WESLACO – A doctor is working with the Weslaco Police Department to put defibrillators in every police unit.

Dr. Robert Sepulveda said he and a group of volunteers partnered with police, since they’re often the first at the scene of a major medical crisis. “The importance of this is early defibrillation saves lives,” he said.

It’s the latest project for the longtime Weslaco doctor. Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Sepulveda and a male nurse started a medical education conference at South Padre Island.

"He and I went out and asked the administration to give us a $10,000 line of credit to do the conference. And we worried about being able to pay it back,” he recalled.

The conference was a success and continues every year, bringing in doctors from across Texas and other states.

“As a physician, he's taken the lead in not only educating himself, but making sure the medical community is up to date on the most current medical information,” said Rene Lopez, an Knapp Medical Center administrator.

Lopez called Dr. Sepulveda “one of the jewels of Knapp.”

He’s made his rounds at the hospital in Weslaco for many years. "I started here when the hospital was just one section in the front. And we've seen it grown, so we've seen thousands and thousands of patients."

In addition to his medical career, Weslaco residents are also familiar with Dr. Sepulveda’s love of education, which runs in his family.

“I think my dad served 18 years on the Weslaco school board. I served 22 years and also served on the state school board association,” he said.

The Weslaco Independent School District named a gym after his father. “He worked really hard to get it funded and do everything. And the board honored him by doing that,” he told us. “I'm really grateful."

Dr. Sepulveda was a basketball player. “All of my relatives, my brothers were all basketball players, so was my dad,” he said.

While his high school basketball days are over, he has plenty of projects and work to keep him busy.

“I'll probably retire when I can't do it anymore,” Dr. Sepulveda said with a laugh.

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