Midtown Houston's San Jose Clinic

According to the American Hospital Association Texas has the highest number of uninsured adults amongst all of the states. The Census Bureau figures, show Houston with the highest rate among the nation's top 10 metropolitan areas. Midtown Houston is home to an organization that has been stepping up to challenge this health crisis for over 80 years, the San Jose Clinic.

Studies from the past 25 years indicate that being uninsured is hazardous to your health. The uninsured are more likely to have high infant mortality rates, and are more likely to develop high blood pressure and hypertension.

A Safety Net For All

Most people in Houston have heard of "Art with a Heart", but it's how they provide health care with a heart, at the San Jose, that sets them apart from other area clinics. These Midtown Houston angels of mercy are servants leaders in the local health care field.

The Clinic has delivered some of the best forward thinking approaches in the state of Texas toward the health crisis. They have championed offering low cost services to the rising tide of uninsured and under-insured Houstonians. The best estimates show 1 in 3 people in this city of medicine miracles have little or no health care coverage, San Jose Clinic has become part of the fabric in their safety net.

Our Human Capital At Risk

Even when the uninsured see doctors, they often can't afford drugs. They die sooner. They have more complications, and they are more disabled. It's easy to understand why millions depend on San Jose and other clinics in the Houston area for their survival.

What's hard to understand, is why our elected officials in Austin would neglect the future human capital of the state, by forfeiting more than $900 million in federal money under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the past six years because they wouldn't put up 28 cents for each 72 cents in federal aid.

Filling in The Gap

Midtown Houston's San Jose Clinic does a lot more than just provide a safe, dignified setting for people who don't qualify for Medicare, Medicaid or county health services and cannot afford to purchase private insurance. They try to fill the gap between primary and hospital care with their own specialists, but the wait can still take months.