Emergencies can be stressful, so you'll want to be able to stay by your loved one's side throughout the ordeal. But when you get to the emergency room (ER), you may be required to check in at the registration desk and answer many questions -- taking you away from the person you are caring for.

Fortunately, there's something you can do to speed up the process: Join one of our free Advantage Programs. When members arrive at any South Texas Health System Emergency Department (ED), they simply present their personalized Advantage ID cards at the registration area, where our staff scans the bar codes on each card to immediately access patient information -- name, address, medical history and insurance coverage.

"Our hospitals are the only in the area that offer patients ID cards that interface with our registration system," says Joel Pena, Director of the Advantage Programs at South Texas Health System. "The quick ER registration is one of the benefits that members say they appreciate most."

Other benefits of becoming an Advantage Program member include:

• Quarterly Health News magazine
• Discounts at our gift shops
• Seminars and workshops
• Discounts at our dining rooms
• ScriptSave -- savings of up to 50 percent on both brand-name and generic prescriptions at thousands of participating pharmacies
• Health screenings
• Health information
• Physician referral service
• Wellness programs

More than 4,000 local residents are members of our Advantage Programs. Kids Advantage is for children from birth to age 18, Med Advantage is for those ages 19 to 54, and Senior Advantage is for older adults ages 55 and older.

Joining our Advantage Programs is easy and FREE. Simply apply online at www.southtexashealthsystem.com or call 800-879-1033.

c/o Marketing Department 1400 W. Trenton Rd. Edinburg, Texas 78539