“In our district, we heard from counties that have lost their rural hospitals, and in places like Marion County, there is no medical facility, no doctor, and no pharmacy,” said Rep. Moran. “That’s simply not acceptable. When we see these health care deserts, we must build partnerships with providers to expand access to quality care. The best solutions don’t emanate in Washington—they come from local providers and community leaders who understand the real challenges on the ground. Our goal is to work alongside them to close those gaps and ensure every East Texan has access to the care they need.”
“Congressman Moran and I worked with President Trump to bolster federal investment in rural health care by passing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and one piece of that is the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program to help hospitals, clinics, and providers in East Texas and around our state, around the nation, to modernize our health systems and provide access to health care,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I'm proud that we secured $281 million in funding for rural access to health care in Texas for one year, and that is going to be done over a five-year period.”
“We appreciate Congressman Moran and Senator Cornyn for bringing providers, local leaders, and educators to the same table,” said Chad Jones, CEO of Wellness Pointe. “Rural communities benefit most when hospitals, health centers, behavioral health providers, and county leaders work from one local plan instead of building parallel systems.”
“We are grateful to Senator Cornyn and Congressman Moran for visiting our campus to engage directly with community leaders and health professionals on the challenges and opportunities facing rural health,” said UT Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD. “We appreciate all efforts—across government, education and health care—to strengthen access to quality care for rural communities.”
Background:
The RHT Program was established under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated $50 billion over five years through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to strengthen access to care and modernize health systems in rural areas.
Texas is set to receive the largest share of any state—more than $281 millionthis year.Over the past decade, 14 rural hospitals in Texas have closed, and dozens more are at risk. Nearly 60% of rural hospitals no longer deliver babies, and Texas currently ranks last nationwide in funding per rural resident. Local governments, rural hospitals, and health care providers will be able to apply for grants starting this spring.
Participants included Dr. Julie Philley, president of the University of Texas at Tyler; Kevin Lambing, RHTP consultant for the Texas Organization of Rural Community Hospitals (TORCH); Luke Schwartz, medical student and UT student regent; Jared Smith, CEO of UT Health East Texas; Chad Jones, CEO of Wellness Pointe; Robert Newsom, county judge of Hopkins County; Allison Harbison, county judge of Shelby County; Kaylee McDaniel, hospital administrator of Sabine County Hospital; Becki Mangum, CEO of Andrews Center; and Dr. Kristin Ault, family physician at Family First of Jacksonville.
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