Jal sits in the far southeastern corner of New Mexico, just a few miles from the Texas line — a small city in Lea County where oilfield families have built their lives for generations. It’s a place where people know their neighbors, where the senior center still serves meals and coordinates rides, and where most folks would rather age at home than anywhere else. StarCare helps make that possible.
We’ve served Southeastern New Mexico since 1997, and Jal has been part of our service area for years. Our nurses, therapists, aides, and caregivers travel from our Hobbs office to Jal on a regular schedule — the same team, the same standards, no matter the drive.
Jal has a population of about 2,360, with a median age of 39.6. More than 65% of residents are Hispanic, and the community is tight-knit — the kind of place where the Veteran Wall of Honor at the Jal Senior Center still means something, and where families look out for each other’s parents. But looking out for each other only goes so far when clinical care is needed.
Here’s what that means for Jal families:
Jal is about 21 miles south of Hobbs, where our office is based. Our clinicians make that drive routinely — so your family doesn’t have to.
Jal Hospital District operates a clinic on West Kansas Avenue, providing primary care, family medicine, and basic outpatient services. For emergencies and hospitalizations, residents typically go to Nor-Lea Hospital in Lovington or Covenant Hobbs Hospital. When discharge comes, we coordinate care before you leave.
Wound care, medication management, post-surgical monitoring, chronic condition oversight — delivered by RNs who know the roads between Hobbs and Jal.
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy performed at home, where progress translates directly to daily life.
For patients facing life-limiting illness, we provide pain management, symptom control, and dignity — at home, surrounded by family.
For complex medical needs requiring one-on-one nursing shifts.
Bathing, dressing, mobility, meal preparation, and friendly presence for patients who need daily support.
Jal does not have a skilled nursing facility within the city limits. Residents who need round-the-clock institutional care typically go to facilities in Hobbs or Lovington — a 20- to 30-minute drive that separates them from family, familiar faces, and the community they’ve known for decades.
For many Jal families, home is the better choice — and here’s why:
Familiarity reduces confusion. Patients with dementia or cognitive decline often do better in familiar surroundings.
One-on-one attention. In a facility, staff are shared among many residents. At home, care is focused entirely on your loved one.
Lower infection risk. Home care eliminates exposure to facility-acquired infections.
Better quality of life. Patients keep their routines, their pets, their neighbors, their independence.
No separation from community. In a small town like Jal, staying home means staying connected to the people and places that matter most.
StarCare gives Jal families the option to stay home — safely, comfortably, and with skilled clinical support.
The Jal Senior Center on South 2nd Street provides meals, social activities, and a transit program that offers rides to healthcare appointments, grocery shopping, and other destinations. It’s a vital resource for local seniors — and a testament to how much this community cares for its own. StarCare works alongside the senior center, filling the clinical gaps that community programs cannot address.
Jal has a proud veteran tradition — the Veteran Wall of Honor at the Senior Center recognizes current and past members who served in the armed forces. StarCare works with VA benefits, including Aid and Attendance, to help cover the cost of in-home care. If you’re a veteran or caring for one, call us. We’ll walk through what’s available.
Many Jal families are caring for aging parents while also working in the oilfield, raising children, or managing their own health. If you’re in that position, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to do it without help.
StarCare supplements what you’re already doing: a nurse for wound care, an aide for morning routines, a companion while you rest. There’s no minimum commitment with private pay, and no waiting for insurance approval. Care starts when you say it does.
