San Antonio captures the spirit of Texas! Although it is the seventh largest city in the United States, San Antonio has retained its sense of history and tradition while carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress. The city has always been a crossroads and a meeting place, mingling the sounds and flavors of a vast diversity of cultures. Over twenty-one million visitors a year delight in the discovery of San Antonio's charms. Come, join us, and find yourself in San Antonio!

 

This Center was founded in 1971, operating one counseling program for children and adolescents. This center was an outgrowth of the National Institutes of Mental Health-funded and Our Lady of the Lake University-sponsored Mexican-American Mental Health Education Project, which aimed to increase the number of Mexican-American social workers providing culturally-competent mental health services in San Antonio’s Westside and Southside barrios. Faced with a loss of funding, the community advisory board opted in 1973 to incorporate as a nonprofit in order to secure the independent funding needed to continue providing services.

In the mid-1970s, medical residents from the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio conducted health screenings on a elderly center clients, finding a disturbing prevalence of undiagnosed medical conditions. These findings raised awareness among staff and community members of the severe shortage of affordable, culturally competent, and geographically accessible primary care services on the Southside. In 1979 the center opened its first medical clinic, staffed by one physician and one midlevel provider. The clinic was overwhelmed from the start, and in 1981 the  flagship medical clinic was opened.

Responding to the needs of San Antonio’s most vulnerable residents, the center has expanded steadily ever since. The first dental clinic was opened in 1987, with the opening of the OB-Gyn/perinatal clinic following in 1988. The Health Care for the Homeless program, through which the center now co-locates clinics with six area homeless shelters, started in 1989. The Ryan White program, which provides early intervention services for people recently diagnosed with HIV infection, was begun in 1992.

Several important partnerships were forged over the decades. A number of other federal, state, and local partnerships have provided the center with funding and in-kind support, and have allowed CDB to integrate services across disciplines and systems.

Commitment to Customer Service

Our consumer-majority Board of Directors monitor and ensure that customer service is evident at all service sites.

Our Mission

An integrated health care system that provides accessible services of superior quality.

Vision Statement

leading health care provider and employer recognized for quality customer service, clinical excellence, comprehensive care, and responsiveness to community needs.

Our Values

Respect: Committed to treat all persons with dignity and compassion.

Integrity: Committed to build trust through honesty, word, and deed.

Development: Committed to personal and professional development.

Excellence: Committed to superior performance, quality care, creative thinking, and teamwork.

Stewardship: Committed to maximize our human and financial resources for the care of our community, especially medically underserved residents.

Center is located in two counties in Texas with 23 service delivery sites. This Center serves approximately 68,602 clients with approximately 284,282 vists annually. This organization offers Primary Medical Care, Behavioral Health Services, Dental Care, Women's Health/Family Planning, Obstetrical Care/Labor and Delivery, Prenatal/Postpartum Care, Pediatrics, Lab services, Pharmacy, Vision Services, Substance Abuse Services, Outreach and Enrollement, Translation Services, Health Education, Extended/Weekend hours, Case management and WIC Services with approximately 540 FTE's employeed across all delivery sites and 200 volunteers center wide!