Mission of Mercy extends medical care to Sandia area

Dr. John Pettigrove received 14 patients at the new Mission of Mercy site in Sandia, Texas on Sept. 7. The Sandia site is the sixth Mission of Mercy mobile clinic location in south Texas.
 
Mission of Mercy provides free medical care and prescription medication to those in the Coastal Bend who are uninsured or underinsured. The clinic is located at the Knolle Jersey Farm at 2377 FM 70.
 
"Of all our clinics, this one is definitely the most unique," said Sherry Bowers, Executive Director of Mission of Mercy in south Texas. "It's out in the country on a country road, but patients say they had no problem finding it. It's funny, it's right next to a beautiful pen of cows." 
 
Bowers said people are finding out about the new location by word of mouth. Most of the patients will come from Mathis or Orange Grove. "Orange Grove and Sandia are some of the poorest communities in the Coastal Bend, so they really need our services," Bowers said.
 
The Sandia location is planning to open every other Wednesday after the holidays. The next scheduled clinic date is Oct. 5, but patients must call ahead to schedule an appointment at (361) 883-5500.
 
"We have well over 1,000 patients and many of our patients have been with us since we first started," Bowers said. "The Mission of Mercy doctors are primarily general family doctors and registered nurses. Eighty percent of our patients are diabetic. We triage each patient when they arrive, make their first appointment and then go from there."
 
Each mobile clinic is equipped with supplies. The doctors and nurses provide the testing and schedule another appointment or refer them to another physician or agency. Each visit to the mobile clinic is free.
 
"We are their last resort. They can't afford insurance, Medicaid, Medicare or even a county card," Bowers said. "We don't ask a lot of questions–some of these people don't even have Social Security Cards and we don't care. We are not here to judge anyone–we just want to provide them with the care they need and restore their dignity. That's part of our mission. Some of them are very ashamed or–you know–they just have no other choice and so we're there for them."
 
"Many of our patients have been with us since we first started. Sometimes we're the only doctors they see," she said. "Our mission is to provide healing through love–and it's the love of Christ. So we start every clinic with a circle and a prayer and our patients are part of it."
 
Mission of Mercy has six mobile clinic locations. Their community partners include First United Methodist Church and Corpus Christi Police Officers’ Association in Corpus Christi, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Parish in Flour Bluff, St. John of the Cross Catholic Parish in Orange Grove, the Wesley Community Center in Robstown and the Knolle Jersey Farm in Sandia. They have approximately 92 clinic operating days a year usually on Monday and Wednesday of every week.
 
Mission of Mercy will be celebrating their ninth anniversary on Sept. 17 and are hoping to open their new Mission of Mercy Medical Center in the late fall of 2017.
 
To learn more about Mission of Mercy go to www.amissionofmercy.org/texas