Author: DW Admin

Each day in the United States, four children die as a direct result of child abuse.
 
Since 1977, Family Outreach Corpus Christi (FOCC), Inc. has offered hope to families in need by providing education, support and counseling in a safe environment based on the example of Christ.
 
Originally formed as a joint venture between Child Protective Services (CPS) and the Corpus Christi chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, FOCC’s goal was to prevent child abuse by offering services to parents voluntarily seeking help. The ultimate goal, though, was to strengthen these families with hopes of preventing them from entering the CPS system.
 

Now an independent 501(c)(3) and a charter member of Family Outreach of America, FOCC has expanded their services to provide play therapy, support groups and psycho-educational classes. All services are offered free to the families of Nueces County and the surrounding area.

“When the things that have happened to you become the things you are doing, there is a problem. I used to say I would roll over dead before I became ‘her’, but I caught myself in the middle of a whirlwind of anger hollering at my children about laundry.  I used to stare at myself in the mirror and ask ‘who am I?’  …thankfully, I found the answer—I’m not alone.  FOCC has given me so much.” – FOCC client

Through Community Grants, MHM is able to strengthen other organizations’ capacity to provide care, as well as improve health outcomes for those served. FOCC joined MHM’s family of partners in 2008.
 
To date, MHM has provided over $350,000 in funding to support FOCC.
 
To learn more about FOCC, visit http://www.familyoutreach-cc.org/.

Congratulations to our 2nd Quarter Excellence Rock Stars

These individuals were nominated by their peers, and selected by the MHM Board of Directors for their demonstration of the MHM core values, and for being pillars of excellence in all they do on behalf of MHM.

These winners will receive a desktop award and a certificate signed by MHM’s President & CEO and the Board’s Personnel Committee Chair; winners will also be featured on the organization’s website and social media networks.

All winners will also receive a certificate for leave of one-half day (4 hours) to be used at the choosing of the award winner, approved by the supervisor or manager. Finally, all Excellence Achiever of the Quarter winners will be eligible to win the annual MHM ‘Spirit of Excellence’ award to be presented at the December team member Christmas party.

Please join us in celebrating their achievement!

2nd Quarter Excellence Rock Stars:

• Regina Garcia, Executive Assistant (Administration)
• Teresa Alejandro, Family Wellness Programs Coordinator (Community Programs)
• Beverlee Williams, Wesley Nurse (Wesley Nurse Health Minsitries™)

Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes is the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) signature fundraising event. Founded in 1940, the ADA funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes.

In 2012, MHM joined forces with the ADA by forming the MHM Challengers, a team compiled of MHM employees, clients, friends and family members. What started as a small, but dedicated group grew into a troupe of 117 team members making the MHM Challengers the third largest corporate team followed only by much larger organizations such as Wal-Mart and Walgreens.

Through months of recruiting, educating and fundraising, the MHM Challengers were able to raise $3,320 to contribute to preventing and curing diabetes. This, paired with MHM’s matching promise and sponsorship, brought the total funds to $11,640!

There are nearly 26 million people who have diabetes. In San Antonio, our rate of incidence is double the national average. At MHM, we promote nutrition education, healthy eating and physical wellness year-round. MHM also supports legislative and advocacy initiatives that aim to increase state efforts at addressing the prevention of chronic illness such as diabetes and obesity.

Recent estimates project as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050. Now is the time to take action. The MHM Challengers will make their second consecutive appearance at Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Will you join us?

For more information, contact info@mhm.org.

MHM is proud to partner with organizations that share our mission and organizational objective of delivering healthcare and social services to the least served in the South Texas region. By strengthening other organizations’ capacity to provide services, we achieve our overarching goal of increasing access to care.

In the Coastal Bend area, MHM’s investment has been particularly significant. To date, MHM has invested $5.7 million in the region, which includes Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Karnes, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio and Wilson counties.  

Mission 911, a faith-based mission dedicated to empowering people in poverty in the Corpus Christi area, is among these partners. A funded partner since 2007, Mission 911 performs outreach to citizens struggling with poverty through providing shelter, meals, transportation, vocational training and a place to worship.

“No one has a uninterrupted flow of joy, peace and happiness in their life. We all have our peaks and valleys, our ups and downs. It is true the measure of a person is how he or she handles being in those valleys or handles a crisis in one’s life. The Greek word crisis means a turning point for good or bad (evil) and a time for making decisions or judgments; an opportunity for positive change.” explains Tony Reyes, Founder and Executive Director of Mission 911.

To learn more about Mission 911, visit www.ccmission911.org.

by Kevin C. Moriarty,
President & CEO

This year MHM has visited two communities within our service area to host regional meetings and to visit with our partners and stakeholders about MHM’s presence in South Texas, and to strengthen the relationships that allow us to collectively meet the needs of the least served. What we have learned from those regional meetings has been invaluable to our own strategic planning process, and reinforced what we hear time and again from our partners: The work each of you do in your communities is critical to helping the least served get access to care, and we must continue to work together to be successful.

Celebrations and Lessons Learned in McAllen

In February, I had the opportunity to visit our Rio Grande Valley team members and celebrate MHM’s Church Based Counseling Program’s 10-year anniversary with the Church Based Counseling Services (CBCS) team. The progress that program has made is evidence of how critical strategic planning plays in our ability to meet the needs of those we serve. The CBCS program was part of our strategic plan to improve health in the border area, and was launched in 2003. Our first program site was in Hidalgo County at a Wesley Nurse church site. We started with $180,000 which funded three counselors at six church sites in the Rio Grande Valley, and today the program’s operating budget is over $1 million and funds 11 counselors, who together serve over 17 churches across the Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend, and Laredo—and it is still an integral part of improving health along the Texas border.

We also hosted a round table discussion with our funded partners in the Rio Grande Valley, which gave us a unique insight into the challenges they face due to the large unfunded population they serve. The discussion we had during that meeting, and the needs they identified as priority for their community were echoed during a special breakfast we hosted with local UMC Pastors whom we have partnerships with through our Wesley Nurse and CBCS programs.

Rising to Meet Challenges in Del Rio

In May we visited Del Rio, where we had an opportunity to meet with staff and partners from rural communities such as Eagle Pass, Uvalde, Carrizo Springs, Cotulla, and Crystal City. As with each of these events, we invite funded partners, representatives from local hospitals, elected officials, and civic leaders, and the conversations are always illuminating. Similar to the Rio Grande Valley, the rural communities surrounding Del Rio struggle with balancing the tremendous need for healthcare among the uninsured, and sustaining their operations. The recent activity in Austin surrounding Medicaid expansion added a layer of uncertainty as the group discussed the challenges specific to their organizations. Our partner in Cotulla, South Texas Rural Health Services, described how their community in particular has been impacted by Eagle Ford Shale which reinforced my belief that we here at MHM have been successful in identifying the issues that have shaped our strategic planning process.

MHM will be hosting another regional meeting in Corpus Christi in June, which will coincide with the Rio Texas (formerly Southwest Texas Conference) Annual Conference.  While in Corpus, we will visit with Pastors representing the churches where our Wesley Nurse Health Ministries, Church Based Counseling Services, and Parents Helping Parents programs are hosted, and meet with funded partners and other stakeholders to listen and learn how we can continue those partnerships for the health and well-being of South Texas.

submitted by Anne Connor, CFRE
Director, Community Grants

In 2012, four of MHM’s funded partners exceeded the Healthy People 2020 goal for blood pressure reduction in hypertense patients. That means they were eight years ahead of the national curve!

The Healthy People goal (HDS-12) to be achieved by 2020 is that 43.7% of patients diagnosed with hypertension will get their blood pressure under control (below a hypertense level).

These four partners not only exceeded the Healthy People baseline, they did better than the goal for 2020. So what are they doing right?

• CommuniCare’s clinic in Hays County exceeded the Healthy People 2020 goal of 43.7%, with 51% of their patients achieving this goal. According to their Practice Manager, Robert Milks: “The main contributing factor for this success is the patients’ willingness to accept some responsibility. Patients have committed to regular visits and complied with their medication regime along with some health education provided by the nurses. We also provide educational materials in English and Spanish. We have also provided assistance with access to medications by utilizing prescription assistance programs.”
• Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program (MEHOP) far exceeded the goal of 43.7%, with an actual of 69%. MEHOP CEO Celeste Harrison reported, “Since we began the implementation of PCMH [Patient Centered Medical Home] concepts, we have care team members who follow up with these chronic patients who don’t show up for their visits. Most of our providers bring back these patients at 2 and 3 week intervals until we believe we have the best medicine incorporated into overall care goals, including self-management.”
• Mission of Mercy, a mobile clinic, also far exceeded the goal, with a 70% success rate. Their Executive Director, Leo Barrera, Jr., said: “Our results in lowering patients’ blood pressure to healthy levels is due to a combination of factors. These include patient compliance, patient education in regard to the importance of self-maintenance, our patients’ desire to improve their health, and the culture of our mobile clinics to improve health…. Our physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and volunteers continually provide education to patients to remind them of the importance of taking care of themselves and following the directions of health care providers. Key educational components are repeated regularly and providers and volunteers regularly provide moral support. These factors play an important role in creating an environment at our mobile clinic sites that promotes healthy living and improving the health of our community.”
• Atascosa Community Health Center’s Karnes County location also exceeded the goal, with a 62% success rate.

Congratulations to all our partners who are doing such a great job! They are truly making a difference by improving the health of those least served.