The following information was provided by Val Verde Regional Medical Center.
Val Verde Regional Medical Center recently welcomed leadership from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Family Medicine Rural Residency Program for their second official site visit, as plans move forward to establish a rural family medicine residency program in Del Rio.
With key milestones already underway, the partnership between VVRMC and TTUHSC is progressing from planning toward implementation.
Representing TTUHSC during the visit were Dr. Martin Ortega, regional chair and assistant regional dean for medical education in family and community medicine; Dr. Ike Okwuwa, family medicine residency program director for TTUHSC of the Permian Basin; and Julia Garza, senior department administrator.
During the visit, TTUHSC leadership met with VVRMC Chief Executive Officer Jorge Jurado, hospital administrators and members of the VVRMC medical staff to further develop curriculum structure, clinical training integration and operational planning for the Del Rio site.
Program timeline
Resident interviews are scheduled to begin in fall 2026. The inaugural class will begin training in July 2027 at the TTUHSC Permian Basin campus as part of a three-year family medicine residency program.
After completing their first year, residents will transition to Del Rio in July 2028 to complete the final two years of training at VVRMC.
Residents will live and work in Del Rio while caring for local patients and completing their rural-focused clinical education.
Dr. Alejandro Bocanegra will serve as site director for the program at VVRMC. With prior experience in academic medicine and physician training, Bocanegra will oversee resident education and faculty development at the Del Rio location.
“This partnership is a transformative step for healthcare in our region,” Jurado said. “By building a rural residency program here in Del Rio, we are investing in a sustainable physician workforce pipeline, strengthening recruitment and retention and expanding access to primary care for our community.”
Rural residency programs have consistently demonstrated higher retention rates in the communities where physicians train. Hospital officials say the initiative positions VVRMC as a long-term teaching site and reinforces its commitment to expanding healthcare access across Val Verde County and surrounding rural areas.
Val Verde Regional Medical Center and TTUHSC officials will continue working together as the program advances toward its planned 2027 launch.
