MARBLE FALLS, Texas (AP) — A $100 million hospital has opened in Central Texas and marks a rare instance when a hospital has opened its doors in a more rural area of the state rather than in a city.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls, about an hour northwest of Austin, is a 46-bed hospital that's seeing its first patients this week.

Baylor Scott & White Hill Country Region President Eric Looper says Burnet County historically has been a rural region but it's seeing steady growth that's drawing many retirees and others.

Don McBeath with the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals says it's unusual for a hospital to open in a rural setting.

He says that since 2013 10 rural hospitals have closed in Texas while three others cut back to offer only emergency care.

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