Regional Burn Care Expanded as El Paso Opens Dedicated Center

By: The City Magazine

University Medical Center of El Paso and Texas Tech Health El Paso are opening the region’s first dedicated burn center under the leadership of nationally recognized trauma and burn surgeon Philip E. Fidler, M.D., FACS.

When a child suffers scalding burns or an industrial worker faces severe chemical injuries, El Paso families have two options: to accompany their loved one on a 300-mile ambulance journey to a burn center in Albuquerque or Lubbock, or face separation during the medical crisis. That dilemma ends now.

“Every minute matters when treating severe burns,” said Dr. Fidler, UMC’s newly appointed medical director and professor at Foster School of Medicine. “Families in our region shouldn’t have to choose between staying close to home and accessing the best possible care for their loved ones.”

Dr. Fidler brings decades of clinical experience, having served as medical director at several leading burn centers, including the Andrew J. Panettieri Burn Center in Connecticut. He has held academic appointments at Georgetown University School of Medicine and Yale School of Medicine and founded the REACH Burn Foundation, which supports burn survivors through adaptive sports, recovery resources and international medical missions.

The center addresses a long-standing regional gap. El Paso’s 680,000 residents and families across far West Texas previously relied on facilities 300 miles away for specialized burn care. UMC treats more than 100 burn patients annually, many of whom cannot be transferred because distant hospitals lack capacity.

“This is a milestone that exemplifies UMC’s unwavering dedication to raising health care standards for the region,” said Jacob Cintron, president and CEO of the El Paso County Hospital District. “By delivering world-class burn care with compassion and expertise, we can keep our community closer to home and with their support systems when they need it most.”

Funded by UMC’s $396.6 million bond initiative approved by voters in November 2024, the burn center received $24.4 million for design, construction and equipment. It will include two dedicated burn operating rooms and specially designed inpatient rooms with advanced temperature and infection control systems.

Located next to the region’s only Level I trauma center, the burn center will integrate with emergency services so patients with multiple injuries can receive coordinated care under one roof.

“The nearest American Burn Association (ABA)-verified burn center to El Paso is in Lubbock 345 miles away.” He said. “When you look at the top 30 cities in the U.S., only two do not have a burn center. That would be Charlotte and El Paso, but there are two burn centers 80 miles & 139 miles from Charlotte. El Paso is truly an island to itself when it comes to a burn center. El Pasoans deserve a burn center.”

Texas Tech Health El Paso students and residents will train alongside specialists, creating a pipeline of providers attuned to the medical and cultural needs of the Borderplex.