CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M University–Kingsville is moving ahead with a major effort to solve one of Texas’ biggest problems: the shortage of healthcare professionals in rural communities. The university is developing an $80 million South Texas medical facility designed to train nurses, physician assistants and future medical doctors all without sending them off to large metropolitan areas.
University President Dr. Robert Vela says the South Texas Health Hub idea has been in motion for three years, and now the pieces are finally falling into place. That includes a $38 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos. The gift is one of the most transformative in the school’s history and serves as the financial engine powering the project forward.
The facility isn’t a standalone medical school. The academic control stays with Texas A&M’s College Station campus. But, Kingsville would host a full medical education unit. Students would begin their training in Kingsville, continue residency in South Texas and directly transition into the communities that have struggled for decades to recruit providers…