MULTI-PARTNER COLLABORATION BRINGS MEDICAL CLINIC TO BURTON
Burton-area residents now have access to healthcare close to home.
Science Center hosted an open house on
Wednesday for the new BUILD Burton - Southern
Clinic.
(courtesy Courtney Sacco / Texas A&M University
Health Science Center)
An open house ceremony was held today (Wednesday) for the new Burton – Southern Clinic, located in a retrofitted shipping container next to the Burton EMS Station at 235 North Colorado Street.
The 40-foot clinic is the product of a collaboration between the Texas A&M University Health Science Center, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, students in the Texas A&M BUILD organization, Washington County EMS, the Burton Bridge Ministry, Wellpoint and SpawGlass. Patients at the clinic will be able to access primary care via telehealth courtesy of Texas Tech physicians, and licensed professionals from the Texas A&M Health Telehealth Institute will offer tele-counseling services. Washington County EMS staff will create in-person touchpoints and patient visit care coordination. The Burton Bridge Ministry has arranged to have a passenger van available and on call to help patients get to the clinic site and back home.
Dr. Amy Waer, Dean of the Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, said the challenges facing rural healthcare are consistent across Texas and the nation, but this clinic will address those challenges in a significant way.
Dr. Lori Rice-Spearman, President of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, said health outcomes should not be impacted by where someone lives, making today a truly great one for rural Texans.
Wellpoint Texas President Greg Thompson said Wellpoint was honored to assist with financial support for the clinic project, because it aligns with Wellpoint’s commitment to whole health for body and mind.
Carol Gaskamp, board member for the Burton Bridge Ministry, said this clinic serves as a milestone reached and a promise fulfilled.
Washington County EMS Lieutenant Mark Rosenbaum said access to local primary care will alleviate stress both for individuals and for county emergency services. He encouraged the community to make full use of the new clinic.
Texas A&M Health and the Texas Tech
Health Sciences Center stand outside
the new Burton - Southern Clinic.
(courtesy Washington County)
The collaboration between Texas A&M and Texas Tech began with the opening of a clinic last year in Fort Davis, serving residents in the Big Bend region.
The Burton clinic is named for Dr. Charles Everett Southern, who opened the town’s first hospital and served as a local physician for many years. It will be dedicated in honor of Dorothy McFerrin, who has been a longtime fixture in Texas A&M philanthropic efforts alongside her late husband, Arthur “Artie” McFerrin, Jr.
