Rentals Near Hospitals - Is there a short supply?

[Shaun Kelly]

I have a few rentals in a town with a population of 75,000. Their primary industry is a military base and a massive hospital (this is Temple, TX). 

I have a tenant who is relocating to a Dallas hospital and his lease with me is up. 

During this turnover, I noticed that there aren't any houses for rent near this hospital at this time with the exception of 2 houses listed at about $200-$400/month over what the area was going for last year (the last time I checked rent prices). This is in a market where rents are normally $900 for a 2/1 so we are talking about a 20%+ hike.

Since there is a limited number of units on the market, it's hard to get a good judge of what I should set my rent at so for now I'm listing it at what I had it rented out for last year. But I'm really curious as to if anyone has seen a trend near medical areas? Are Drs and Nurses really moving closer and needing places to stay? Could this really cause a short supply?

I am not wanting to take advantage of this situation by raising rents on these heroes, but I am genuinely curious/excited that I may be fortunate to keep my units rented during this time.