Funded Partner Spotlight: CentroMed, increasing access to health care in San Antonio

Since it's grassroots beginnings in 1971, integrated primary care clinic, CentroMed, has grown to become a trusted source for low-income families in and around San Antonio. Methodist Healthcare Ministries has proudly supported CentroMed since 1996 through funding for health care services and capital expansion projects.

"We're really honored to work with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, a great partner of CentroMed for over 20 years," expressed CentroMed Vice President of Development & Marketing, Ana Maria Garza Cortez. "Without Methodist Healthcare Ministries' support, I'm not sure that many of our buildings would be in existence today."

A major component of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' and CentroMed's partnership includes care for the uninsured, including the homeless, to make an affordable primary care home accessible to those least-served, thus improving their health outcomes.

"CentroMed is honored to serve six homeless shelters in San Antonio. We provide the medical and primary health care services that our community needs. We couldn't do that without the support of Methodist Healthcare Ministries," stated Cortez. "In addition to support for building facilities and growing our services, we're fortunate that Methodist Healthcare has been a partner in providing grants and programs so patients can get the health care they need at a very low cost."

In March 2017, after assessing a lack of health coverage in the Indian Creek area, CentroMed announced the groundbreaking of their new health and wellness center (view photos of the groundbreaking day).

"There was not a single primary care provider in the area," stated Marina Gonzales, executive manager for special projects at CentroMed. "We decided to build an adequate facility to fit the needs of the community. We're fortunate to have a partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries who came on board early on in support of the growth of our new medical clinic, which will encompass a primary care clinic on one side and an adjacent wellness center."

"Our community continues to grow, and we see many families that still need access to health care," said Cortez. "With the support of Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we can continue to provide those services, and by working together, we can keep our community healthy."

Learn more about grant-making at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. To learn more about CentroMed, visit http://centromedsa.com/.