Jasper has a new medical building, and its name belongs to the doctor who spent forty years taking care of the town.
The Dr. Ron A. McMurry, MD Mediplex was dedicated Wednesday, Oct. 7, with a ribbon cutting and remarks from Gov. Greg Abbott. He was joined by U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, State Rep. Hillary Hickland, Jasper Mayor Clark McClane, Jasper Hospital District President Rodney Norsworthy and Ray Callas, a past president of the Texas Medical Association, along with other state and local officials.
For patients, the building itself is the news. It houses dermatology, interventional pain management and pediatric facilities. It also has an air rescue base for Air Evac Lifeteam, known locally as Air Rescue 3.
The governor’s office called the MediPlex a major investment in rural health care for the region.
The doctor the building is named for
Dr. McMurry was an eighth-generation Texan, a United States Army combat veteran and a family physician who cared for Jasper for forty years. He served as director of the Jasper-Newton County Public Health District, where he expanded care for low-income Texans and pregnant women, and as president of the Jasper Hospital District.
“Ron McMurry devoted his life to making sure that where a Texan lives does not determine the quality of care they receive,” Abbott said. “Today, we are not only dedicating a building. We are honoring his legacy by making a promise that rural Texas will never be left behind.”
The rural health money behind it
The governor’s office put the dedication alongside a bigger number. In December, Abbott secured more than $1.4 billion in federal Rural Health Transformation Program funds for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission — $281 million a year for five years, the largest award of any state. HHSC is allocating that money to rural hospitals and clinics.
