Texas Medical Center Welcomes New Member San José Clinic
For nearly a century, the San José Clinic has been providing a health care home to the underserved population of Houston and its surrounding areas. Since 1922, the clinic has been able to provide high-quality care to its patients through strong volunteer support—23,000 volunteer hours are logged each year—as well as through partnerships with a number of Texas Medical Center member institutions. TMC recently further strengthened its relationship with the San José Clinic by making it an official member of the medical center.
“The San José Clinic’s mission to provide quality health care and education to those with limited access to such services is complementary to the mission and goals of the Texas Medical Center and its member institutions,” said Robert C. Robbins, M.D., president and CEO of Texas Medical Center. “We look forward to a strong and enduring relationship that will benefit the Clinic, the Texas Medical Center community and the larger populace we serve.”
Annually, the clinic serves over 4,000 uninsured patients, providing primary and specialty care, optometry, dental care, cancer screenings, mental health services, lab and diagnostic testing, and access to an onsite Class A pharmacy.
“We have been collaborating with several of the institutions in the Texas Medical Center for years,” said Paule Anne Lewis, president and CEO of the San José Clinic. “Our partnerships are mutually beneficial. We are able to offer a wider range of care to our patients because of the specialties our partners offer, and we also help to keep our uninsured patients out of the emergency room and help keep them healthier over all.”
Many of the San José Clinic’s patients face a variety of issues that make accessing medical care difficult, including language, education, transportation and financial barriers.
“By bringing the resources from the medical center here to our clinic, the setting that is most appropriate for our patients, it helps us to manage those social determinants of health and address their clinical needs,” Lewis said.
The TMC has partnered with the San José Clinic on programs including its annual Art with Heart fundraising gala, which last year was hosted at TMCx. Denise Castillo-Rhodes, TMC executive vice president and chief financial officer, supported the clinic’s inclusion as a member.
“Almost a century ago, the Texas Medical Center legacy began with the admittance of its first patient to the first hospital in what would become the world’s largest medical complex. At the same time not too far down the road, a little known clinic was formed with a $50 donation for the purpose of providing health care access for those with limited access,” said Denise Castillo-Rhodes, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Texas Medical Center, as well as a volunteer for the San José Clinic. “The San Jose Clinic serves a very important role in our community. Thus, it is a natural next step for the San Jose Clinic to join the Texas Medical Center as its newest member, as it continues to grow and provide extraordinary health care and education at affordable prices.”
In the future, as an official member of the TMC, Lewis plans to expand the San José Clinic’s partnerships throughout the medical center and to continue offering the best possible health care for their patients.
“We are really grateful to the TMC leadership and the organization as a whole for recognizing our contributions and the role we play in taking care of the patient population here in Houston,” Lewis said. “We currently have students from 12 Texas Medical Center institutions making rounds in our clinic and I can’t wait to see how this partnership of us being a TMC member institution will further our volunteer and partnership base.”
