BOWIE, Texas — After sitting empty and exposed to thieves and vandals for more than two years, the one-story hospital that served Bowie for more than five decades is close to making a comeback — of sorts.
Reflecting the struggles facing hospitals throughout rural America, Bowie Memorial Hospital has closed twice since 2015, the first time when citizens refused a tax-supported bailout, and again in 2020, after a failed reopening.
Now, this north central Texas community of about 5,000 is partnering with a hospital system in Jacksboro, about 30 miles away, to revive the brown brick building on Greenwood Avenue as a round-the-clock emergency and observation center. Bowie residents who’ve had to go to other towns for emergency care eagerly await its scaled-down reopening.
