Joe Bates

Dr. Joe Batesis a board-certified psychiatrist and pediatrician who currently serves as the clinical director at Rusk State Hospital in Rusk, Texas. He is a native of Homer, Louisiana, and graduated from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, wher he was president of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and was honored with the "Highest Ideals of Medicine" award. Dr. Bates received the Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam with the US Army as a major in the Medical Corps. He completed residencies at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and has taken a leadership role in medical practice and teaching for the past fifty years. In 2013, a wellness program designed by Dr. Bates was the recipient of the David Pharis award for making significant contributions to the safety and quality of inpatient care and outcomes for Texas state psychiatric hospitals. This program has recently been endorsed by the Joint Commission and is included in the national Leading Practice Library. Dr. Bates is a member of the Christian Medical Society and has traveled to Russia, Estonia, and Belize on mission trips. He was awarded the national 2015 Mensa Intellectual Benefits to Society Award for his work with cognitive remediation training. He and his wife, Paula, live in Tyler, Texas, and are the proud parents of four children and grandparents of thirteen.