On 3/28/2017, the Magnolia Rotary Club took a tour of the Magnolia Texas TOMAGWA offices that opened the first week of March 2017. Senior Director of Development and Spiritual Care for TOMAGWA, Rev. Steven G. Lightfoot (pictured above) led the tour.
 
The tour started in a conference room on the 3rd floor of the Landmark Building in Magnolia, Texas. Senior Director, Steven G. Lightfoot gave the group a little history about TOMAGWA and said that it started after a young girl lost all of her hearing due to a double ear infection that did not get treatment because her family could not afford to send her to the doctor. Some local pastors and businessmen saw the need and decided to create what is now known as TOMAGWA which is short for Tomball, Magnolia, and Waller. In the 28 years since it started, it has grown to an organization that provides medical services to around 16 thousand patients a year. It is privately funded and only accepts patients who make 200% of the federal poverty level or less. It not only treats medical problems but the entire patient including physical, mental, and spirtual problems. 
 
The Magnolia offices of TOMAGWA have only been in existence since March 2017. It is open 5 days a week and accepts walkins and patients with appointments. However, it currently does not provide dental services but hopes to add 4 dental chairs in the not too distant future as funds and doctors become available. Although new to the area, the office is already keeping the small staff busy most of the week which is about 20 patients a day, 5 days a week. Steven also pointed out that their offices are in the Landmark Building so that they are close to the volunteer doctors in the building, the pharmacy in the building, and the emergency room in the building. People who come in with dental needs are told to go to the Tomball offices where dental services are available.Patients are asked to pay about 10% of the actual cost of services and in most cases, less than $10 for prescriptions. Steven also told everyone that the 2017 operating budget for all of TOMAGWA is $500,000 a year. All of that money comes from donors and an annual fund raiser.
 
The other major thing that Steven told everyone is that TOMAGWA is a teaching facility for Texas universities' medical students who work part time in the TOMAGWA offices along side experienced doctors.
 
Steven told everyone that to sum up TOMAGWA in one sentence, "TOMAGWA is an intersection of mercy and grace" that provides care to the local (montgomery county) poor. 
 
Additional photos of the tour can be seen below:
 
    
 
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