TYLER, Texas — Tyler and Longview serve as major medical hubs in East Texas — but venture beyond those city limits, and access to care can quickly disappear.

Outside of major population centers, residents begin to face a limit to access to healthcare. This includes fewer physicians, nurses, urgent cares and medical facilities to treat patients.

Paula Anthony is the chief strategy officer for U-T Health East Texas. She says the shortage can have real consequences and Northeast Texas has some of the highest rates of chronic disease, heart disease, cancer, and stroke in the state.

"The biggest risk in access is that families are delaying care, and by the time they show up, they've got serious underlying conditions that put them at higher risk," Anthony said.

To address the challenge, U-T

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