Texas State University has been selected for a new statewide initiative—the Texas Rural Hospital Officers Academy—that will strengthen financial and operational leadership and stability of rural hospitals and protect access to health care across Texas.
The background
The academy was established by House Bill 18 during the 2025 Texas legislative session and will deliver more than 100 hours of specialized training each year for leaders of rural hospitals and health systems throughout the state. The academy's goal is to address the growing risk of hospital closures, according to a news release from Texas State.
Zooming out
The university will be representing the Texas State University System. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will partner with four Texas public university systems, including TSUS, the University of Texas System, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas Tech University System. Each system will assign a site principal investigator and faculty expertise to support consistent, high-quality training across the state, according to the release.
Melinda Villagran, executive director of the Translational Health Research Center, or THRC, will lead the academy at Texas State and serve as the TSUS delegate to the academy’s state advisory board. THRC Faculty Fellows with expertise in operations, health care finance, leadership and rural health systems will work on the project once selected.
"It is an honor to represent the Texas State University System and Texas State University as a member of the advisory group helping to develop this initiative," Villagran said in the release. "We are ready and enthusiastic to provide rural healthcare leaders across the state with professional development, continuing education, and technical training.”
Zooming in
The program aims to reduce financial instability that can lead to service reductions or hospital closures by strengthening leadership. According to the release, training in the academy will include competencies for operating hospitals in resource-constrained rural environments, such as:
- Regulatory compliance
- Revenue optimization
- Health care management
Also of note
Sul Ross State University, a TSUS sister school, will lead local logistics planning for the on-site program in West Texas in 2027, according to the release.
