CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
As a part of Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight the culture, achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans and the name Dr. Hector P. Garcia may ring a bell to you as his legacy continues to live on right here in the coastal bend.
“He did pave the way, but it’s very important to know how we got where we are today and it was because of my father that did it and we are so proud of him,” said Cecilia Garcia Akers, daughter of Hector P. Garcia.
Dr. Hector P. Garcia, a man familiar to the Latinx community and South Texas.
“It’s important for everyone to know about his sacrifices, his contributions, how we live our lives today he had a big impact on that,” said Garcia Akers.
Garcia’s impact still being seen to this day, the Hector P. Garcia clinic is one of the many places in the Coastal Bend bearing his name and his daughter says it’s a fitting tribute.
“They're helping everyone who may not have insurance they can go in and get healthcare," said Garcia Akers. "That's just the way my father practiced medicine, so the fact that they wanted to name it after him was so appropriate."
Dr. Yvonne Hinojosa with the clinic says she feels it's important for her to help carry out that mission right here, providing access to something many may take for granted.
“We see disparities every day. Access to healthcare has been a problem for many years it’s something we continue to try to break down that barrier,” said Dr. Hinojosa.
The clinic breaking barriers by providing resources and education.
“We have a pharmacy service, we also have case workers that do our service here, we have a family medicine clinic that takes care of pediatrics, geriatrics, adult medicine, obstetrics, women's health we also have quick care,” said Dr. Hinojosa.
Dr. Hinojosa says the goal is to continue serving the community, picking up where Dr. Garcia left off.
“Our big job is to be able to assess it to be able to diagnose it and then be able to educate about it and treat it, so prevention is a big part of what is needed so we have less barriers,” said Dr. Hinojosa.
And continuing to pave the way for young Latinos to get inspired, by seeing what people are doing right here, right now in their own communities.
"It’s a good educational piece for our young Latinos and Latinas to be able to see that and to be able to continue to contribute that and hopefully even have the opportunity to do healthcare in the future,” said Dr. Hinojosa.
To learn more about the clinic, click here.
To learn more about the Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation, click here.