Improving Access to Healthcare in Rural Texas Communities

Where you live can significantly influence your health. How close is the nearest care provider or hospital? Can emergency assistance arrive quickly when seconds count? Are the resources to get and stay healthy within your reach?

Elevance Health is working to improve access to healthcare in rural communities, including in Texas, home to the largest rural population of any state. Many people enjoy the benefits of rural living, such as affordability, privacy, and land availability, but they might experience challenges with health for various reasons — from a lack of local health providers to barriers such as accessible or inclusive healthcare.

More than a quarter of Texans live in medically underserved counties. Presidio, a rural border town in Texas, is around 90 miles from the nearest hospital and has struggled to overcome some of the state’s most extreme health inequities. Barriers to healthcare that residents of Presidio and other rural areas experience were exacerbated during the pandemic, especially with the lack of access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Amerigroup Texas, an Elevance Health company, is longstanding partners with Caprock Home Health Services. Caprock employs home health workers who serve people in several rural parts of Texas. Caprock wanted to ensure that its employees and their families had opportunities to be fully vaccinated to stay healthy, and to also help safeguard their clients’ health.

More than a third of the population in Presidio does not have health insurance, 42% of adults are in poor or fair health, and the poverty rate is more than twice the national median. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, Presidio falls into an area that is classified as a Health Professional Shortage Area. In fact, visiting healthcare providers often travel hundreds of miles to serve people in Presidio.