A Lubbock OB/GYN who resigned from University Medical Center Physicians says she and another doctor felt pushed out by leadership at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. UMC and the Health Sciences Center each issued statements Oct. 2 responding to her public Facebook post, and they disagree on key points.

WHAT DR. COON SAID

In a Facebook post that drew thousands of interactions Friday, Coon said she is leaving UMC Physicians and plans to go into private practice, according to EverythingLubbock's report. She said TTUHSC has to approve her hospital credentials and that she grew concerned they could be pulled "because of political reasons." She said she did not think anyone could question her competence.

She said she believes TTUHSC does not want UMC to be able to recruit a replacement because it prefers OB/GYNs employed by the Health Sciences Center rather than by the hospital. She said TTUHSC offered her a position as a physician with the center, and she declined, saying academic medicine is not what she wants to do.

"We need to expand access to care, not eliminate positions," she said, according to the report. She said the larger issue is that Lubbock needs more physicians in every model, hospital-employed, academic and private.

WHAT UMC SAID

Aaron Davis, UMC's vice president of business development, gave EverythingLubbock a statement. In it, UMC says it and Texas Tech Physicians are separate organizations with independent leadership. It says UMC cannot hire or replace doctors in any specialty, including OB/GYN, without a clinical appointment granted by the Texas Tech School of Medicine, and that the appointments UMC requested were declined.

UMC also said it shares Coon's concern about access to OB/GYN care in West Texas, that the community needs more physicians, and that it thanks her for her years of service. It said it remains committed to working with TTUHSC and Texas Tech Physicians on solutions.

WHAT TEXAS TECH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER SAID

TTUHSC released two statements Oct. 2.

The first, on behalf of TTUHSC and Texas Tech Physicians (TTP), says recent public comments include inaccurate characterizations of TTP and its obstetrics practice, and that TTP did not employ the two physicians referenced. It says West Texas faces a shortage of maternity care providers. TTUHSC says TTP includes 24 general obstetricians, 12 of them in Lubbock, who are accepting new patients, and that it is working to meet scheduling needs and improve appointment availability.

The second statement says OB/GYN services at UMC are currently provided by TTUHSC Department of OB/GYN faculty and other private OB/GYN physicians. It says Coon was never a TTUHSC employee, that TTUHSC cannot speak to her reason for leaving UMC Physicians, and that she expressed no interest in joining the TTUHSC department when asked. It says "at no time was there any threat to remove her hospital credentials."

TTUHSC also says it continues to pursue a partnership with UMC to expand its obstetrics practice and women's health services in Lubbock, but that UMC has stated it prefers to retain control of a separate obstetrics practice. It says the department chair has recruited 15 obstetricians and other women's health specialists since 2024.

WHERE THE ACCOUNTS DIFFER

  • Credentials: Coon says she worried TTUHSC could pull her hospital credentials. TTUHSC says there was never a threat to do so.
  • Replacing her: Coon says TTUHSC does not want UMC to recruit a replacement. UMC says the Texas Tech School of Medicine declined the appointments it requested. TTUHSC says UMC prefers to keep a separate practice and that it is pursuing a partnership.
  • Who employs whom: TTUHSC and TTP say Coon was never a TTUHSC employee and that TTP did not employ the two physicians referenced.

WHERE THEY AGREE

Both institutions describe a shortage. UMC says "our community needs more physicians." TTUHSC says West Texas faces a shortage of maternity care providers.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW

The statements do not give appointment wait times, a date for Coon's departure, or how patients of the two physicians will be scheduled. They do not name the second OB/GYN, and neither do we. This report relies on the public statements listed below. 806 Connect has not independently verified either side's account.

WHAT THE COUNTY DATA SHOWS

The March of Dimes 2026 report rates Lubbock County as having access to maternity care, meaning two or more hospitals or birth centers that provide obstetric care, or enough clinicians for the number of births. Several nearby counties, including Crosby, Lynn, Garza, Cochran and Bailey, are rated maternity care deserts. A county rating does not measure how long it takes to get an appointment.

IF YOU NEED CARE NOW

  • For appointments with Texas Tech Physicians, TTUHSC lists 806-743-2669.
  • If you are pregnant and think you might qualify for coverage, Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women and CHIP Perinatal are applied for through YourTexasBenefits.com. Texas 2-1-1 can help you find services.
  • For an emergency, call 911.

QUESTIONS NEIGHBORS ASK

Is OB/GYN care still available at UMC? According to TTUHSC, OB/GYN services at UMC are currently provided by TTUHSC faculty and other private OB/GYN physicians. If you have an appointment, call your provider's office to confirm it.

Does this affect my own doctor? Neither institution's statement addresses scheduling for any individual doctor's patients. Your provider's office can tell you.

Last updated: Oct. 2, 2026.

SOURCES

— 806 Connect