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Breaking down barriers to
healthcare access |
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Mission: The mission of San José Clinic is to provide quality
healthcare and
education to those with limited
access to such services in an environment which
respects the dignity of each person.
Core purpose: to
provide healthcare to the disenfranchised
following the example of Jesus Christ.
Guiding principles: compassion, dignity, advocacy, leadership and
service.
Begun in 1922, San José Clinic
is the oldest charity clinic in the United States but
continues to contribute to the national dialogue on
healthcare, inspiring fellow clinics and policy and
decision makers with its successful model of
outreach. In June 2007, San José Clinic
received mention in a USA Today headline story on
the national health crisis of the uninsured. Click on
Current News
to access the article.
San José Clinic
has a legacy of challenges, changes, and community
impact. Click on
History for more
information. The Clinic provides a setting that is
safe and one that treats all within the building
with dignity and respect. It is a safety net for
people who do not qualify for Medicare, Medicaid or
county health services and cannot afford to purchase
private or employer-based health insurance. San José
Clinic provides care on a sliding scale basis to
approximately 5,000 patients annually. By the end of
2007, 511 volunteer professionals contributed 12,931
service hours valued at $335,594. San José Clinic
provided 4,654 patients with 29,983 visits. The
Clinic also received over $788,000 in donated
pharmaceuticals in 2007.
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State-wide presence: |
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Elected to the Lone
Star Association of Charitable Clinics board in 2006,
Clinic Executive Director, Stacie Cokinos, shares clinic
best practices with other clinics across Texas,
particularly smaller, younger clinics. San José
Clinic's unique model of care, demonstrated in its core
purpose and guiding principles, continues to draw interest
from other communities around the state. The Clinic
is mentoring a new charity clinic in Brownsville, Texas,
under the Diocese of Brownsville of Texas,
Second Mile Ministry, HOPE Clinic and Live
Oak Clinic. |
Providing safety net
for
uninsured individuals and families: |
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Many in the Houston-area struggle under the burden of a
lack of health insurance. The fact that Houston lays
claim to the largest medical center in the world is
impressive but often lost on those who lack insurance that
would allow them to access the world-class healthcare
offered in the Texas Medical Center's many institutions. The need for affordable, quality healthcare for the
uninsured in this community remains as significant as
ever.
San José Clinic provides medical and dental
treatment for individuals lacking health insurance, giving
them access to preventative or specialty care for
illnesses and chronic conditions. Delay of diagnosis
and resulting treatment can be grave for such individuals
and affect the general population, if an untreated
communicable disease is involved. The Clinic makes
every effort to help individuals prevent personal health
issues from escalating into much larger problems. San José Clinic's services add significant quality to
patients' lives by allowing them to receive crucial
diagnosis of and treatment for health conditions before
they become life-altering or life-threatening. San
José Clinic strives to provide the uninsured with a
trusted health home, through which education and treatment
can serve to better their personal health and that of the
entire community. |
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Unique among peer
nonprofit clinics: |
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San José Clinic is unique among peer nonprofit clinics for
three important reasons. First and foremost, it is the only full-time medical and dental
clinic in Harris County dedicated exclusively to serving
the uninsured. Secondly, because of the
Clinic's extensive corps of volunteers and teaching
affiliations, patients are able to access specialty care
in addition to primary medical and dental care. Primary care for the uninsured is grossly inadequate and
specialty care in the greater Houston area is virtually
non-existent. The need for specialty care for the
uninsured far exceeds the availability. Finally, the Clinic
provides the most comprehensive opportunity for the
uninsured in Harris County to access specialty care, other
than through the Harris County Hospital District. Finally,
San José Clinic provides pharmaceuticals and lab services
for patients at no additional charge. This is an
advantageous resource given the skyrocketing cost of
prescription medications.
San José Clinic's model of care is distinctly different
from the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) model. FQHCs serve the uninsured and Medicaid populations,
provide only primary care, use mostly paid staff, and
receive support primarily through federal grants and
enhanced Medicaid reimbursements. San José Clinic
provides care solely to the uninsured, offers specialty
care in addition to primary care, leverages significant
volunteer and in-kind support, and receives support
completely through private contributions. In 2005,
San José Clinic initiated several partnerships with local
FQHCs and other nonprofit health clinics. Through
these partnerships, San José Clinic is able to reach
individuals who struggle to find the specialized care they
need. Together, we provide a vital continuum of care
to the uninsured and underinsured. |
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New building and expanded
services: |
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San José Clinic is preparing for a historic change that
will affect the greater Houston community by relocating to
a new building in 2010. CHRISTUS Foundation for
Healthcare purchased a Midtown city block and will raise
capital funds to enable San José Clinic to expand and
partner with other social services providers. This will provide patients and clients with a
continuum of health and social services in one location. Click on
Building
for Health for more information about San José
Clinic's anticipated transformation. |
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Mission 2010: |
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San José
Clinic expects to break ground in 2009 and relocate
from its current location across from Minute Maid Park to
the new building near Houston's medical center as early as
2010. Several internal
projects were launched in 2007, tagged Mission 2010, to
help prepare for the Clinic’s growth and move.
Potentially, San José Clinic will be able to serve three
times the Clinic's current capacity. The goal of this
Mission 2010 plan is to build upon and improve the
processes and procedures currently in place at San José
Clinic and to ensure Clinic operations and patient care
are patient centered, efficient, documented, and
operationally sound prior to the transition to the new
clinic in 2010. These processes and
procedures provide a sustainable, permanent,
community-based infrastructure capable of delivering
quality primary and specialty care services to the
uninsured communities in Houston.
The Mission 2010
initiatives included piloting patient flow modifications,
centralizing the scheduling and cashiering function,
revising the reporting capabilities, establishing the
contract physician downtown, and centralizing pharmacy
services. |
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2006-2011 Strategic Plan