Tejas Health Care Honors Founder Bob Field As Part of 15th Anniversary Commemoration

Tejas Health Care celebrated its 15th anniversary on Wednesday, July 3, with a touching tribute to its founder, Bob Field.

“We want to honor everyone who made Tejas work for the last 15 years,” said Tejas CEO Sheri Kehler. “It’s been a collaboration between a lot of people. But we also want to recognize the person who started Tejas – Bob Field.”

Robert Lee Field Sr. died two years ago at the age of 88. He worked as an executive in the financial industry for many years before moving from Houston to Fayette County. Passionate about healthcare and education, Field was one of the founding directors of St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange. He was also a co-founder of Second Chance Emporium and a trustee of the James Dick Foundation.

In 2008, Field organized the group that would become Tejas Health Care. Tejas opened its doors and saw its first patient in April 2009.

“Bob was an innovator,” said Don Jones, Tejas Board President. “He could see things that others couldn’t see. “His mantra was ‘Sick kids can’t learn.’ That resonated across the community.”

Tejas was established as a federally qualified health center (FQHC), which allows it to receive federal funds to help provide services to people who could not otherwise afford health care. Tejas offers services on a sliding fee scale based on patient income.

“We see everyone, regardless of ability to pay,” Kehler said. “We serve a lot of people in the community who would otherwise have to go without health care.”

For the first 10 years, Tejas operated inside a set of portable buildings at 753 E. Travis in La Grange. That location now serves as its administration offices. Tejas opened a new clinic in La Grange at 890 E. Travis in April 2019. Today, the Tejas medical team includes two pediatricians and three family practice doctors, along with dental and behavioral health providers, with locations in La Grange and Giddings.

At the celebration last week, Kehler unveiled a wall of honor recognizing supporters, past and present board members and staff with over 10 years of service. The staff at Tejas also planted a live oak tree in memory of Field in their community garden behind the administrative offices.

“This was Bob Field’s vision,” Kehler said. “He was an integral part of so many things in town. We don’t want him to be forgotten.”