Al Jones was welcomed to Corpus Christi in 1970 by Hurricane Celia.

The powerful storm did extensive damage across the Coastal Bend, but in the rebuilding effort afterward, and in the years since, Jones has witnessed exceptional growth and development. As the first  chief operations officer of American Bank when it first opened in 1970 and later being named CEO in the 1980s, Jones has seen firsthand how a community can work together to improve itself.

One area that helps define a community is its quality of health care, something that drew him to get involved with CHRISTUS Spohn.

“CHRISTUS Spohn has a huge significance in the community and it’s important to be a large part of the effort in improving health care for all South Texans,” says Jones. “For me personally, that meant getting deeply involved. That’s why I’ve taken on the roles within CHRISTUS Spohn that I have.”

Al and Janet Jones at CHRISTUS Spohn Health System Lyceum.

Jones, who has served in multiple capacities on the CHRISTUS Spohn Health System board and with the CHRISTUS Spohn Foundation, also is Co-Chair of the Our PATH Forward Capital Campaign, a fundraising effort that will help lay the foundation for CHRISTUS Spohn’s transformation of care across the region. People & Actions Transforming Healthcare rests right at the heart of CHRISTUS Spohn’s mission, and goes hand in hand with the values of American Bank, says Jones.

“The philosophy we’ve had at American Bank is that we’re deeply embedded in this community and have been for a long time,” says Jones. “We believe that living here and working here, we need to be involved in the community, and that we need to be good corporate citizens. And that means helping to make Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend a better place. That’s a top requirement for us.”

That support from American Bank has taken many forms, including being the annual presenting sponsor of the CHRISTUS Spohn Lyceum, helping to bring in exceptional speakers who are able to provide commentary and insight on some of the most essential issues of our time.

Jones points to change across Corpus Christi, the Coastal Bend and all of South Texas when noting ongoing industrial and societal developments, but one thing remains constant, he says.

“CHRISTUS Spohn will continue to be here to deliver health care services to our community regardless of whether patients are able to pay for them or not,” says Jones. “It’s important to be able to provide the best in quality health care to a growing community and I’m proud to be associated with CHRISTUS Spohn.”

Click here to view in 2015 Annual Report.

Posted on April 22, 2016