Sometimes, when the future looks bleak, miracles happen.

And it happened for Christ Clinic, Katy’s charity health clinic, in the form of a new workspace.

The clinic has struggled with cash flow over past months, Executive Director Lara Mautz told attendees of the January 30 “Women in Katy” luncheon, making it a challenge to meet expenses. Loyal employees of the nonprofit even deferred paychecks in order to help the organization through this rough spot, Mautz said. The clinic gave up its administrative offices at 802 Dominion in 2024, squeezing all personnel into the clinic’s space at 25722 Kingsland Suite 111 near Katy Mills Mall.

As the workspace shrunk, the needs continued to grow among the uninsured and under-insured of Katy, who are the patients of Christ Clinic. The clinic serves between 5000 and 6000 individuals each year, for about 20,000 encounters for the year. The clinic commonly treats upper respiratory infections, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, anxiety, depression, and provides many “Well Woman” exams.

Then, the miracle happened.

After being introduced to Jay Donnella, the population health communications specialist for Christ Clinic, the owners of the Katy Gardens co-working space stepped forward with an opportunity, offering space to Christ Clinic on the second floor of their building at 1040 Schlipf Road in Katy. The space, west of Cane Island, was ideally located just off Highway 90, surrounded by warehouses and distribution centers – where many of the clinic’s existing and potential patients work.

So, after nine years on Kingsland, the staff of the clinic packed up and moved…mostly by themselves, without the help of professional movers.

The change of address was communicated to patients via messages through the clinic’s EHR and CareMessage, Mautz said. “We also put up signage and have communicated with our hospital partners to update address information,” she added.

The new space is 21,000 square feet – almost triple the 7500-square foot place at the old location on Kingsland. Now the clinic has 14 exam rooms, compared to only ten at the old building. There is a spacious reception area and waiting room, with a larger front desk. A brightly-lit play area has been added for children. And, there are enough offices for all of the staff and workspaces for the 20 volunteer providers who deliver health care to Katy’s most needy. And, there is more parking.

There is opportunity for expansion as well. “We plan to scale our walk-in services, grow pharmacy services and physical therapy, add chiropractic soon and x-ray imaging and dental in the future,” said Mautz in an interview with the Katy Times. “We will also be growing our academic partnerships so more students in healthcare can develop a passion for serving the underserved.”

Christ Clinic will celebrate with a grand opening on Friday, February 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the new location at 1040 Schlipf Road Suite 217, Katy. The event is free and all are welcome to attend.

Christ Clinic began in 2000 as an outreach ministry in Memorial Lutheran Church in Katy, operating as a weekly wellness clinic in the church’s gym. In 2007, the clinic moved to a new facility with four exam rooms and began operating three days a week. Christ Clinic was established as an independent 501 (c) 3 in 2012. For more information, go to christclinickaty.org.