The Coastal Bend Offers Residents Quality Health Care Close to Home

Explore Coastal Bend healthcare options, from advanced medical care in Corpus Christi to specialized services for children and families. By Ric Gross on September 8, 2026 For individuals and families weighing a move to the Coastal Bend – and for businesses evaluating where to invest and grow – access to strong healthcare is one of the most important quality-of-life considerations. In Corpus Christi, that conversation starts with three major institutions: Corpus Christi Medical Center, CHRISTUS Spohn Health System and Driscoll Children's Hospital. Together, they offer a depth of care that helps newcomers feel confident they can find advanced treatment, specialty services and family-centered care close to home. Corpus Christi Medical Center Corpus Christi Medical Center, part of HCA Healthcare, connects the Coastal Bend to a leading national healthcare network while expanding access to high-quality care close to home. The 631-bed, multicampus hospital system serves more than 150,000 community members each year through its Bay Area, Bayview, Doctors Regional, Solis Mammography, Cancer Center and emergency room locations in Corpus Christi, Portland and Rockport. Services include emergency care, behavioral health, women's services, neonatal intensive care, cardiovascular care, neurology, cancer treatment, orthopedics and robotic-assisted surgery. Corpus Christi Medical Center has earned national recognition for quality, including Modern Healthcare's 100 Top Hospitals list and Everest Award, Healthgrades' America's 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery, and the American College of Cardiology's MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for meeting the highest national standards for heart attack care. As a Level II Trauma Center and accredited chest pain and stroke center, Corpus Christi Medical Center provides 24/7 emergency care and advanced medical services for families across the Coastal Bend. Christus Spohn Health System CHRISTUS Spohn Health System is one of the Coastal Bend's defining healthcare anchors, with a regional network spanning six hospital campuses, specialty programs and community-focused services built on more than a century of care. Its Shoreline campus was included on Forbes' 2026 Top Hospitals list and is home to the region's only Level II Trauma Center. CHRISTUS Spohn also received a $100,000 grant to expand mobile healthcare services into underserved areas of the Coastal Bend, extending its reach well beyond hospital walls. The system's Cancer Center is the region's only nationally accredited cancer program, recognized by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. The health system's South campus has earned both Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery and Surgeon of Excellence in Robotic Surgery designations from Surgical Review Corp., with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System supporting minimally invasive procedures in gynecology, urology, colorectal and thoracic surgery. 'CHRISTUS Health is focused on delivering advanced, reliable care locally by continuously investing in technology, recruiting top physicians and expanding specialty services. Our integrated approach allows patients to receive coordinated, high-quality treatment without leaving the region,' says Dominic Dominguez, CEO of CHRISTUS Spohn Health System. For newcomers, CHRISTUS Spohn represents a large, established network with deep roots and services that support patients across many stages of life. Driscoll Children's Hospital For families with children, Driscoll Children's Hospital is one of the region's most important healthcare assets. Driscoll is the only freestanding children's hospital in the Coastal Bend and serves as a major pediatric referral center, drawing patients from 31 counties across a 33,000-square-mile service area. 'The most distinguishing services are those that support highly complex pediatric needs – including the Level IV NICU, pediatric intensive care, the Heart Center, and specialty programs such as neurosurgery, oncology, nephrology and maternal-fetal medicine,' says Dr. Abdallah Dalabih, chief medical officer of Driscoll Health System. 'These services allow care that is typically only available in larger metropolitan centers to be delivered locally.' The 225-bed tertiary care center offers more than 30 medical and surgical specialties, sees more than 150,000 patients each year and has earned the Society for Pediatric Sedation's Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation designation. 'Access to advanced pediatric care locally is a major factor in quality of life for families in the Coastal Bend,' Dalabih says. 'It provides peace of mind knowing that expert pediatric specialists, emergency care and critical care services are available close to home if a child ever needs them.'