As Texas lawmakers came to an impasse on hemp legislation at the end of the 2nd special session, State Representative Gary Van Deaver, Chairman of the House Public Health Committee, kept an eye on the broader health care pressures facing rural areas of Texas.
“Health care in rural Texas is not what it should be,” he says, pointing to the need for HB 18, the Rural Health Stabilization and Innovation Act, that will allow rural hospitals to apply for grants to support operations. Closures in rural communities are a problem. “There is no hospital anymore” in his home county, he says, and residents “have to drive 30 or 40 miles minimum to receive health care.” In some counties the trip is 100 miles.
Now in his sixth term representing House District 1—Bowie, Cass, Lamar, Morris, and Red River counties—Van Deaver spent 10 years as a teacher before becoming an elementary principal, high school principal, and superintendent. He also runs a cattle operation. “That kind of helps people understand why I believe what I believe and why I take the positions I take.”
Van Deaver is particularly concerned about access to good medical care in rural communities, where recruiting doctors remains a challenge. “Attracting doctors out to rural Texas is just not something that’s inviting to them,” he says. The state has started placing more residencies outside big cities. “When prospective doctors do their residencies in rural Texas, they realize they like the slower pace and getting to know their patients.”
Th financial incentives help, Van Deaver says. “We can’t necessarily compete with the urban centers,” but the lower cost of living stretches paychecks. “In the city you rent an efficiency apartment,” he says, while in rural Texas, “you can buy a three-bedroom home.”
Telemedicine offers promise if broadband continues to expand. During the pandemic, “people were having to drive to McDonald’s to hop on their Wi-Fi,” he says.
Still, many services need in-person care. “It’s not that easy to deliver a baby anymore in rural Texas,” he says. “There are times when you need a doctor to put their hands on you.”
As a member of the Select Committee on Opioid and Substance Abuse, Van Deaver saw “over-prescription, doctor shopping” and pushed for tighter tracking, safer disposal, and public education. Border enforcement matters as well. “Anytime you close off what’s coming into the country undetected, that has to be helpful,” he says.
Van Deaver filed HB 6, reflecting the Senate’s call for a full ban of hemp-derived THC, but calls it a starting point. “We start there because that’s where we ended in the regular session,” he says. “We are not there yet.”
As the special session appears to be ending with no deal, the challenge will be to find a measure that satisfies both chambers and the governor. “We are looking for that sweet spot of a policy that can pass the Senate and be signed by the governor.”
Agreement exists on banning synthetics, requiring safe packaging, and setting age limits. Delta-9 products divide opinion. Some urge regulation like alcohol, with testing, taxation, and age restrictions. Others warn of harm to children. “There are people who say it will kill you. There are people who say it will save you,” he says. “What do you do?”
Another bill pushed through his committee would allow access to Ivermectin, a treatment for patients with corona virus. “We passed that out of our committee,” he says. Sales would be “behind the counter,” similar to Sudafed, with pharmacists available to explain dosage and side effects. “From all indications, it’s a safe drug. There’s probably no reason for people not to have access to it.”
Interim work will continue after the special sessions, he says. “We definitely will be looking at the cost and availability of health care, particularly in rural Texas,” along with follow-up on THC and opioids.