McALLEN - Ron Tupper believes everyone should have access to health care.

"If you provide access to medical care, you really give someone their dignity," Tupper said.

He co-founded El Milagro Clinic more than a decade ago to help the indigent and has served on its board of directors ever since.

But after 12 years, Tupper said it's time for him to retire from the board to pursue other projects and consulting work. He is trying to set up imaging services for veterans at Preventative Care Institute, where he works as director of development.

His retirement from the El Milagro board is effective Sept. 1. Ann Cass is the board's new president.

Tupper's passion for providing health care to the indigent began when was13 years old.

He grew up one of 12 children in a working poor family in Natick, Mass. His family relied on public health clinics for checkups and other treatments. But Tupper soon learned public health care wasn't always fair.

His mother died from heart problems after she was sent home from the hospital because her insurance ran out.

"It was a totally unnecessary death," Tupper said.

He began his work in the medical industry while serving in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps during the Vietnam War, then managed a hospital in Maverick County before moving to the Rio Grande Valley about 20 years ago.

In 1996 he and Dr. Ramiro Casso founded El Milagro with the help of local and state governments and numerous community and faith-based organizations.

Casso, a long-time family practice doctor, said he met Tupper when he was trying to open another clinic to provide care to the indigent.

He asked Tupper to help him because of his experience in healthcare management. The two worked well together, he said.

"Between him and I, we got everything done," Casso said. "I knew the practical side of it. He had the administrative style, the administrative ability."

The clinic serves more than 100 patients a day, according to Tupper and Casso.

"Overall it has been a very successful experiment," Tupper said.

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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.

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El Milagro Clinic is located at 901 E Vermont Ave. in McAllen. For more information, call (956) 664-9416