Supporting Health Care for Rural Texans
Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute
Rural hospitals and clinics are essential to the communities they serve. In addition to providing critical health care services, they support local economies by operating as one of the area’s largest employers. Yet many facilities continue to face significant challenges each year, including physician shortages, financial and operational pressures, limited access to specialists and a growing number of uninsured patients—all of which put them at risk of closure.
To fulfill its mission as a land-grant institution and extend its resources to underserved rural communities, Texas A&M Health established the Rural and Community Health Institute in 2003 as a rural health services organization. The institute serves as a bridge for rural health care professionals and their communities, connecting them with academic centers, policymakers and researchers.
Partnering for Wider Reach
The institute expanded its programs in 2023 after the 88th Texas Legislature provided funding for the Texas A&M Health Rural Engagement Program. This coordinated, interdisciplinary initiative brings together experts and resources from across Texas A&M Health—including the Rural and Community Health Institute, the Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy and the Telehealth Institute. Together, they work to close gaps in health care access for rural Texans across the state.
Read the Rural Engagement Program Annual Report
Through the Rural Engagement Program, the institute has established technical support programs across 100 counties leading to measurable improvements in financial and operational performance. Technical assistance coordinators travel statewide to rural health care facilities to identify, prioritize and implement strategies that promote financial sustainability. Together with local leadership teams and rural health industry experts, tailored action plans are created at no cost to the hospital/clinic. In fiscal year 2025, $3.15 million in technical assistance was provided to 84 rural health facilities across Texas.