In a landmark effort to expand access to rural health care, Texas A&M Health and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) are partnering to launch an innovative clinic housed in a retrofitted 40-foot shipping container in Fort Davis. The project will be officially dedicated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, July 11, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., at 100 Court Avenue.
The clinic, designed and constructed by the student-led nonprofit Texas A&M BUILD, is named in honor of Airman 1st Class James “Adam” Lassiter ’08, who died in 2012 while serving on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. The dedication will include keynote remarks, tours of the facility, and a community lunch.
The fully equipped clinic will offer telehealth and tele-counseling services, bringing long-overdue access to medical and mental health care to this underserved region. Licensed professionals from the Texas A&M Health Telehealth Institute will provide virtual counseling, while family medicine doctors and medical residents from TTUHSC and Texas Tech Physicians in Odessa will offer telemedicine care.
“This collaboration brings together students, universities, and rural leaders to solve one of the most pressing issues in West Texas—health care access,” said Dr. Adrian Billings, associate academic dean of TTUHSC’s Rural and Community Engagement Division.
Dedication Ceremony Speakers Include:
- Allyson Bartlett, CEO of Texas A&M BUILD
- Adrian Billings, MD, PhD, TTUHSC
- Curtis Evans, Judge of Jeff Davis County
- Mark Lassiter, family representative of Airman 1st Class Adam Lassiter
- Carly McCord, PhD, Executive Director, Texas A&M Health Telehealth Institute
- Tedd Mitchell, MD, Chancellor, Texas Tech University System
- Indra Reddy, PhD, Interim COO and VP, Texas A&M Health
- Lori Rice-Spearman, PhD, President, TTUHSC
- Amy Waer, MD, FACS, Dean, Texas A&M College of Medicine
Local students from Fort Davis ISD and community stakeholders will also be in attendance for the unveiling of the clinic, which is expected to serve as a model for rural health access statewide.
