CHRISTUS Spohn Health System is our region’s largest. It includes hospitals in Corpus Christi, Alice, Beeville and Kingsville, family health centers, a Level II Trauma Center and a cancer and stroke center. It is home to residency programs and community outreach programs, and is a provider for self-insured employer groups. At the helm is Osbert Blow, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., who serves as CEO.
Dr. Blow is a trailblazer, someone who makes a tour-de-force accomplishment and immediately gets to work on the next. His compassion, dedication and stewardship set into motion juggernaut plans that transform our community now and for generations to come.
It’s particularly apt to say that he “serves” as CEO, because for Dr. Blow, his work is a calling and vocation.
“What drives me is taking on a challenge and helping people,” he said. “You have to do everything you can to improve the lives of those around us.”
He first joined the Health System in 2006, and the next year, led CHRISTUS Spohn Corpus Christi – Memorial/Shoreline to achieve its Level II Trauma Center designation, which Shoreline continues to hold today. It was just a preview of what was to come. Blow has navigated CHRISTUS Spohn through challenges—such as hurricanes and a historic freeze—and supernova successes, including the opening of a state-of-the-art hospital tower and the achievement of comprehensive stroke designation.
Inspiring as signature achievements such as these are, however, Blow remains focused on the advancement of care as a whole: “We are in the business of taking care of people. We can’t lose sight of that.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he felt an extra sense of kinship with Dr. Arthur Spohn, the Health System’s namesake and founder. “The only other physician to lead the Health System was Arthur Spohn,” said Blow. “He faced the flu pandemic 100 years ago, and we are facing COVID.”
His passion for helping has led him to engage with many organizations. He serves as president of the Corpus Christi chapter of the American Heart Association, vice chair of the Coastal Bend Regional Advisory Council and vice chair of the Coastal Bend Blood Center, and is a member of the Texas State Aquarium Board, American Heart Southwest Region Board and the United Chamber of Commerce.
Though Blow carries many titles, his favorites are “husband” and “father.” He and his wife, Dr. Nelly Garcia Blow, are a power couple and proud parents.
“Moving to Corpus Christi was the best decision I ever made.”
