Leaders from across Southeast Texas gathered in Lufkin to share ideas about how Texas should apply for a portion of the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion national fund created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The listening session, hosted by the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and supported by Episcopal Health Foundation and the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, gave the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) valuable input from people who live and work in rural communities every day.
More than 60 people attended, including leaders from health centers, local health departments, city officials, nonprofits, and community collaboratives. Participants emphasized what rural Texans already know: improving health means looking beyond traditional health care.
Good data matters. Collaboration is essential. Prevention, sustainability, and workforce support are key. Addressing basic needs like food, housing, and transportation is central to improving health, along with tackling other non-medical drivers of health.
Ideas shared included expanding the use of community health workers in new settings such as pharmacies, partnering with large farms to provide fresh produce, and finding local ways to reduce food insecurity.
This was #HealthNotJustHealthCare in action, as rural communities helped shape state policy discussions that could strengthen health across Texas.
