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Judith Rendon holds her infant son, Jesus\u00a0IV, while spending time with her daughter\u00a0Ellie, 2. The South Side native\u00a0has traveled to the North Side for maternal care since having her first child, who is now 8.<\/p>\n
Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Judith\u00a0Rendon, a South Side mother of four, has traveled to the North Side for maternal care and doctor\u2019s appointments since having her first child, who is now 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cAccess in the North Side is so much better, it\u2019s all clustered together,\u201d she said. \u201cHere, it\u2019s truly, to me, a desert.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Healthcare access has been an issue for decades on the South Side\u00a0\u2014 a situation that was exacerbated by the 2023 closure of Texas Vista Medical Center<\/a>, leaving just one hospital for the whole area. The loss of that facility will soon be partly offset:\u00a0University Health<\/a> is building Palo Alto Hospital<\/a> on a 68-acre campus next to Texas A&M-San Antonio.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: \u2018New strategies\u2019: University Health looks beyond medicine on South Side<\/a><\/p>\n But even with Palo Alto, the South Side still will not have the same level of access to maternity care as is available on the North Side, which has nearly a half dozen facilities offering the services.<\/p>\n Rendon, 34, gave birth for the fourth time in mid-July. She said she traveled at least 30 minutes for each prenatal medical appointment\u00a0\u2014 during rush hour, the drive could \u201ceasily\u201d take almost double the time.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n San Antonio Express News Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Because her pregnancy was considered high risk, that meant multiple trips: Every two weeks, she had an appointment with an obstetrician-gynecologist and another with a high-risk pregnancy specialist; every four weeks, she had a cardiologist appointment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Judith Rendon holds her infant son, Jesus IV, and her daughter\u00a0Ellie, 2, while daughters Sol, 4, and Autumn, 8, sit with their father, Jesus. Her husband drove her to all her appointments on the North Side during her pregnancy with their son.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Her husband, Jesus, drove her to all appointments, and her mother-in-law has provided a helping hand \u2014 support that not all San Antonio moms have.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n RELATED: \u2018It\u2019s heartbreaking\u2019: Former Southwest General hospital closes after 40 years<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m aware I\u2019m privileged, and it\u2019s so much harder for the moms who don\u2019t have a car or family to rely on or can\u2019t get off work,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing in the healthcare field makes me even more aware that working as a community can help us move further.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The South Side native\u00a0\u2014 who attended South San Antonio Independent School District and met her husband there\u00a0\u2014 worked at Texas Vista for years before its closure. There, she saw members of her community coming in for help, but it\u2019s \u201cgone now.\u201d<\/p>\n Judith Rendon spends time with her children in August at\u00a0the prayer garden by St. Joseph South San Catholic Church in San Antonio. \u201cAccess in the North Side is so much better, it\u2019s all clustered together,\u201d she says. \u201cHere, it\u2019s truly, to me, a desert.\u201d<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News Judith Rendon holds son Jesus while spending time with her children at the prayer garden by St. Joseph South San Catholic Church.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News Judith Rendon watches as 8-year-old Autumn holds her brother, Jesus, at their South Side home.\u00a0<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News Judith Rendon holds her son, Jesus, while daughters Sol, Autumn and Ellie play at their South Side home.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Maternal care in San Antonio\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The now-closed Texas Vista, originally Southwest General, was best known for its maternity ward<\/a>. In 1994, it devoted a full ward and nursery to teenage mothers in an area with many young mothers. It also was the first in the city to offer free pregnancy tests. It ranked in the top 10% nationally for its maternity care in the 2000s.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThat hospital was truly generational and something special for the community,\u201d said Adriana Rocha Garcia<\/a>, president and CEO of Center for Health Empowerment in South Texas<\/a>, known as CHEST. \u201cFor kids to be able to say they were born in their neighborhood, born in the same hospital as their mom, it was truly special.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: History of Southwest General reveals much-needed hospital: \u2018A hidden gem on the South Side\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Mothers like Rendon\u00a0\u2014\u00a0 who have to travel for prenatal care, including the training and recommendations that come from frequent doctor visits\u00a0\u2014 are at a disadvantage, Rocha Garcia said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t get the moms on the right path, something drastic can happen, like infant mortality,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Judith Rendon holds son Jesus while spending time with her children at the prayer garden by St. Joseph South San Catholic Church. \u201cIt\u2019s so much harder for the moms who don\u2019t have a car or family to rely on or can\u2019t get off work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n San Antonio\u2019s South Side is \u201cofficially designated as medically\u00a0underserved,\u201d according to CHEST. Only 70 acute care and 30 maternity beds are located in the South Side, out of the city\u2019s 5,000 hospital beds.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The 2022 Bexar County Community Health Needs Assessment report<\/a> found that residents of ZIP code 78207 and other neighborhoods south of U.S. 90 have lifespans up to 20 years shorter than their neighbors in North Bexar County.<\/p>\n A survey respondent in the 2025 version of the report<\/a> cited the area\u2019s having only one emergency room (attached to a full-service hospital) as a reason for the difference in life expectancy and other negative health outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Transportation challenges<\/p>\n Community members often pointed out that having to cross town for medical care, especially specialty care, is more difficult for those without reliable transportation, the health needs report said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n SA INC.: Get the week\u2019s top local business stories in your inbox<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhere can we get or how can we get someone to listen to us and maybe set up transportation for those of us who don\u2019t have a car, so we can get to San Antonio?\u2019 Because it\u2019s really hard, if you don\u2019t have a car,\u201d said a survey respondent from\u00a0Von Ormy, on the Southwest Side.\u00a0<\/p>\n Judith Rendon walks while holding son Jesus in August\u00a0at the prayer garden by St. Joseph South San Catholic Church.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n \u201cThink about a mother who is having a kid in the summer: If they can\u2019t find a ride, what if they miss their appointment? Some providers cancel if they don\u2019t make it,\u201d Rocha Garcia said. \u201cMany things are stacked against moms to get the care that they need \u2014 and many of them can\u2019t miss work hours because that will be a pay cut.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n An option for those who don\u2019t have a car is taking the bus. The VIA Metropolitan System<\/a> operates 75 routes in a service area of over 1,200 miles.<\/p>\n But during the summer days with triple-digit temperatures and UV indexes over 10, it\u2019s not safe for pregnant mothers to wait for the bus\u00a0\u2014 especially at bus stops with no shelter, Rocha Garcia said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most bus stops in San Antonio are unsheltered and have metal benches, said Bill Barker, former director of planning at VIA and former executive director of Solar San Antonio. In mid-August, he measured the temperature at the San Pedro and Rector bus stop using an infrared thermometer. The bench\u2019s surface temperature was nearly 143 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n The\u00a0National Weather Service warns<\/a> that heat index values of 130 degrees or higher can lead to heatstroke, which is a severe medical emergency. Symptoms include<\/a> a core body temperature of 104 degrees or higher; \u00a0hot, dry skin; rapid pulse; slurred speech; confusion; and seizures.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n RELATED: Here\u2019s what you need to know about heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf someone\u2019s body temperature is 106\u00b0F, they are lucky to be alive,\u201d Barker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The VIA Link, a van ride service that costs the same as the bus, is an alternative that allows San Antonians to book their rides in advance, which can come in handy for appointments. However, it only operates in six designated areas, according to a map on its website<\/a>. One area is on the South Side, around Palo Alto College, TAMU-SA and the Toyota campus; a second is on the Southeast Side, around Brooks. But large swaths of the region don\u2019t have coverage.<\/p>\n Sol Rendon embraces her baby brother, Jesus, while mother Judith supports the infant at\u00a0their South Side home.<\/p>\n Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Road to solutions<\/p>\n University Health\u2019s Palo Alto Hospital is set to open in February 2027 with six labor rooms; 11 neonatal intensive care unit beds plus a family room where parents can sleep overnight; and 10 postpartum rooms with a couplet-care design, where the baby can room in with a parent, according to University Health spokesperson\u00a0Elizabeth Allen<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n RELATED: Meet the CEO guiding University Health\u2019s expansion<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time for the South Side to have this hospital coming in,\u201d said Irma Sanchez, director of women\u2019s health services\/neonatology at Palo Alto.<\/p>\n In addition to Palo Alto Hospital, the health system is building a multispecialty center<\/a>, University Health Vida<\/a>, which will offer comprehensive medical care, including women\u2019s health and pediatric services.\u00a0<\/p>\n The labor and delivery facilities at Palo Alto Hospital will open as Level I, or the lowest on a scale that goes up to IV. Upon opening, the plan is to bring it to Level III status. University Health\u2019s Women\u2019s & Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>, located on Medical Drive, is a Level IV NICU and a Level IV maternity center.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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