Andy Davis, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Texas, recently published two columns addressing the loss of healthcare in rural communities and how Ascension Online Care and other innovative practices can help meet the needs of those we serve.
More than 100 rural hospitals have closed across the country since 2010, and 17 of those hospital shutdowns were in Texas – more than any other state in the country, he wrote in the Hayes Free Press. Looking forward, 21% of rural hospitals across the nation are at high risk of closing, according to Navigant’s analysis of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services data.
Ascension Medical Group in Central Texas has been working to better understand the needs of the community and the right methods and structures for providing care, Andy wrote in an article published on LinkedIn Pulse. Ascension Online Care – direct-to-consumer virtual care – is just one of the innovative care models that Ascension Texas is implementing to better support convenience and integrated care for those we serve. Innovative ambulatory care models are also an important part of Ascension's plans for the future and goals to better serve our communities.
Ascension Texas will open the Elgin, Texas, rural health clinic later this year, a multiphase medical center complex that will offer primary and after-hours care. The 5,000-square-foot medical facility is a partnership between Seton and Elgin to provide much-needed medical services and facilities to the community in a manner that is financially viable and sustainable. The new center will be licensed as a Rural Health Clinic and include lab and radiology services.
Additionally, Ascension Seton is building a micro-hospital in Bastrop, Texas, that is scheduled to open in November, which was designed to evolve along with the community’s changing needs. The medical center will include an emergency department, inpatient rooms, procedure rooms and imaging services. Medical office space on the second floor will offer families the convenience of primary and specialty care under one roof.
