospital in the Valley. Formerly known as Edinburg Children's Hospital, the four-story, 86-bed facility features a 15-bed dedicated

emergency department designed specifically for children and a 14-bed pediatric intensive care unit, which remain the largest of their kind in the Valley, according to the news release.

"STHS Children’s didn’t just fill a critical gap; it transformed hope into reality for families across the Valley. By providing dedicated, around-the-clock emergency and specialized pediatric care, the hospital became a lifeline for parents who simply wanted their children to heal close to home," STHS Children's Chief Executive Officer Lance Ames said. "For Valley families, the facility has meant comfort, relief and the reassurance that expert care is right here where it’s needed most."

Now, STHS Children's has expanded into a comprehensive pediatric care provider, offering services that include pediatric emergency medicine, infectious disease, neurology and neurosurgery, cardiology, orthopedics and spine care, as well as pediatric gastroenterology, according to the news release.

The celebration is open to the public. Refreshments and light food will be provided.

For more information, click here.