The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is the single public agency charged by State Law, City Code and County Resolution with the responsibility for public health programs in San Antonio and unincorporated areas of Bexar County. Although the Health District is a City/County organization, administrative control is under the City of San Antonio and the District is operated as a City Department. The Director of Health serves as the chief executive officer of the Health District and is the Health Authority for Bexar County. Health District services include: preventive health services, health code enforcement, clinical services, environmental monitoring, public health preparedness, disease control, health education, dental health, and maintenance of birth and death certificates.

The mission of the Health District is to promote health and prevent disease among the residents and visitors of San Antonio and unincorporated areas of Bexar County through community health assessment, identification of unmet health needs, development of policies to meet those needs, and assurance that needs are met through the development of public-private partnerships and/or the direct provision of services.

As the most preferred health care provider in San Antonio, the community recognizes Methodist Healthcare and its hospitals for its outstanding team of nurses and doctors, providing quality health care in San Antonio and 26 surrounding counties. Since opening its first hospital in 1963, Methodist Healthcare remains committed to its mission of “Serving Humanity to Honor God” while it reaches out to meet the growing needs of the area. Methodist Healthcare is the area’s third largest private employer with 7,500 employees in 22 heath care facilities.

The staff at each Methodist Healthcare facility works hard to build on its reputation as the most preferred provider of health care in consumer polls across the South Texas region. Methodist Healthcare is the leading provider of care in many categories, including heart services, deliveries, back and neck surgeries, neurology, cancer services, kidney transplants, behavioral medicine, rural residents, international services and pastoral care. In 2005, Methodist Healthcare provided services to 66,400 inpatients and 311,000 outpatients.

By the end of 2006, Methodist Boerne Medical Center will open, featuring a large medical services building containing an expanded Boerne Imaging Center, physician specialty practices including oncology, internal medicine, and much more. The Methodist Boerne Emergency Center, which will open in late 2007, will be the first-ever 24/7 freestanding Emergency Department in South and Central Texas.

The next generation of health care is coming to San Antonio in 2008 with the anticipated opening of Methodist Stone Oak Hospital. As a “next generation” hospital, specific infrastructure designs will reflect very different thinking about how hospitals are organized to keep pace with the ways patients are diagnosed and treated. Easily accessible centers of care will be the new focus with advanced technology providing a greater level of care.

Methodist Healthcare is San Antonio’s largest and most trusted health care provider with 22 facilities including seven acute care hospitals: Methodist Children’s Hospital of South Texas*, Methodist Hospital, Methodist Heart Hospital*, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital,* Northeast Methodist Hospital,* Metropolitan Methodist Hospital* and Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Hospital-Northwest. Methodist Stone Oak Hospital opens in 2008, the Methodist Boerne Medical Center opens in late 2006 and Methodist Boerne Emergency Center is set to open in late 2007.

Methodist Healthcare earns its excellent reputation and image first and foremost at the bedside of each patient every day. Additionally, Methodist Healthcare touches thousands of lives through wellness programs offered through our exclusive membership programs. More than 350,000 people belong to WomanPlus™, 55PLUS™ and the Young Heroes’ Club and enjoy programs throughout the community including health screenings, exercise classes, and educational programs. Visit www.SAHealth.com to learn more about Methodist Healthcare or call (210) 575-0355 or toll free at (800) 333-7333.

* a Methodist Hospital facility

The Bexar County Hospital District, d/b/a University Health System, is a local governmental entity providing healthcare services for the needy and indigent of Bexar County. University Health System, in partnership with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSC), is also a nationally-recognized academic medical center offering outstanding care for even the most complex medical/surgical problems. As the third largest public health system in Texas, University Health currently has more than 5,000 employees and an operating budget of $640.5 million for 2006.

Patient care facilities include University Hospital, the lead Level I Trauma Center for a 22-county region of South/Central Texas — one of 13 level I centers in Texas.

Primary care and outpatient services are offered at six community health centers, including one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive facilities dedicated to the treatment and prevention of Type 2 diabetes, the Texas Diabetes Institute.

These University Health locations serve as the primary teaching facilities for the graduate medical education programs of the UTHSC. The medical staff is comprised of more than 1,000 UTHSC faculty physicians and nearly 700 resident physicians.

University Health System subsidiary organizations include Community First Health Plans, Inc. a non-profit provider-owned Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), with a current membership of more than 110,000 individuals; and Community Medicine Associates, a non-profit physician practice which provides primary care services at University Health System’s community clinics.

San Antonio AirLife, one of the nation’s premiere air medical services, is owned jointly by University Health System and Vanguard Health Systems. AirLife supports University Health’s trauma mission by flying critically-injured patients to University Hospital from within a 70,650-square mile area of Texas.

For seven consecutive years, University Health System has beenrecognized by U.S.News & World Report as one of America’s Best Hospitals. For 2006, University Healthrankedamong the “Top 50” hospitals in the U.S. for cardiology and heart surgery, orthopaedics and endocrinology (diabetes care). University is the only health system in San Antonio to receive this recognition.