Huntsville has embraced us with welcoming arms,” a sentiment expressed by Terry Scoggin, the new Chief Executive Officer of Huntsville Memorial Hospital. “My wife Tracie and I love it here and are so thrilled to be making our home in Huntsville and Walker County.” Let’s get acquainted with one of our newest community members and see what plans he has in store for this essential cornerstone to the life and well-being of our communities.
I was born in Austin and raised in the East Texas city of Palestine. My father was an accountant, and my mother was the secretary of the local First Baptist Church. I attended Texas A&M University as a member of the Corps of Cadets and the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, earning a degree in accounting. I received my Certified Public Accountant designation in 1995. In 2023, I received my master’s degree in health care transformation from the University of Texas at Austin. The program focused on the delivery of healthcare centered on segmented patient populations, delivering high-value care advancing equity across diverse communities. My jobs over the years have taught me the value of creating relationships, a passion which has served me well throughout my career.
I worked with multiple tech companies and startups in the Austin area, having some great experiences that I did not realize were preparing me for a future in healthcare. I moved my family in the spring of 2004 to Mount Pleasant, Texas, accepting a role as a vice president at the local bank, which led to me becoming a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and then a Certified Trust Financial Analyst (CTFA). In 2012, I took the position of Chief Financial Officer and was later promoted to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Titus Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Mount Pleasant, where I led the second largest independent rural hospital in Texas.
In 2025, I took the Interim CEO position with the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH) while the permanent CEO led a special project for the Governor’s Office. TORCH provides advocacy for the 156 rural hospitals in Texas. I visited many rural communities and hospitals throughout the state, advocating for rural healthcare and was given the opportunity to be on stage alongside Governor Abbott when he signed two of the largest bills in history supporting the rural hospitals of Texas.
In January 2026, I was asked to serve as interim CEO of Huntsville Memorial Hospital (HMH). After the first few weeks, my wife and I realized this was a place we wanted to call home. After the extensive interview process, we were honored to be given the opportunity for me to serve as the permanent CEO of HMH.
Walker County is a diverse community, and HMH is what I refer to as a “tweener.” It is too big to be small, and too small to be big, providing both opportunities and challenges in a complex healthcare organization. We must build a strong community healthcare system to support the needs of this area. I have experience in understanding the impact a community hospital can deliver as the foundation for health transformation. A few of our goals and objectives currently include the following:
GOAL: Developing trust with the community, our physicians, our team, and our affiliates. This is done through communication, being asked the tough questions, and keeping the community informed. One avenue planned to meet this goal is through a regular “Coffee Chat” at local restaurants. These chats will be advertised on social media and with the help of our community partners. I want to be accessible to hear opinions and ideas from the public. Listening and telling the HMH story is critical.
GOAL: Service lines such as cardiology, maternal services, orthopedics, critical care, emergency services, and family medicine need to continue to be strengthened and developed. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. and in OUR community and must be the immediate focus of our growth and development. The capacity constraints of the current six-bed ICU limit the ability to grow this service line and attract the clinical teams necessary to perform specific procedures for immediate care. We are currently working with the Walker County Hospital District (WCHD) to develop ICU expansion options that fit OUR community.
GOAL: We need to develop a sustainable healthcare model allowing us to retain local decision-making authority. It is a very narrow road to be successful as a community hospital. Reduced payments by insurance companies to rural hospitals, increased denials by corporate healthcare, and constraints placed by economies of scale create substantial obstacles. Healthcare finance is a convoluted puzzle with many pieces. We must continue to advocate at the state level for community hospitals while continuing to partner with local stakeholders to ensure financial success. We have laid the foundations with many of these organizations and will continue to work with the local community to strengthen our financial future.
GOAL: HMH now offers three local physicians delivering babies in OUR community. The recent addition of a second OB/GYN and a female family medicine physician with additional OB/GYN qualification allows women of Walker County more access for care close to home. Our goal is to continue to improve offerings for the women of this community through investments in advanced mammography, women’s imaging, and diagnostic programs.
HMH has a great foundation made up of excellent physicians and team members, local affiliates, and strong ties with other health institutions and providers. HMH can choose the right partner when a higher level of care is needed, and we take that seriously. We are also blessed with solid relationships with Sam Houston State University, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Walker County Chamber of Commerce, local government entities, local school districts, local community organizations, and local businesses. We value these relationships, deem them vital to our mission, and are grateful for the assets they provide this hospital.
ASSET: We have a partnership with the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine providing a new class of four Family Medicine residents at HMH each year (resulting in an ongoing total of twelve); two Family Medicine/Sports Medicine Fellows; and are also part of a local consortium starting a Psychiatry residency this semester, bringing four new psychiatrists to campus each year (resulting in an ongoing total of sixteen). Our goal is to attract physicians who will become a part of the HMH future and the local community beyond the completion of their residency.
ASSET: HMH is excited to partner in the fall with Sam Houston State University and Huntsville ISD to be the official healthcare partner for their athletics programs. These partnerships will allow HMH to continue to grow and develop the Sports Medicine and Orthopedic programs.
The Golden Triangle continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, and Walker County is reaping the benefits of this growth. We will focus on the development and investments on the critical service lines to ensure continued access to care locally, minimizing the need to seek care in the Houston metropolitan area. We invite conversations on all these topics and encourage our local community members to ask questions, especially the tough questions. Collaboration is critical to the success of our healthcare landscape.
My passion is rural and community healthcare. I witnessed the closing of four surrounding rural hospitals in East Texas and saw the devastation that followed to families who counted on the care given by these institutions. I witnessed firsthand how a community hospital well aligned with local stakeholders saved lives during the COVID pandemic. Community healthcare is personal. You daily go to work, church, the grocery store, the ballfield, etc. with the same people you are given the opportunity to care for.
I am incredibly grateful, humbled, and blessed by the opportunity to lead our extraordinary team at HMH. My focus is clear: keep HMH financially resilient and positioned to grow. You have my word on two things. I will pour every ounce of energy into making sure HMH thrives. I will also work relentlessly every single day for our hospital, our people, and OUR community.
