Member Spotlight: Jay Donnella, Christ Clinic
Can you tell us a little about the history of your business?
Christ Clinic was established in 2000 at a downtown Katy church. Since that time, we have been expanding services and locations to better serve our area population. All our doctors are volunteers, so in addition to primary care, we also have over 8 different specialty practice areas such as cardiology, pulmonology, orthopedics, and gynecology. We also have a full-service retail pharmacy for anyone to receive discounted prescriptions, whether a Christ Clinic patient or not. We express our faith with love, dignity, and respect for every patient, and had nearly 20,000 patient interactions in 2023.
What inspired you to start this business and how has your vision evolved over time?
I didn't start this business myself, but the prohibitively high cost of healthcare, especially for those people without health insurance or with high-deductible health insurance, created a large and growing need for access to affordable quality healthcare.
What sets your business apart from others in your industry?
We are a charity clinic, so we don't take insurance or Medicare/Medicaid, so we are much more flexible and can provide more comprehensive care to our patients without being dictated treatment by outside non-healthcare providers.
In what ways do you engage with the local community?
I am also a Director on the YMCA Advisory Board, the Greater Houston Manufacturers Association, and the Houston Baylor Professional Alumni Association. I attend and support the Katy Chamber and its members as often as possible.
What advice would you give to new business owners considering joining the Chamber?
The Chamber is very valuable if you actively participate and actively get to know other members.
What do you believe has been the key to your business's success so far?
Our success and growth has been due to the growth in the need for access to affordable quality healthcare in our area, and the fact that we offer such varied and comprehensive services.
What challenges has your business faced and how have you overcome them?
Since we don't take insurance or Medicare/Medicaid, funding is always a critical area of concern, especially recently with economic uncertainty and election year issues.
Can you tell us about a product or service you're particularly proud of?
We have regularly won awards for many of our Chronic Condition Management Programs, like Diabetes, High-Blood Pressure, and Cholesterol. This is due to the fact that our healthcare providers can spend more time with our patients discussing non-medical issues facing the patients including cultural specific, nutrition, living conditions, etc.
How do you stay ahead in a competitive market?
Healthcare can be very expensive, often artificially supported by insurance programs, so since we don't take insurance, we don't play those pricing games.
What does excellent customer service mean to you?
We become the primary health home for our clients, who continue to return and tell their friends and others about our service.
What has been the most memorable customer interaction you’ve had?
I have been told several times how we probably saved someone's life because we were able to provide service that a patient would otherwise not have been able to afford due to lack of other alternatives.
What’s the most rewarding part of running your business?
Knowing how many families we are impacting be getting people healthier and keeping them healthy is incredibly rewarding. If people are not healthy, they cannot work and help support their family.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received as a business owner?
Since coming to Christ Clinic, the best advice I've gotten is to trust God's timing and plan for myself and Christ Clinic. It is amazing the change in perspective this advice has created in me.
Connect:
713-857-2359