Clinica Betesda is a rural health clinic staffed and funded by a collaboration between Healing Hands International and the Korean Central Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas. Our clinic is located within Cristo Rey, a community of roughly 12,000 inhabitants, outside of Tipitapa, Nicaragua. We are dedicated to seeing the name of Jesus Christ proclaimed in loving service to our community and meeting practical needs.
Since 2014, God has worked in and through the local Nicaraguan staff, our missionary founders, their volunteer board of directors, a group of dedicated donors in the United States, and hundreds of short-term volunteers to bring about real change in the hearts and lives of many inhabitants of this extremely impoverished community. As we look forward to the coming years, we are excited at the opportunity to see lives, families, and communities changed by the love of Jesus integrated into quality, compassionate healthcare for each person that we are privileged to reach.
The clinic operates carefully within the legal system and healthcare laws of Nicaragua and is currently in the process of obtaining their license as an independent clinic. Until this process is complete, patient statistics are meticulously reported to the local public health clinic and clinic operations are authorized by local health authorities. All clinic practitioners are fully licensed under Nicaraguan law.
The great majority of our staff are committed believers who see their work at the clinic as not just a job, but as a ministry. Those who come from outside the community of Cristo Rey endure long, difficult and often dangerous commutes in order to participate in this work. While we strive to pay above standard wages for our staff, money itself is not a strong enough motivator for the danger and discomfort of working in such a setting. We have seen God bring together a team of people committed to service and loving their neighbors far beyond the requirements of their jobs.