H.R. No. 194



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to 
welcome members of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community 
Hospitals, or TORCH, to the Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, Established in 1990, TORCH is the only hospital 
association dedicated to meeting the needs of rural and small 
community hospitals in Texas; made up of general acute care 
hospitals with fewer than 150 beds, TORCH bridges the gap between 
rural and urban providers; and
	WHEREAS, TORCH assists small hospitals in the areas of 
regulatory and financial reform and offers a broad range of 
educational opportunities in the form of conferences and seminars, 
including the TORCH Annual Education Conference and Trade Show; and
	WHEREAS, Of the 254 counties in Texas, 196 are considered 
rural; of these counties, 61 have no hospital, 105 have one 
hospital, 27 have two hospitals, and 4 have three hospitals; 176 
Texas counties have been designated as medically underserved areas, 
and an additional 47 counties have been designated as partial 
medically underserved areas; and
	WHEREAS, Some 3.1 million Texans live in our state's rural 
regions, and these Lone Star citizens deserve to have access to high 
quality medical care; the members of TORCH have lived up to their 
motto, "Big enough to help, Small enough to care," and it is a 
privilege to have delegates from this group with us today; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby welcome the members of the Texas Organization of 
Rural and Community Hospitals to the Capitol and commend all those 
associated with this noteworthy organization for their work in 
behalf of the Lone Star State's rural and community hospitals.

                                                                           Garza

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 194 was adopted by the House on 
February 12, 2003, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House