Marion County has been without a hospital since the late 1980s. Apexum Health Systems and Rural Health and Hope Associates are building it back — with telehealth, opioid treatment, and pharmacy services available now, and a full Rural Emergency Hospital campus on the way.
Our Build-Out Plan → Partner With Us
Tall Pines launched its telehealth platform in Jefferson in Q3 2026, already serving Marion County and the surrounding region. Care shouldn’t require a long drive — and with our virtual services, it doesn’t.
“The campus serves all who present and turns no one away on the basis of payer.
Medicare. Medicaid. Uninsured. Self-pay. All are equally welcome.”
Apexum’s phased approach delivers immediate impact through virtual care, expands reach with Building C’s pharmacy and clinic, and establishes permanence with the Rural Emergency Hospital — all serving the same community, building trust at every stage.
100% telehealth-driven care — emergency triage, primary care, behavioral health, and addiction medicine including MAT. Reaching patients where they are, eliminating distance as a barrier.
Building C — a point-of-care pharmacy with drive-through and a primary-care and specialty clinic. Opens first, re-establishing a physical healthcare presence in Jefferson before hospital capital is committed.
The Tall Pines Medical Center campus — 24/7 emergency care, imaging, lab, behavioral health, helipad, and EMS services. The anchor institution Marion County has been without for over 35 years.
Apexum Health Systems isn’t following the traditional rural hospital playbook. We’re rewriting it.
We prioritize communities with the greatest need and fewest resources. Our care model is designed from the ground up to serve uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid populations — not as an afterthought, but as the mission.
Our virtual platform delivers emergency triage, primary care, behavioral health, and opioid treatment through telemedicine today — extending board-certified physician care into communities that have none.
MAT, buprenorphine management, naloxone distribution, and peer recovery support embedded in every phase. Rural opioid overdose death rates are three times higher than urban — we meet that reality directly.
Built on community trust, institutional partnerships, and transparent governance. Our structure separates land ownership, grant funding, and hospital operations for maximum accountability.
Leveraging USDA Rural Development, OBBBA Rural Texas Strong, opioid settlement capital, federal grants, foundation support, and private investment. Multi-source funding ensures long-term sustainability.
Medication-assisted treatment, crisis care, and behavioral health are built into every phase — not bolted on later. Clinical oversight provided by board-certified emergency and addiction medicine physicians.
ALS and BLS ambulance service anchored at the Tall Pines campus, integrated with the emergency department and helipad for seamless patient handoff. Serving Marion County and the surrounding region.
A DSHS-approved EMS training program to develop certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics in rural East Texas — building the regional workforce pipeline the campus and surrounding counties depend on.
Tall Pines is developing a two-part EMS program to complete the emergency care continuum — putting ambulances on the ground and training the next generation of EMS professionals in East Texas.
EMS Medical Director: Wesley M. Hamilton, MD, FACEP — board-certified Emergency Medicine physician and active Medical Director of Brady EMS, Abilene Fire / Metrocare Ambulance, and Texas State Technical College EMS Program.
Tall Pines Medical Center is being developed in partnership with Medistar Corporation, one of the nation’s premier healthcare real estate developers. Apexum Health Systems and Medistar are already under contract, with Medistar serving as Project Development Partner for the Tall Pines campus — bringing five decades of healthcare construction expertise, institutional relationships, and project delivery capacity to Marion County.
Founded in 1974 by Monzer Hourani in Houston, Texas, Medistar has developed hundreds of medical facilities across the United States — from medical office buildings to full hospital campuses. Their track record in healthcare-aligned real estate is among the strongest in the country.
Medistar has developed hospitals, ERs, behavioral health facilities, rehabilitation hospitals, and mixed-use medical campuses across the United States. Three examples most directly relevant to Tall Pines:
Clinical expertise, operational experience, and business development leadership — the combination required to build rural healthcare infrastructure that works.
Board-certified emergency medicine physician and SAMHSA-certified addiction medicine specialist. Texas Tech UHSC School of Medicine graduate with 11+ years of clinical experience across Texas emergency departments. Leads Tall Pines clinical strategy and telehealth oversight.
Board-certified Emergency Medicine physician with FACEP designation. UT Medical School Houston, 2005. Former paramedic. Active Medical Director of Brady EMS (2018–present), Abilene Fire / Metrocare Ambulance (2024–present), and Texas State Technical College EMS Program (2013–present).
35+ years of leadership and 28+ years in business development, including 23 years at Comcast (Fortune 25). Architect of Apexum’s market strategy, rural healthcare partnerships, and operational infrastructure. Executive Director, Rural Health and Hope Associates, Inc.
Healthcare strategist and co-founder with deep expertise in healthcare finance, regulatory compliance, and institutional partnerships. Driving Apexum’s capital strategy, governance infrastructure, and public affairs for the Tall Pines campus development.
Whether you’re a healthcare organization, funding entity, community leader, government partner, or technology provider — Apexum Health Systems and Tall Pines Medical Center are building something that requires collaboration. We’d like to hear from you.
