UM community center
changes hands

Methodist Healthcare Ministries
purchases San Antonio facility

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas purchased Wesley Community Center in San Antonio July 18 for $1.4 million.
The center, established in 1909, had been owned by the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries. Sale price was based on a real estate appraisal of the property at 1406 Fitch St., said Kevin C. Moriarty, chief executive of San Antonio-based Methodist Healthcare Ministries.
The health organization, which is affiliated with the Southwest Texas Conference, had managed the community center for three years.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries has provided medical and dental care for people without insurance through a primary care clinic at the facility for 10 years.
Moriarty said a new name would be the only visible change at the center. It is now Wesley at Columbia Heights.
The new name better reflects the entity as a destination for social, emotional, physical and spiritual support for the individuals of the Columbia Heights community, Moriarty said. The new name no longer differentiates the community center from the adjacent Wesley Primary Care Clinic.
“The change of ownership will be seamless,” said Moriarty, a member of Travis Park UMC, San Antonio. “There will be no interruption of the services and programs provided.
“In fact, the financial support from Methodist congregations, auxiliary groups and individuals is still very much needed to help ensure that all individuals and families who are in need and who seek assistance here are fully served.”
The Women’s Division will continue to be very much involved, as will the advisory council, Moriarty said.
Wesley at Columbia Heights is positioned to help one of the most underserved areas of San Antonio, Moriarty said. More than 6,000 single-parent families with annual incomes less than $15,000 live within two miles of the center.
The center provides day care, after-school care, summer camp programs, sports leagues for youths and adults, and activities for seniors. Social services include a food and clothing bank, emergency assistance, parenting classes and crisis counseling. Health care includes not only disease treatment but prevention and management.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries is doing a needs assessment to guide the extension of further services to the Columbia Heights neighborhood, Moriarty said.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the largest private provider of indigent health care in South Texas, serves people in some 80 counties. This year the organization expects to reach more than 300,000 individuals with nearly $30 million in funding to various health services and programs.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries co-owns Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio with Hospital Corporation of America of Nashville, Tenn. Profits from the 25-hospital system provide funds for care of the uninsured and underserved.