“God bless you for being here”: A new West Texas clinic revives health care options in a rural community

Family nurse practitioner John Hodges stands in front of his practice at Ralls Family Medicine on Sept. 1. Ralls is a small town about 30 miles east of Lubbock. (Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune)

RALLS — The new Ralls Family Medicine Clinic is a quaint building with big ambitions: to be an oasis in a health care desert. It has a small waiting room with open windows to let the sun shine after several days of rain. Two receptionists greet incoming patients. There are two waiting rooms and an office for the primary caregiver, John Hodges.

The clinic is a welcome lifeline for many in the small town and the rest of Crosby County.