Frontera Healthcare Network, a community health center and 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is bringing primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, and walk-in care to families across the Texas Hill Country. In a recent episode of Rural Texas Has a Healthcare Crisis - This Nonprofit Is Fixing It | Allison Leftwich, host Justin McKenzie spoke with Allison Leftwich, chief strategy officer of Frontera Healthcare Network, about the challenges and strategies of delivering everyday health care in communities far from major metropolitan areas.
Frontera now operates seven locations across five communities: three in Fredericksburg, plus Mason, Menard, Junction, and Brady. "In some of those communities we are the only healthcare providers," Leftwich said. In Fredericksburg, the network works closely with the local hospital and other primary care providers. The services offered include primary care, behavioral health and psychiatry—with a psychiatrist who travels to each location on certain days of the month—pharmacy services through the federal 340B discounted drug program, walk-in care at the new Fredericksburg clinic, and case management for patients with chronic conditions, including medication help and home delivery.
McKenzie noted that for many rural Texans, a trip into town can take 45 minutes, making same-day care and same-day prescriptions critical. Leftwich shared an example of a Menard patient with serious health concerns whose provider called daily to secure a referral. "That provider had the flexibility and knows them on such a personal level that they're able to advocate for them in a different way," she said. She also credited CEO Mikki Hand, who grew up in the area and still sees patients two days a week, for setting that tone: "she's caring for people who cared for her as a child."
The conversation also covered the rural health workforce. Frontera has hosted high school interns, welcomed college students for the first time this year, and partners with Texas A&M to bring medical students in for rotations "to ensure that they understand what rural health care looks like." One provider who rotated with Frontera as a student is returning to join the team full time. Leftwich, who has worked with the INCubatoredu program at Fredericksburg ISD and Hill Country Venture Fest, said the goal is to "give them hope that they could find a career in their hometown."
Asked who should know Frontera is there, Leftwich admitted even she once thought it was pediatrics only, because her own children were patients. "Our goal is to provide affordable health care for everybody in the community," she said, including people who are underinsured or uninsured, so they have "somebody that will advocate and fight for them." The full episode is available on The Building Texas Show.
This expansion matters because rural communities often face severe healthcare shortages, and Frontera's model offers a blueprint for other nonprofits. By providing comprehensive services under one roof and training future providers, Frontera improves access and health outcomes while addressing workforce gaps. For residents, it means care closer to home and a safety net for the uninsured. For the industry, it demonstrates how community health centers can innovate to survive and thrive in underserved areas.
