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Stephens Memorial Hospital announced today that Dr. William E. Prater, MD., recently retired after more than 40 years as a physician and over 35 years of caring for his patients in Breckenridge.

Dr. Prater’s last day was Thursday, Jan. 29.

“He has been a cornerstone of our medical community during that time and his presence will be missed,” Gena Speer, hospital CEO said in a press release.

Patients are encouraged to contact Breckenridge Medical Center to set up a seamless transition to one of the hospital’s other medical providers. If patients need a copy of their medical records, they may request them by completing a medical records request form from the Medical Center at 101 S Hartford St, Breckenridge, TX 76424 or by calling 254-559-3363.

Dr. Prater earned his board-certification in Family Practice in 1985, has membership in the Texas Medical Association, and has been practicing in Breckenridge since July 1990. He received his Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and completed his Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and his residency in Family Practice at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

The Breckenridge community has been privileged to have Dr. Prater for these 35-plus years as he has delivered many babies, performed multiple surgeries, and had a deep connection with all his patients, especially the elderly, hospital staff said in the news release. He has won several People’s Choice Awards, has served as Chief of Staff, and has represented Stephens Memorial Hospital and Breckenridge Medical Center on other committees and boards.

“Stephens Memorial Hospital and Breckenridge Medical Center would like to thank Dr. Prater for his dedication to our Hospital District and especially the many patients that received his care,” the press release stated. “We wish Dr. Prater the very best in his retirement.”

January is National Blood Donor Month, and Stephens Memorial Hospital will host a blood drive with Carter BloodCare from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7.

The Carter BloodCare bus will be set up in the Breckenridge Medical Center parking lot at 101. S Hartford St. Blood donors can register online (click here) or register in person on Wednesday.

All donors will get a $25 e-gift card.

Carter BloodCare notes each unit of donated whole blood can save three lives. That is possible when the donated blood is separated into three components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. With 1,600 units collected on an average day, Carter BloodCare donors help 4,800 patients in need daily, or 33,600 patients each week.

Blood donated locally with Carter BloodCare stays in the 57 North, Central and East Texas counties served by Carter BloodCare, including Stephens County.

Texas blood donors help children fighting cancer, mothers going through difficult childbirths, organ transplant recipients, open-heart surgery patients, older adults with age-related health issues, sickle cell disease patients, people hurt in life-threatening vehicle accidents and others with severe trauma injuries.

Residents can begin donating blood at 16 years old with parental consent; those 17 and older can donate independently. Eligible Carter BloodCare donors must weigh at least 110 pounds and feel well on the day of their donation. For more details about donating blood, visit the Carter BloodCare website.

Stephens Memorial Hospital will host its Diamond Anniversary Gala on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, beginning at 7 p.m., benefiting the SMH Foundation.

The fundraising event will be held at the Stephens County Airport in the hangar of Brett Grigry on Private Road 1501.

The evening will include a dinner catered by Soggy Dog Wine & Brew, with musical accompaniment by the Texas Violinist. Entertainment will continue with Yesterdaze Wine and featured band The Redwine Band from Dallas as guests ring in 2026 with a balloon drop and champagne toast.

Additional activities and amenities will include bar service, a silent auction, valet parking, a photo booth by SnapJoy Photo Booth, and special souvenir gifts.

The schedule for the evening includes:

• 7 p.m. – Dinner catered by Soggy Dog Wine & Brew with Music by Texas Violinist
• 8:30 p.m. – Performance by Yesterdaze Wine
• 10:30 p.m. – Performance by The Redwine Band
• Midnight – Champagne Toast & Balloon Drop

Tickets cost $80 per person or $150 per couple and are available online at https://smhfoundation.ticketspice.com/diamond-anniversary (with an online order fee).

Earlier this year, the SMH Foundation raised more than $8,000 with its inaugural Winter Gala/Masquerade Ball in January, and the money — combined with funds raised by the SMH Auxiliary, aka Pink Ladies — helped the hospital purchase the hospital’s new mammography machine.

Stephens Memorial Hospital opened its doors in January 1951 and will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2026.

Stephens Memorial Hospital is hosting its annual Stockings for Seniors drive to provide gifts for home-bound senior citizens in Breckenridge and Stephens County.

Organizers are asking the community to get a stocking and fill it with a variety of items. Suggested donations include non-slip socks, hats, gloves, scarves, and lap blankets. Personal care items such as lotions and body wash, as well as non-perishable pre-packaged snacks, are also requested. Additionally, donors may include crossword and word search books, along with pens and pencils.

The stockings will be delivered to the seniors who receive Senior Meals and Meals on Wheels. There are about 150 senior citizens who receive the meals locally.

Stockings may be dropped off at Stephens Memorial Hospital, located at 200 S. Geneva St. Donations are being accepted now through Dec. 22. Drop-off hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The hospital noted that drivers for the meal delivery programs are also needed.

For more information, call Van Moore or Sarah at 254-559-2241.

At their meeting last week, Stephens County Judge Michael Roach and the County Commissioners declared today, Nov. 20, as National Rural Health Day in Stephens County.

“(We) encourage all citizens to join us in celebrating the power of rural and recognizing the vital contributions of healthcare providers, organizations and advocates serving rural America; further, we urge individuals, organizations, business community leaders, to support initiatives aimed at expanding access to care and strengthening rural health systems,” Roach said as he read the proclamation.

Stephens Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Office Gena Speer and other hospital representatives attended the commissioners meeting for the honor.

“Stephens Memorial Hospital is proud to serve Breckenridge and the surrounding rural communities as the backdrop of quality care close to home,” Speer said in the CEO’s Message on the SMH website. “Rural hospitals increase local access and allow patients to focus on ‘getting better’ rather than ‘getting to appointments.’ Rural healthcare does more than bring medical care to patients in sparsely populated areas – healthcare can bring vitality to rural communities. Here, most of our patients aren’t strangers, they are friends and family.”

SMH joins communities across the country in celebrating National Rural Health Day on Thursday, Nov. 20. Since 2011, the annual observance — founded and coordinated by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) has been held on the third Thursday of November to spotlight the healthcare challenges of the nearly 61 million people living in rural America.

This year, Stephens Memorial Hospital is marking the occasion by joining the nationwide #PowerOfRural social media campaign on the hospital’s Facebook page. Community members, partners and stakeholders are encouraged to participate and help highlight rural health’s impact in Stephens County.

“Rural communities are the backbone of our state, and their health is vital to our collective future,” Van Moore, community liaison and marketing director of SMH, said in a news release. “We’re proud to celebrate National Rural Health Day and honor the unwavering commitment of rural healthcare providers, organizations, and community leaders who work every day to improve the lives of others.”

For more information about National Rural Health Day and how to get involved, visit PowerOfRural.org. To learn more about Stephens Memorial Hospital, visit www.smhtx.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: Stephens County Judge Michael Roach presents Stephens Memorial Hospital CEO Gena Speer with a proclamation declaring Nov. 20 as National Rural Health Day in Stephens County. They are surrounded by the county commissioners and several hospital employees. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Stephens Memorial Hospital will host its annual Stephens County Health Fair on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 7 to 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 301 S. Rose St. This year’s “Friends”-related theme is “We’ll Be There For You.”

The Health Fair will feature dozens of vendors, as well as door prizes, other giveaways, flu shots for $20 and free lab tests. The event will be held in the FBC Family Life Center.

The lab tests, sponsored by Stephens Memorial Hospital, will include glucose, BUN, creatinine, sodium, potassium, CO2 chloride, cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, HDL, CBC, Hgb A1C and PSA (for men over 40). Anyone planning to have the free lab test should not eat or drink after midnight (Friday night/Saturday morning) with the exception of water, plain coffee or plain tea (no sugar, sweetener or cream, etc.).

Additionally, this year, the Breckenridge Lions Club will be serving pancakes and sausage at the health fair.

Vendors include various hospital departments, home health agencies, Texas State Technical College, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Texas Oncology, Yuri Huntington with a booth about brain health, and much more, according to SMH Marketing Director Van Moore. Entry to the health fair and most activities are free.

If you are interested in being a sponsor or a vendor, send an email to van.moore@smhtx.com.

Stephens Memorial Hospital is warning the Breckenridge community of a current phone scam that involves the scammers pretending to be representatives from the hospital.

Scammers are using the hospital’s main phone number through a method called “caller ID spoofing” to contact individuals. “They are falsely claiming to represent our organization and are asking for personal information, including Social Security and disability information,” SMH officials said in a news release on Tuesday.

The hospital wants community members to know the following information:

• Stephens Memorial Hospital will never call you to request Social Security numbers, banking details or disability information over the phone.
• If you receive a call like that, do not share any personal information; hang up immediately.
• If you are unsure whether a call is legitimate, hang up and call the hospital directly at 254-559-2241 to verify if someone from SMH was trying to contact you.

“We take the safety and privacy of our patients and community very seriously,” SMH officials said. “If you believe you have been targeted by this scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 1-877-382-4357.”

In the fourth annual Back to School Bash put on by Stephens Memorial Hospital, incoming Buckaroos and Broncos were invited to the hospital’s dining from 4pm to 6pm to receive a bag of important school supplies and snow cones as a refreshing treat on Thursday, July 24.  Students were required to be present to receive a bag, but did not have to be enrolled in Breckenridge school district as surrounding area students were also eligible for the gift.  The Buckaroo green back pack bags received by the students read GO BUCKS and included paper, crayons, notebooks, highlighters and other supplies.  All donations for the students came from Hospital staff and some patients or visitors to the Hospital between July 7th – July 21st.  The team reached their goal of filling 200 bags to give away to the students.  At the event, the line of students and their parents extended out the door and down the halls of SMH where over 175 bags were handed out with the remaining bags being donated to the BISD Fill the Bus campaign.  Also on site at the Back to School Bash was Solaris Healthcare who gave out delicious and refreshing show cones.  A representative from Breckenridge Medical Center, the adjacent Clinic run by the Hospital, was also present handing out information about the clinic and immunizations.  The SMH Rewards and Recognition Committee would like to thank everyone who donated supplies or contributed monetary donations and making this annual event a huge success.

Photo courtesy Tony Pilkington / Breckenridge Texan

Stephens Memorial Hospital has partnered with Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth to bring FREE mammograms to the residents of Stephens County and the surrounding area.  Breast cancer is second-most lethal cancer in women with an estimated 1 in 8 females predicted get breast cancer in their lifetime. Screening is key to catching breast cancer when it is most treatable.

The free screening mammograms are available for females aged 40 to 74 who have not had a mammogram in the past year and are not experiencing symptoms. Women with symptoms such as a lump, pain, swelling or discharge need a more advanced diagnostic mammogram and should contact their primary care provider.

Uninsured or underinsured women of the community can book appointments now.  The free mammogram appointments will be available every third Tuesday of the month beginning July 15, 2025.  The mammograms will be performed at Stephens Memorial Hospital at 200 S. Geneva St. in Breckenridge, Texas.

To schedule an appointment, please call 800-405-7739.  Appointments are required and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments fill up quickly, so call early.  Funding for screenings is provided by Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

Stephens Memorial Hospital (SMH) Radiology Department has recently been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).  The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Parameters and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

As technology continues to evolve, the Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging department at Stephens Memorial Hospital is working to stay at the forefront of medical services.  Just this past April, SMH added a 3D Mammography machine, the Aspire Cristalle, to ensure each exam to be noticeably more comfortable with improved diagnostic accuracy and less of a chance for a false positive result.

Story by Alex Kielar of the Breckenridge American

Stephens Memorial Hospital has officially been designated a critical access hospital (CAH) as it makes the conversion from a Prospective Payment System (PPS) facility. To fully complete the transition, SMH will have to redo some of its reimbursement rates. Once the hospital knows what their rates for CAH will be, it will prompt them to start looking towards negotiating, as they will know what numbers they will need to work towards.

CEO Gena Speer made the announcement of the hospital receiving that designation at the latest SMH board of directors meeting Thursday, June 28.

In receiving the critical access designation, the hospital board also voted to join the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH) Clinically Integrated Network. Speer said that it is something that came up about two years ago, and there are about 37 hospitals and 70 clinics in it now.

“Basically, the point in it right now is to be able to negotiate, for us as a group, on some payer contracts, specifically the value-based purchasing side of that. So anything that would give us supplemental payment or incentive payment for quality metrics, that they set for our patient population in the clinic,” Speer said. “It is $100 a year to join. There is some work involved, but they do help with providing tools to meet those metrics and things like that. It’s just really a way to kind of bring this together for more power in those negotiations.”

Speer added that this program would be specific to the clinic more than anything, but that some programs might flow over with the hospital.

A program that the hospital also became eligible for as a critical access is the 340B Program, which, in simple terms, qualifies SMH to purchase medications at a very discounted rate. For the program, the hospital will partner with W5 Pharmacy to dispense those medications, based on prescriptions that come from their contractor or employee providers.

“So it helps the patients afford their medications. We take and dispense them through W5, we pay a company to manage it,” Speer said. “They provide software, inventory management, program management and all of that, based on the prescription. So it is per prescription and per transaction.”

The company that the hospital is paying to manage the prescription program is PharmaCare Services, which Speer said they feel very comfortable with.

“You have to be careful with these kinds of companies, because some of them get into it for the wrong reasons and don’t always follow the rules exactly, and then it comes back on us,” Speer said. “I have basically zero fear of that with this company.”

The board voted to move forward with discussions regarding this program and they will have a formal contract to review in July.