South Milam approach sought for health care
Dear editor:
About eight months ago, Milam County lost all of its hospital facilities with the bankruptcy of Little River Health Care.
Rockdale has a Hospital District which owned and leased a very nice hospital facility to Little River Health Care.
Cameron, to our north, is only 30 miles from Temple and the Baylor Scott & White Complex.
Baylor Scott & White has opened a nice clinic in Cameron and people in the north part of the county feel their needs are adequately taken care of.
The south part of the county is a different story.
There are four towns/communities that run along US 79—Thorndale, Rockdale, Milano and Gause.
The Rockdale Hospital District is working with St. Josephs Hospital in Bryan to open a clinic in Rockdale in part of the old hospital but that endeavor seems very limited because of the small tax base of Rockdale supporting the district.
The clinic they envision does not include emergency care and that is what most people feel a need for.
I want to explore expanding the Hospital District to include all of the school districts of Thorndale, Rock-dale, Milano and Gause and call it a South Milam Health-Care District.
The services of the district would include expanded ambulance coverage with tele-medicine capabilities, emergency care, a heliport in Rockdale and a nurse in each school district that could take care of immunizations and child wellness.
The HealthCare District could work with the clinics that are here now or come in the future.
If you would like to participate in trying to put this South Milam HealthCare District together, please contact me at peggyperry@hotmail.com or call me at 512-809-8004.
Collier Perry
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