Chief Executive Officer of the Palo Pinto Hospital District, Ross Korkmas, received the 2022 Texas Hospital Association Pioneer Award for managing a Texas rural hospital system. Korkmas became CEO of PPGH in 2019 and has added new physicians and new services including participating in the cooperative effort of the hospital district, Palo Pinto County, and Sacred Cross Emergency Services to construct and operate the Possum Kingdom Family Health center and Emergency Services facility at the lake. The Texas Hospital Association quoted how “Korkma’s leadership extends beyond the walls of Palo Pinto General Hospital and into the community it serves. He took the reins amid a particularly turbulent period and made a concerted effort to assuage the uncertainty that lingered by continually engaging with existing staff.”
