Texas legislature looks to help rural hospitals struggling to stay open

LA GRANGE, Texas (Nexstar) -- Right on Highway 77, a few miles from downtown La Grange, sits a hospital that once provided emergency services and orthopedic surgery. Now, the St. Mark's Medical Center is an empty building with a sign on the front door that reads, "Sorry, we're closed."

The hospital closed in October 2023 because of “ongoing inability to meet its financial obligations,” according to a news release that announced the closure.

St. Mark's was the only hospital in Fayette County.