Integrity Medical Clinic in Whitesboro recently celebrated its fourth anniversary in the only way they know how – by continuing to serve patients and provide medical care to the community.
“We put up a banner outside the building,” clinic owner and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Jana Hobbs said. “Other than that, we were too busy seeing our patients to do much else.”
Hobbs founded the business Aug. 17, 2020. Before that, she had worked at Texoma Medical Center (TMC) for more than 20 years. Her roles there ranged from float nurse and supervisor to Emergency Room manager. In 2017, Hobbs went back to school to earn her Nurse Practitioner license. Afterward, she worked at urgent care for TMC for a couple of years as a nurse practitioner.
“Urgent care was my comfort zone,” Hobbs said.
Although Hobbs (who lives in Callisburg) loved her job at TMC, every time she drove through Whitesboro she felt a calling to bring medical care to town. She envisioned creating an urgent care clinic that would also provide primary healthcare on the side.
“Based on the healthcare that was available in Whitesboro at that time, I felt this was something that was really needed by the community,” Hobbs said.
She dreamed of opening a clinic in the hub of town near Hwy. 377 and Hwy. 82, but no buildings were available at the time. The Chamber of Commerce suggested a building further into town and, despite her initial trepidation that it was “too far off the beaten path,” Hobbs agreed to take a look.
It turned out, the building in question was the former clinic of Dr. Alfred Jowitt, who had left the location to focus on his practice in Pilot Point. The building was built in 2009 and renovated in 2016 after suffering tornado damage. Left in 2019, it was move-in ready – Jowitt had even left some of the supplies, which he was willing to sell to the new owner.
After some long conversations with her husband, Hobbs took over the building, changed her plan from urgent care to solely providing primary care, and Integrity Medical Clinic was born.
“Ignorance was bliss,” Hobbs said. “If I had known more before I started, I think I would have been too scared to take that first step.”
Just when Hobbs was getting her footing, a global pandemic changed the world.
Integrity Clinic never closed its doors. Hobbs wasn’t afraid to treat patients, even if it meant she had to meet them out in the parking lot.
“It was our duty to take care of the community,” Hobbs said.
This level of care helped secure Integrity Medical Clinic’s success in Whitesboro. Since then, the clinic has added more staff members. The office now has a front desk person, an office
manager, two nurses and has recently added Heather Burkleo, Nurse Practitioner, to its staff. (Read about Burkleo in next week’s issue of the News-Record.)
From the time the clinic opened its doors until now, Integrity has built a patient list of 3,000 people. Hobbs attributes several things to their success.
“There have been blessings along the way that have helped feed our growth,” she said. “Covid was a thing. We offered testing and continued seeing patients. Then in 2021, Dr. Jowitt left his Pilot Point practice and began referring patients to us. But I think the thing that has really helped our success is our personal touch.”
At Integrity Medical Clinic, staff takes the time to visit with each patient to truly hear their concerns. Unlike a corporate clinic where patients are rushed through to meet a bottom line, at Integrity, patients receive private, personal attention.
“One of the best compliments we receive from our patients is that they feel we take the time to focus on them and their needs,” Hobbs said. “Here at Integrity, knowledge meets compassion.”
Integrity Medical Clinic is located at 109 Bois D’Arc. They open Monday-Friday at 8:30 a.m. and begin seeing appointments at 9 a.m. The clinic closes at 6 p.m. They see patients of all ages (although do not specialize in pediatrics) and offer a variety of services including sickness/wellness visits, IV hydration and injectables like Botox and weight loss programs. They work with a lab company who is on-site Monday and Thursday mornings to do labs; the rest of the week, they do their own.
New patients can typically be seen the same week they call in, and while appointments are highly encouraged, they try to squeeze in walk-ins as time permits.
It’s easy to see that everyone on staff loves their job. Hobbs especially loves helping the small town, rural community of Whitesboro.
“We’re like a family – not just among the office staff, but with our patients,” Hobbs said. “This clinic was always a dream of mine, but I never really expected it to happen. I’ve always believed that if we take care of the people, the rest will fall into place. And here we are, celebrating four years in business.”
To learn more about their services or to book an appointment, call Integrity Medical Clinic at 903-564-3366.
