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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) sent a letter to Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. Stephen Ferrara, and Director of theDefense Health Agency, Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, about the impending closure of the Desert Sage Medical Home.

“El Paso is the proud home to Fort Bliss and the stellar service members and military families which are the bedrock of our community. The military population in my district and the surrounding region rely on William Beaumont Army Medical Center and its network of clinics to access a wide array of their health services on a plan and at a location that best suits their needs,” wrote Congresswoman Escobar.

“However, the impending closure of one of these health clinics – the Desert Sage Medical Home, which many of my constituents have relied on for their health treatments – was first noticed to the patient community in late January 2025, well over 30 days after the conclusion of the annual TRICARE Open Season 2024 period,” she continued. “I understand the Desert Sage Medical Home is set to close its doors by April 1, 2025. I have engaged with the leadership of the William Beaumont Army Medical Center to receive a brief on the reasons for this decision, to include considerations related to the size of our health provider population, the patient population, operating costs, and the goal of optimizing the health clinics in our region to provide the widest array of health services for our military personnel and their dependents. 

“Many of my constituents are, due to their location of residence, concerned about the impact the closure of the Desert Sage Medical Home will have on their ability to reliably access their health services at a nearby location. As such, I respectfully request consideration be granted to treating the Desert Sage Medical Home closure as a qualifying life event, such that it may provide the Desert Sage Medical Home patient population an extension period to change their TRICARE West coverage from a Prime to a Select plan, should they elect to do so. As you know, TRICARE Select plans empower patients to access increased care options from outside providers, which may improve patient satisfaction when distance from a Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) or primary care clinic is a barrier to care. Should this proposal not be accepted, I request consideration be granted to extend the service life of the Desert Sage Medical Home by at least two months.

The Congresswoman concluded: “I appreciate the work of the Defense Health Agency to provide coverage and critical health services to our service members and military dependents. I remain concerned that the Desert Sage Medical Home’s closure may negatively impact the ability of El Pasoans to comfortably and reliably access health care, and I believe this proposal may alleviate those pressures for many of my constituents and ensure that the Defense Health Agency’s commitment is being upheld to the fullest extent.”

Click here to read the full letter.