A group of San Antonio clinics that once served only the local barrios has received an infusion of federal funds to support expanded services.
A member of United Way, and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Centro Med has 21 sites across Bexar County and into New Braunfels, serving more than 5,000 people. San Antonio and West Texas Congressman Pete Gallego says the federal funds recently approved will help the clinics get their medical services to more underserved residents.
"The grant is just under $550,000," Gallego said.
Gallego says Texas leads the nation in the number of people with no health coverage, and the idea of the grant is to reach out to more people, especially children. One way they will do that is through community-oriented relationships, to provide "local health care [that]you don't have to drive a long way for."
"It's really designed to be kind of the old style. Not quite the doctor making house calls, but the next best thing," he said.
Gallego says when patients feel more comfortable with their doctors, the clinics can work more on preventive medicine, which has been proven to be more cost-effective in the long term than treating illness.
