Bethesda Health Clinic
A Christ-centered ministry that provides affordable, high quality care
for the working uninsured and others we are able to serve.
TESTIMONIALS
“I think of Bethesda as a godsend to the healthcare community. Bethesda Clinic has not only addressed my physical issues but they also have addressed my spiritual issues.” – Rita
DONATE TODAY
Bethesda Health Clinic is a 100% community funded ministry. Please prayerfully consider helping us financially. There are many ways to do so, including donating through this website.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
Bethesda Health Clinic is always looking for medical professionals, dental professionals, clerical and admissions volunteers, and volunteers for Hangers of Hope Thrift Store.
ABOUT US
Bethesda Health Clinic is a Christ-centered ministry with a bold mission: to provide healthcare to hardworking low income adults who are uninsured or underinsured. We envision our clinic as embodying Christ in action–bringing healing and hope to the people we serve.
Before Bethesda, those in need had to go to a local hospital’s emergency room for medical care. Our state-of-the-art facility eases the burden on local ERs while serving a neglected segment of our population in a professional and dignified environment.
THEIR STORY
“You have made all the difference in my life, and ‘thank you’ will never be enough.”
– Jana
“The best medical services I have. I’m so happy to be a patient there!”
– Leticia
OUR STORY
In 2018, Bethesda is celebrating 15 years of successful operation. Since its inception, the clinic has served more than 11,000 patients and completed more than 125,000 patient visits.
PATIENTS
Bethesda serves hardworking low-income adults who have no insurance, or who are underinsured, which are those who have deductibles that are high relative to their income.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Bethesda Health Clinic is funded by the community and takes no tax dollars. You can help by volunteering, shopping at Hangers of Hope, donating, and by giving to any of our named endowment funds.
HOW WE HELPED
Patients Served
Bethesda served thousands of hardworking adults in 2017, and the number of patients will continue to grow in 2018.
Patient Visits
The number of primary medical, specialty medical and dental visits set a new record in 2017, but will exceed that in 2018.
Active Volunteers
Our volunteers include physicians, dentists, x-ray technicians, data entry specialists, admissions advisors, and many more.
MEET PATRICIA
When Patricia found out that Bethesda Health Clinic was going to be able to fix her severely damaged front teeth, she literally screamed. “I was so happy I told the staff I felt like shouting for joy, and they said, ‘go right ahead!’, so I did!” she exclaimed. “I wanted everyone to know how GOOD God is, and how GOOD Bethesda is!”
Bethesda has been a part of Patricia’s life for many years. When she was new to Tyler, she heard about the clinic from a co-worker and at first didn’t believe such a place was real. “The first time I came, everyone was so nice, so real. They treated me so nicely and didn’t make me feel like I was ‘less than.’ I’ve been treated as ‘less than’ before, and I know what that feels like,” she said.
In 2007, Bethesda helped Patricia obtain the back surgery she had desperately needed for a long
time. “Right before my surgery, Dr. Todd Raabe said to me, ‘Before we start, can I pray with you?’ I knew then that I was in the right hands… God’s hands and Dr. Raabe’s hands.”
Patricia’s first priority has always been to be a role model for her 11 year old daughter. “We’ve been through a lot together, so I call her ‘Soldier’. She’s a little soldier to me, and now the name has stuck,” says Patricia. “Everyone calls her ‘Soldier’ and it suits her.”
Soldier has always told her mother that she is beautiful, and now Patricia is beginning to believe that beauty and confidence are really a possibility in her future. “God showed up in the people He’s put in my life,” says Patricia. “He showed up in the people of Bethesda. It’s a miracle. It really is. And I still feel like shouting!”
Dr. Jony Palaparthi, D.M.D.
Bethesda Health Clinic is excited to welcome Dr. Jony Palaparthi, D.M.D., to the Bethesda Dental team!
Dr. Palaparthi comes to Bethesda with a background in mission work and public health. After being trained to be a dentist in India, she graduated from Texas Tech University with a Master’s Degree in Public Health. She received her Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree from the Kornberg School of Dentistry in 2018.
During college, Jony volunteered to help under-served children and their parents learn how to properly care for their teeth. Her passion for helping the under-privileged led her to Tyler, Texas, as the newest full-time dentist at Bethesda Health Clinic.
“I love to serve the people that need it the most,” Jony said. “Everything starts with a dream. I used to have a long list, but now I’m happy with what God has provided for me and through my life.”
THEIR STORIES
we helped give them a better hope for tomorrow
RICKY’S STORY
When we think about the mission field, most of us think of faraway places, lands with different cultures and languages, eager for God’s word. The truth is that there are many ways and many places to serve the Lord in the mission field. Missionary Ricky McClenton found his calling and his mission field right here at home in East Texas.
FLORA’S STORY
Flora Johnson has been a patient at Bethesda Health Clinic since the very early days, and remarkably, she’s been a volunteer at Bethesda just about as long.
MARICELLA’S STORY
When Maricela first came to Bethesda about eight years ago, it was to establish a medical home for basic health care. A hard-working housekeeper, who has had the same clients for more than a decade, she had no health insurance and just needed a check up and a referral for a mammogram. But that first visit began a long relationship that touched Maricela’s family in extraordinary and life-changing ways.
WHY I CHOSE BETHESDA
Just a few of our donors and volunteers who made the choice to support Bethesda Health Clinic,
and why they did…
MEET CAROL
Carol Smith helps patients work through spiritual and personal matters. Said Dr. English, “Carol has a boldness to visit with patients about any subject and encourage them as they work to improve their lives one small step at a time.”
MEET DR. LARRY WIERTZ
Dr. Larry Wiertz, MD, shown here working with Becky Olivarez, specializes in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. Dr. Wiertz has practiced for 50 years and has been volunteering at Bethesda since 2011.
MEET DIANE
Diane serves as an Admissions Advisor where she interviews new and returning patients. She is al about saving lives and saving souls, so she gives every applicant an opportunity to embrace salvation through Christ.
