One Saturday in August, a 91-year-old uninsured woman walked into a nearby church to have her heart examined.
She’d recently moved from China to Plano to live with her daughter and didn’t have health insurance while working on her green card. She’d already had to pay out of pocket for heart surgery, and Russell Creek Chinese Gospel Church — which hosted a newly opened clinic for the uninsured — was not far from her house.
“She was so happy,” Texas Community Clinic board of directors President Weibin Yang says. “She felt like the service was actually better because he spent so much time with her.”
The woman ended up donating to the clinic herself, noting that the visit felt more personal and less rushed outside of the hospital setting.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 13% of the Plano population under the age of 65 is uninsured. (Insurance statistics for those older are not readily available.) And as nearly one third are foreign born and/or speak a language other than English at home, barriers to health care abound even in an area with a majority skilled-worker and high-earning population.
While Dallas has Parkland Health clinics and hospitals for those that are uninsured as well as other nonprofit-led initiatives, the surrounding suburbs have a substantial uninsured population and no publicly funded, free healthcare facilities.
There are four clinics that offer free services in the city. The Islamic Association of Collin County maintains a clinic on Independence Parkway. Watermark Church maintains an urgent care facility on West Parker. Julia’s Center for Healthcare, partnered with nine area churches, has a clinic on Avenue K.
Noticing a cultural and geographic gap in care, Wenbao Wang and Yang set out to open a clinic tailored to, but not limited to, Plano’s Chinese-speaking community. Wang secured space at Russell Creek Chinese Gospel Church, and in 2023, Texas Community Clinic was born. Initially open just two weekends a month, the clinic saw only a handful of patients in its early days. But word spread quickly, and attendance has steadily increased.
Current offerings include routine checkups, treatment for common illnesses, chronic disease management, preventive care, cardiology, pain management, sports medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation. According to the clinic’s website, other specialty services will be added as more physicians volunteer. Common medications, other than controlled substances, can be prescribed and EKG and common blood work are available.
Texas Community Clinic opened on Aug. 3, 2024, with a grand opening celebration featuring Tai Chi dancers and appearances from Congressman Matt Shaheen, Mayor John Muns and several council members. According to Dallas Chinese Daily, about 200 community members were in attendance.
“The support we get from the community is enormous. It’s much more than I expected,” Yang says.
The shift from the hospital setting to a self-run clinic was a challenge, Yang says, noting that in a hospital setting there are whole departments to rely on. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people willing to pitch in once they heard.
Before opening, the clinic was able to get credentials for just three physicians. But the amount of volunteers meant growth, with 17 more in the credential application process.
Volunteers weren’t the only ones jumping on board. Shortly after the ceremony, a community member approached Yang with a $1,000 check. Then a physician from Baylor, Scott & White connected the clinic with BSW’s warehouse system, where extra medical supplies are lent to nonprofit organizations. Others with UT Southwestern donated equipment.
As the number of people seeking the clinic’s care rises, Texas Community Clinic is in need of donations to increase services, volunteer doctors and nurses to increase hours open and a designated space.
“Nowadays, everybody is busy but a lot of physicians have the intention to do something good for the community without any controversy,” Yang says. “The country is so divided. We have different opinions on so many things, but this, I think there’s no question. Everybody thinks this is the right thing to do.”
Texas Community Clinic is located at 7801 Coit Road and is open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments can be made online or walkins on Sundays.
