Sandra Muthyala, native of Uruguay and graduate of Grace Bible College, is the new director of advancement for Exalta Health.
The faith-based nonprofit, located at 2060 Division Avenue South (near Burton and Division) offers routine and urgent medical and dental care to children, adults and seniors with unemployment, lack of insurance and other financial factors not a barrier for service (fees are reduced based on household income and number of members supported by that income).
Muthyala joins Exalta Health from Ada Bible Church where she served as the women’s ministry director at the Kentwood campus. She has also worked as a financial counselor for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s and spent two decades as a missionary in Uruguay, where she is from originally, and India, her husband’s home country. She is bi-lingual in English and Spanish.
A Grace Bible College graduate (now Grace Christian University), she will direct fund development, marketing and communications for Exalta Health, critical assignments as the organization relies heavily on donations to be able to provide its services.
In 2019, Exalta Health served 1,100 medical patients, 1,200 dental patients and provided almost 10,000 total services. Almost 75 percent of its income came from individuals, foundations, corporations, churches, special events and donated services.
Though COVID-19 has changed Exalta Health’s work in the short term (the clinic isn’t currently seeing any patients other than urgent-care patients in person but is relying on tele-medicine and other methods to serve its clients), Muthyala knows that it is more important than ever for the organization to connect with donors and other key audiences as it waits for the time when it can again resume normal operations.
“Exalta Health has a beautiful mission statement,” she said. “We want to reflect the spirit of Christ as we provide compassionate, accessible healthcare that promotes wellness for all. We treat the whole person too. We have doctors and dentists on staff and doctors and dentists who volunteer, but we also have a chaplain and social workers. I think we are seeing now more than ever how important a place like Exalta Health can be. Working with donors to make sure Exalta Health doesn’t just survive but thrives is something I am so eager to be part of.”
