Bethesda Health Clinic has been invaluable to me. This clinic offers incredibly discounted medical service to people in Smith County who are working but are uninsured. They serve an average of 10,000 patients each year with basic out patient health services. They have expanded in their abilities and equipment to offer dental care, colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures, and have most recently begun a program for treating diabetics in which they maintain regular communication with the patients.
At this time our nation is in uproar about solving the medical needs of our uninsured citizens. People are losing jobs. Meanwhile, the costs of health care have not gone down. People are worried that with the state of the economy it’s going to be even more difficult to be taken care of. Tyler, TX is no exception to this. There is a huge need for the residents of Smith County to have health care. There are government run options for those in the poverty bracket, but what about the rest of us? And if we are in the poverty bracket, do we really want government run health services? It didn’t take living in Tyler very long to hear the answer. Bethesda offers the most reasonable solution I’ve seen or heard of to these needs.
I am a volunteer missionary living in Tyler. When I came down with the worst sore throat I’d ever had, some close friends and coworkers pointed me to Bethesda Health Clinic in downtown Tyler. I made a phone call to ask how to begin. The receptionist was kind and quick to help me figure out what I would need to bring in. I needed some basic identification documents and proof of employment. I went in to apply for the program and was pleasantly surprised. The waiting room did not look like most charitable health clinics I’ve been to. The furniture was nice. The walls were painted freshly with cheerful colors. There were attractive paintings instead of the usual depressing posters.
What made the biggest impression on me was how incredibly nice the workers were. From the receptionist to the doctors, I was blown away. They treated me like an equal instead of a beggar. They looked me in the eyes and smiled with genuine interest in my situation. The doctor discovered that I had strep throat and was able to give me an antibiotic for free from samples they had on hand. When I checked out I was amazed to find that the total cost for my visit was fifteen dollars.
The clinic was thought up by a physician in 1999 who shared her vision to the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tyler. The pastor, Dr. Michael Massar, took the vision to his church staff and members and with in just a few years the clinic was up and running. They first opened their doors on September 6, 2003. After four months they had already treated 372 patients. Bethesda is run by a staff of 750 volunteers. There are 180 doctors, 140 nurses and hundreds more who help with the administrative, maintenance and clerical jobs. The patients are about 40 percent Hispanic, 40 percent Caucasian, 19 percent African American with jobs ranging from volunteer missionaries like me to jobs with the Tyler Independent School District. In short, this operation is nothing short of amazing.
Bethesda Health Clinic is setting an example of a better solution to our nation’s health care needs. People with good hearts who want to serve and pour out their lives for the less fortunate will always produce a better service than a government could offer.
General Information
Phone Number: 903-596-8353
For Charitable Contributions
903-596-8353 Ext. 109
Physical Address:
409 W. Ferguson
Tyler, TX 75702
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1999
Tyler, TX 75710
Fax Number: 903-596-9471
