The Mineola EDC heard a presentation from DFW biomedical doctor Sivaramakrishna (Siva) Yadavalli. Dr. Siva, as he goes by, said his mission is to bring the three A’s – “Affordable, Available, Accurate –” healthcare to Mineola and the East Texas region.

The rural healthcare center would be a phased project, beginning with a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) certified lab and a workforce skill development center. Eventually, said Siva, he would build and develop an in-house diagnostic center, so testing can be done locally; independent facility rooms, where local practitioners like pediatricians, dentists, general practitioners, etc. can see patients; and a biomedical research center, to ensure that each patient gets “the right drug, right time, right dose… with the right testing.”

Siva’s idea also includes a pipeline for local schools, where high school and medical students could eventually be brought in to an internship program/training center. 

“We all know that healthcare is highly (competitive),” said Siva. “So, before they go to (be) hired by another job, we train them!”

The workforce potential for this idea, he said, would include up to 160-220 jobs over the course of its 10-year plan: many of these jobs would be locals.

Siva told the board that he has been working for 15 years in the United States, during which time he worked as a lab director during COVID, developed a more efficient method of COVID testing, worked for 7 years for the Center For the Aging, etc.

His background in doctoring, and his personal experience with finding “affordable, available, (and) accurate” healthcare in small villages or towns, prompted Siva to bring his idea to the board. According to him, Mineola “represents an ideal pilot community to demonstrate sustainable rural healthcare delivery.” 

“I myself came from a small village back in India; I literally saw how people who are in small communities have unmet medical needs when they need care,” said Siva. “Like, even to get simple testing, that they have to travel so far… especially senior living citizens, because more than one-and-a-half hours (of traveling) are needed to get their medical needs.”

Mineola, he said, represents his first attempt at building this rural healthcare center. Siva said he chose the town for its potential for city growth, high senior/student populations, and need for more accessible/efficient healthcare and testing. According to him, the choice to come to Mineola was also based on local surveys from surrounding communities.

Siva requested city support mainly in the donation of 6 acres of land across from the new Mineola Primary School, and in helping with necessary paperwork, etc.

“A medical facility is not a one-person thing; it’s a collaborative thing,” he said. “I cannot do this all on my own. I need city support, collaborative support.”

Siva says that, if built, his rural healthcare center would operate on a sliding scale of fees, where those who are able to pay through insurance do so, but the underinsured or not insured pay based on an understanding of their income.

While City Manager Cindy Karch said that the board is ultimately in support of the project, they decided to take no action on the presentation until they have more information. 

“There’s probably a lot more questions than we have answers to at this time, so we have decided to take no action,” said Gordon Tiner, the MEDC president. “It’s monumental; and there’s a lot of material to digest here… We want some time to digest what you’ve given us this evening.”

Karch says the board feels that they can’t donate all 6 acres of the land, since it’s currently the only land holding of the MEDC. The board also wants to know more about the financial plan for the building of the center before proceeding.

If built, the rural healthcare center (and its expanded business plan) would be complete by 2050.