DW Admin – Page 6 – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Maverick County Broadband Committee Hosts Kickoff Event for Broadband Initiative & Study

DW Admin on March 14, 2022

Eagle Pass, Texas (March 14, 2022) The Maverick County Broadband Committee hosted a special kickoff event on Tuesday, March 8, to launch Connect Maverick, a community initiative focused on improving broadband access, adoption, and use throughout Maverick County. Members of the Committee shared information with local stakeholders and community residents about internet access in the county and explained how a broadband assessment facilitated by Connected Nation Texas will help.

Connected Nation’s Connected Community Engagement Program is being provided at no cost to Maverick County residents thanks to a $51,000 grant from Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

A livestream of the event is available on Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Facebook page for anyone to view:

https://www.facebook.com/mhmstx/videos/1316396555531083

The Maverick County Broadband Committee is comprised of Maverick County Judge David Saucedo; Eagle Pass Mayor, Rolando Salinas; Eagle Pass Maverick County Economic Development Alliance Executive Director, Judith Canales; Eagle Pass Economic Development Director, Arturo Marquez; Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas Director of Information Technology, Sonny Snyder; Eagle Pass ISD Chief Technology Officer, Jose Munoz Jr., Juan Garza from Sul Ross University Office of Information Technology; Oscar Galindo, Maverick County Ag Extension Agent; Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber; Eagle Pass Library Director, Cristina Olivas; Brenda Hoffman, AHEC Eagle Pass: Claudia Wright, SHAC Chairperson Eagle Pass ISD; Pastor Javier Leyva, Pastor FUMC Eagle Pass; Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.’s Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, Christine Yanas, Wesley Nurse, Juliet Martinez, and Wesley Nurse District Manager Patricia Villarreal.

A central key to the kickoff was the launch of the Maverick County Community Broadband Survey for county residents and organizations. The survey results will be critical to developing an assessment of local broadband availabilty and related needs.

Connect Maverick Community Champion, Judy Canales, Executive Director of the Eagle Pass Maverick County Economic Development Alliance said, “The survey is a great opportunity for Maverick County residents, businesses, and institutions to voice their opinions and to help build solutions for improved internet services to benefit the entire community.”

The survey will be accessible through April 30. The Maverick County Broadband Committee’s goal is to engage at least 1,630 households in the survey to ensure adequate representation from the community. Survey results will assist the committee in identifying the unique challenges and opportunities that exist for expanding high-speed internet in Maverick County so that every family, business, and community organization can access the critical resources needed to be connected. The Maverick County Broadband Committee will then work with CN Texas and Methodist Healthcare Ministries to develop recommendations to help close the Digital Divide within the community. To access and complete the short survey, visit: https://www.myconnectedcommunity.org/maverick-county

Methodist Healthcare Ministries is a faith-based, nonprofit organization focused on improving the health and wellness of the least served. In Maverick County, Methodist Healthcare Ministries offers free health and wellness services through its Wesley Nurse program, located at the Eagle Pass First United Methodist Church.

“Closing the digital divide in rural communities will play a critical role in our efforts to support resilient families and build thriving communities across South Texas,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. “The long-term impact of having strong access to broadband technology on the health, education and other social determinants of health for Maverick County residents makes this partnership a priority for our organization.”

Once the survey has been completed by the community, a Technology Action Plan will be developed for the county by leveraging Connected Nation’s Connected Community Engagement Program and will be shaped by the information provided by local stakeholders. For that reason, it’s important to include as much information as possible so that no area is left out of this plan.

The Connected Program has been used in nearly 650 communities across the country to develop county or regional Technology Action Plans that offer both short-term and long-term broadband solutions.

For more information or if you have questions, email info@connectednation.org or head to connectednation.org/texas.

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About Connected Nation Texas: CN Texas is the statewide subsidiary of the national nonprofit Connected Nation. Our mission is to improve lives by providing innovative solutions that expand access to and increase the adoption and use of broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies for all people. Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation.

Connected Nation works with consumers, local community leaders, states, technology providers, and foundations to develop and implement technology expansion programs with core competencies centered on a mission to improve digital inclusion for people and places previously underserved or overlooked. For more information, please visit: connectednation.org and follow Connected Nation on Facebook and Twitter.

About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.: Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. Guided by its mission of “Serving Humanity to Honor God,” Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ vision is to be the leader for improving wellness of the least served. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.

Inclement Weather Notice: Feb. 3, 2022

DW Admin on February 3, 2022

UPDATED February 3, 2022 at 4:00 pm (San Antonio, Texas): Due to inclement weather, all Methodist Healthcare Ministries operations will close at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 3.

All San Antonio clinic operations and programming will delay opening until 10:00 a.m on Friday, February 4 for uninterrupted service to our patients. The corporate office building will be closed but team members will continue operations virtually observing routine business operating hours. Operations outside of the San Antonio area will follow their local school districts to determine needed operational adjustments or closures. Community members are instructed to call their local Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ contact regarding guidance on programs and services via our social media channels and website.

We will continue to monitor the weather and road conditions. If road closures or conditions become unsafe for travel we will send additional guidance on operational adjustments. The safety of our patients, clients and team members is of utmost importance. Visit mhm.org for the latest updates.

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February 3, 2022 (San Antonio, Texas): Due to inclement weather, all Methodist Healthcare Ministries San Antonio area locations will open at 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 3, 2022. This includes: Wesley Health & Wellness Center; Dixon Health & Wellness Center; George Ricks School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary; George Ricks School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary, Wesley Nurse sites and our Corporate Office.

Clinic operations on Friday, February 4 will resume as normal, but we will monitor local weather for changes.

Operations outside of the San Antonio area will follow the guidelines of local school districts. Please call your local Methodist Healthcare Ministries contact for guidance on programs and services.

The safety of our patients, clients and team members is of utmost importance. Visit mhm.org for the latest updates.

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About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. Guided by its mission of “Serving Humanity to Honor God,” Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ vision is to be the leader for improving wellness of the least served. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.

Advancing Health Equity: Changing Health Outcomes

DW Admin on January 31, 2022

Sometimes, changing health outcomes begins with changing your perspective. Dr. Michael Lane, Board of Directors Chair for Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., remembers a story from several years ago where a team was treating a San Antonio resident who kept returning to the hospital for pneumonia. After the physician and the medical team dug deeper into their patient’s life, they found this woman, a senior citizen, lived in poor housing conditions filled with mold. Mold that was contributing to her frequent trips to the hospital.

Once social services intervened, she was able to improve her living conditions and stay out of the emergency room. This story helped change Dr. Lane’s perspective on healthcare. Rather than looking only at traditional healthcare and health behaviors for solutions to a person’s health, it’s critical to examine people’s social and environmental needs, and ultimately the vital conditions that contribute to an entire community’s health and well-being.

This perspective is important because clinical care and individual health behaviors make up only about 50 percent of the factors that can be altered to improve the length and quality of life of individuals within a community^[1]. This means that, even after receiving quality healthcare services through Methodist Healthcare Ministries or another provider and creating healthy habits, such as regularly exercising, there are other social, economic, and physical environmental factors that can negatively or positively impact the health of individuals and entire communities.
These different health factors also often interact with each other. If some factors are impaired, such as living conditions plagued with mold, then other factors, such as the ability to work and attend school, may also be negatively affected. This in-turn may affect family income from one generation to the next, and a chain of other outcomes for generations of families. Because of the many possible interactions among the various health factors, it’s important to not only address individual needs, patient-by-patient and family-by-family, but also be even more proactive by addressing needs from a higher, community-level approach to make a broader impact.
One broader approach is to address the vital community conditions and social determinants of health (SDOH). These can be thought of as the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health and quality-of-life^[2]. The emphasis is on looking at the economic, educational, healthcare, neighborhood, physical, social, and community conditions, place-by-place and community-by-community. When a community’s employment opportunities, water sources, transportation, and other systems adequately serve community members, this increases the entire community’s opportunity to thrive. Unfortunately, the reverse is also possible: If a neighboring community’s systems, infrastructure, processes, or policies do not create the necessary conditions for the community to thrive, the entire community’s health and well-being may suffer. This indicates inequities in health and well-being outcomes across places and groups of people. However, communities have the power to address the factors that contribute to these inequities and organizations like Methodist Healthcare Ministries can come alongside to support them.

“The focus has sharpened to more intentionally advance health equity. We are now working with our communities at a deeper level to focus on social determinants, or gaps that are necessary to overcome to help their communities to thrive.”

Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO | Methodist Healthcare Ministries

It is with a deeper understanding of the impact of the social determinants of health and community conditions that Methodist Healthcare Ministries is building upon its 25-year legacy of increasing access to care for the least served. Their new strategic direction is focused on a commitment to advancing health equity which begins with recognizing the inequities inherent in its communities that contribute to poor health outcomes. Health Equity is Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ framework of thought and action that strives to reduce racial and socio-economic disparities and create fair and just opportunities for every person to reach their full potential for health and life and contribute to that of others.

Building Upon our Strengths
Methodist Healthcare Ministries cannot rely on one approach alone to expand its positive impact across South Texas. It must build upon its legacy of high-quality care and services. Ensuring access to care, enhancing community conditions, partnering with communities, and addressing systemic inequities are all essential to advancing health and well-being across communities.
Dr. Lane added, “We have to get everybody to recognize that healthcare is a shared value. We should want everyone to be healthy. How do we get there? We have to collaborate, listen and work together with our communities.”
This has led Methodist Healthcare Ministries to embrace a transformational journey that will go beyond a primary emphasis on access to healthcare services. The shift requires a greater focus on trying to change the community conditions that contribute to disproportionate levels of trauma, sickness, and early death. This work includes identifying root causes and historical legacies that contribute to cycles of intergenerational poverty. Most importantly, it requires building upon the assets that already exist within communities and recognizing community members as the greatest assets among them.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ President & CEO, Jaime Wesolowski, said access to care has been and will always be a priority for Methodist Healthcare Ministries, but its new strategic direction will take it even further in serving the community.
“The focus has sharpened to more intentionally advance health equity. We are now working with our communities at a deeper level to focus on social determinants, or gaps that are necessary to overcome to help their communities to thrive,” Wesolowski added.
The new strategic direction will encompass three focus areas: Transforming Internal Processes and Culture, Strengthening Communities, and Impacting Systemic Changes. This provides Methodist Healthcare Ministries with a roadmap of where it wants to go and how it can get there, as it co-creates solutions with patients, clients, and community members.
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Learn more about what Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is doing on its transformative journey through the Advancing Health Equity blog series, which will appear on mhm.org. If you have any questions, please email us at info@mhm.org.

[1] As described by Healthy County Rankings model.
[2] Healthy People 2030 Definition—expands upon the MHM/WHO definition by adding “worship” to the list

DREAMWEEK: The Future of Health

DW Admin on January 25, 2022

January 25, 2022 (San Antonio, Texas): Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. was proud to host a virtual panel discussion on the future of health in San Antonio, hosted by DreamWeek / DreamVoice on Monday, January 24, 2022. The conversation with community leaders about the future of healthcare in San Antonio. Topics included moving from a downstream approach to addressing community conditions, how technology is changing the delivery of care and what is needed to ensure the digital divide does not hinder access to tele-health, and how the mindset, perspective and practice of current and future healthcare providers will be foundational to establishing a healthcare environment that is reflective of the diverse communities they serve.

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About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Inclement Weather Notice: Jan. 20, 2022

DW Admin on January 20, 2022

January 19, 2022 (San Antonio, Texas): Due to inclement weather, all Methodist Healthcare Ministries San Antonio area locations will close early at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2022. This includes: Wesley Health & Wellness Center; Dixon Health & Wellness Center; George Ricks School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary; George Ricks School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary, Wesley Nurse sites and our Corporate Office.

Patients who had existing appointments after 2 p.m. will be rescheduled.

Clinic operations on Friday, January 21 will resume virtually. Patients will be contacted with information regarding their telehealth appointment.

Operations outside of the San Antonio area will follow the guidelines of local school districts. Please call your local Methodist Healthcare Ministries contact for guidance on programs and services.

The safety of our patients, clients and team members is of utmost importance. Visit mhm.org for the latest updates.

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About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Holiday Closures

DW Admin on December 15, 2021

December 15, 2021 (San Antonio, Texas): All Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. offices and facilities will be closed on Thursday, December 23 and Friday, December 24. Operations will resume on Monday, December 27.

Our offices and facilities will also be closed on Friday, December 31. Operations will resume on Monday, January 3, 2022.

Have a safe Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Methodist Healthcare Ministries Provides Nearly 200 Ready-Made Thanksgiving Meals for Families this Holiday Season

DW Admin on November 29, 2021

SAN ANTONIO, November 24, 2021 – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. provided 192 low-income families with ready-made Thanksgiving meals by distributed by a drive-thru at the organization’s Wesley Health & Wellness Center on the South side of San Antonio. The food was distributed throughout the week from Monday, November 22 through Wednesday, November 25.

"At Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we are blessed beyond measure and honored to continue this annual tradition that brings so much joy to our patients, clients and team members,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. “During a year of such challenge and change, we are especially grateful to all our team and board members, partners, patients and clients whose remarkable resilience and sacrifices to give above and beyond themselves have strengthened thriving communities across South Texas.”

Recipients were selected based on need and identified by the organization’s medical, dental, behavioral health, parenting program and recreation & enrichment teams. Each was scheduled for a specific pick-up date & time. The food boxes contained a fully cooked, and deboned turkey, family-sized portions of mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn bread, rolls, a gallon of iced tea and pie for dessert, as well as re-heating instructions.

This year’s food distribution replaced the organization’s annual Thanksgiving Luncheon for the community, which was cancelled for the second year in a row in an effort to continue practicing social distancing and minimize the spread of COVID-19. The annual tradition began in 2009 and is a further testament to the organization’s commitment to providing a service and meeting a need for the community it serves.

Thanksgiving Holiday Closure

DW Admin on November 22, 2021

November 22, 2021 (San Antonio, Texas): All Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. offices and facilities will close at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 24 and remain closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26. Operations will resume on Monday, November 29.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries & EnrollSA Mark the Beginning of Open Enrollment for 2022

DW Admin on November 2, 2021

San Antonio, TX (November 2, 2021) – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. and EnrollSA hosted a press conference event at the Dixon Health & Wellness Center on Tuesday, November 2 to mark the opening of the ninth Open Enrollment period for health care coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act. The event featured remarks from Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Methodist Healthcare Ministries' President & CEO, Jaime Wesolowski, Centro Med's Vice President of Development, Ana Maria Garza Cortez, Bexar County Health Collabrorative Program Director Anel Treviño, and Mary Brosius. Brosius is an ACA Consumer and new Navigator who will help consumers enroll for health coverage in Bandera County. To view the press conference, please click here.

The Open Enrollment Period for 2022 health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) began on November 1 and will run through January 15. Participation in the ACA Marketplace continues to grow steadily. Enrollment into Marketplace in 2021 grew by 14.91 percent to 1,284,524, and after the Special Open Enrollment Period between February and August of this year, enrollment in Texas grew by 40 percent. Due to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), ACA plans are now much more affordable and insurance premiums during the Special Open Enrollment Period dropped 46 percent for consumers. Consumers now also have more choices than in previous years as four new health insurance carriers joined the Marketplace for a total of eight covering the San Antonio area.

EnrollSA announced that after three years of not having a federal Navigator grantee in San Antonio, there are now two organizations, CentroMed and The Health Collaborative, that were announced as grant recipients for the new enrollment cycle. This equals a $2.6 million investment in enrollment for the San Antonio area for staffing and marketing to enroll more community members. Navigators will also be able to work with providers who do not currently accept an ACA Marketplace plan to explore how they may be able to cover consumers moving forward.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities across Texas, it is more important than ever that San Antonio area residents know about the health coverage options available to them, including through the health insurance marketplace, CHIP and Medicaid. Financial assistance is still available and EnrollSA enrollment assisters & Navigators are available to provide free application assistance.

Nearly 74,000 individuals in the San Antonio area have come to count on the coverage they've purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Residents can sign up for a free in-person appointment by calling (210) 977-7997 or by visiting EnrollSA.com. Residents can also enroll on their own by visiting www.healthcare.gov or by calling (800) 381-2596.

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About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. Guided by its mission of "Serving Humanity to Honor God," Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ vision is to be the leader for improving wellness of the least served. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries Receives Groundbreaking Initial Trauma Informed Care Certification

DW Admin on August 25, 2021

San Antonio, TX (August 25, 2021) – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. – a private, faith-based not-for-profit dedicated to creating access to health care for low-income families and the uninsured – attained its Level 1 Trauma Informed Care Certification through the Ecumenical Center at a special event held Wednesday, August 25.

Reducing trauma and recognizing the influence of childhood trauma on adult violence and health status have been identified by the CDC as crucial strategies for improving the nation's health.

The Ecumenical Center is the certifying entity for the South Texas Trauma Informed Care Crisis Consortium and developed the certifying standards to ensure the highest level of adherence to trauma informed approaches in all interactions with the community. Three pilot organizations, including Methodist Healthcare Ministries, stepped up to help pilot the Level 1 Trauma Informed Certification process. Once the pilot is complete, the Ecumenical Center will begin certifying the 35 organizations on the waiting list to complete Trauma-Informed Care Certification. Methodist Healthcare Ministries was the first of the organizations in the pilot to complete the process and attain the Level 1 certification.

“Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been a longtime supporter of the South Texas Trauma Informed Care Consortium and are honored to be one of the first to sign up for the Level 1 Trauma Informed Care Certification through the Ecumenical Center,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. “By earning this certification, we are enhancing the relationships we build with the patients and clients we see in our own clinics and ultimately, improve their health outcomes, as well as supporting the efforts and well-being of our own team members through a more trauma-informed workplace.”

“As the Trauma Informed Care certifying body in Bexar County, The Ecumenical Center would like to congratulate Methodist Healthcare Ministries on becoming the first San Antonio area organization to receive Level 1 Trauma Informed Certification,” said Mary Beth Fisk, Executive Director/CEO of the Ecumenical Center. Their commitment to training their staff and developing processes utilizing a trauma-informed care approach will enable people who have experienced trauma to feel safe, confident and valued while interacting with their organization. We encourage others – including nonprofits, schools, and businesses across our community- to consider exploring Trauma Informed Certification for their own organizations.”

Trauma Informed Care practices can improve client, patient, and employee relationships, and help organizations avoid retraumatizing of those who have experienced trauma in the past.

Any organization or business, not just those in the health care industry, can become TIC-certified.

For more details on this initiative, please visit the Ecumenical Center’s page at: https://www.ecrh.org/trauma-informed-organizations/ or call (210) 616-0885.

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About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. Guided by its mission of "Serving Humanity to Honor God," Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ vision is to be the leader for improving wellness of the least served. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.

About the Ecumenical Center

In 1967, The Ecumenical Center was founded by a coalition of religious leaders, from all major denominations, to provide counseling, education and mental health and wellness services to the under-served in San Antonio, Texas. Now, 54 years later, The Center provides evidence-based counseling at 37 locations in South and Central, Texas. In 2020, The Center provided direct and indirect services to 26,000 people (13,000 of them children) with 99% of the client’s needing fee assistance. The Center provides the latest evidence-based counseling services provided by licensed clinicians and certified peer support specialists. Services include: EMDR; Children’s Play/Art Therapy; Individual; Family; Adolescent; Geriatric; Couple’s Marital/Relationship and Substance Abuse counseling. Group Education is offered through Parenting Classes and CEUs for licensed clinicians. Support groups are offered for Bereavement, Addiction Recovery and Suicide losses. Therapy using The Expressive Therapeutic Arts (Art, Music, Neurologic Music, Writing, Therapeutic Rhythms), as well as, Psychological Testing and Neurofeedback services are offered. The Center for Trauma Informed Care Certification and The Center for Young Minds are programs of The Ecumenical Center.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries Announces $550,000 grant award to San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative

DW Admin on July 22, 2021

San Antonio, TX (July 22, 2021) – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. – a private, faith-based not-for-profit dedicated to creating access to health care for low-income families and the uninsured – announced a $558,345 grant award to the San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative (MMWC) at a special event on Thursday, July 22 at the Sosa Engagement Center in the Harlandale Independent School District. The funding will help the MMWC further expand its services into more school districts and reach more students in need of critical mental health resources.

The MMWC, comprised of six local nonprofits, provides a holistic approach to mental wellness care of children and their support systems. The need for youth mental health services is particularly acute in Bexar County where approximately 130,000 children have behavioral health needs and over 10,000 children ages 12 to 17 have a substance use disorder (Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, 2019). Schools appear to be well positioned to play a key role in addressing childhood mental health concerns; however, school districts in lower income areas, where student behavioral health needs are greatest, cannot afford to provide this type of support.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ funding will support the MMWC by creating a ‘backbone’ for the collaborative and support its continued growth. In addition to the $4.75 million in funding by Bexar County, the MMWC has secured funding from the City of San Antonio and other foundations, making this a co-investing initiative. The funding provided by Methodist Healthcare Ministries will enable the MMWC to hire dedicated staff for the backbone, ensuring the collaborative has the support it needs to continue to deliver services to community members in need.

“The challenge of addressing the need for increased mental health services for the youth in our community is not one that can be solved alone, but rather takes a collective group working together to have a positive impact,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. “Through this funding and partnership, we are proud to stand alongside the San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative and its partner agencies to further their efforts to increase access to critical mental health resources that can help students and resilient families thrive together.”

Methodist Healthcare Ministries has previously provided funding for each organization in the collaborative: Jewish Family Service of San Antonio (JFS), Clarity Child Guidance Center, Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas, Communities in Schools of San Antonio, Family Service Association, and Rise Recovery. Methodist Healthcare Ministries will also work with MMWC to develop a telehealth mental wellness counseling program. The telehealth component will be an essential part of Methodist Healthcare Ministries ongoing work with the Connecting Beyond the Classroom initiative in Edgewood I.S.D., as well as expanding the collaborative into rural counties that have not had access to mental health services before.

Talli Dolge, CEO of Jewish Family Services of San Antonio, added “Because of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' mission to provide quality healthcare to those who are underserved in our community, all of our organizations are able to continue our own missions, whether that is providing mental health counseling, wrap around family services, healing for grieving families, substance use recovery support, children's psychiatry or student support. Thanks to Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we are now able to bring our missions together to create an opportunity to expand mental healthcare in areas of San Antonio that didn't have enough resources before.”

Through the collaborative, the six organizations offer free services, including counseling for individuals or groups on issues such as anxiety, trauma, grief, anger management, substance abuse, and so much more. The collaborative also provides crisis intervention, parent education, psychological assessment, as well as teacher and administrator consulting and training.

In the upcoming school year, the MMWC will serve five school districts (South San I.S.D., Harlandale I.S.D., Edgewood I.S.D., Southwest I.S.D. and Somerset I.S.D.), supporting over 41,000 students, as well as their families, teachers and administrators.

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About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. Guided by its mission of "Serving Humanity to Honor God," Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ vision is to be the leader for improving wellness of the least served. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.

About the San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative

The San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative was founded in 2019 by six nonprofits wanting to provide a holistic approach to mental wellness by breaking barriers and bringing services right into the schools. The group currently serves three school districts (South San, Edgewood and Harlandale ISDs) by offering individual and group counseling, psychiatry, education, and more to students, parents, teachers and administrators. Organizations in the Collaborative include Jewish Family Service of San Antonio, Family Service Association, Clarity Child Guidance Council, Rise Recovery, Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas and Communities in School of San Antonio.

Statement on Juneteenth Becoming a Federal Holiday

DW Admin on June 19, 2021

This week, President Joseph Biden signed legislation that establishes June 19, Juneteenth, as a federal holiday. The day commemorates June 19, 1865, the day word of their emancipation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln and months after the formal conclusion of the Civil War. Even though freedom had been achieved by law first through the Emancipation Proclamation and later with the passage of the 13^th Amendment in January 1865, in practice, many African Americans continued to fight the oppressive hand of slavery and racism to that point. More than 150 years have passed since those consequential events and yet the effects of systemic racism and the push for equality and equity continues to this day.

We at Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. applaud the bipartisan actions taken by the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and President Biden to make this commemoration a reality. This commemoration aligns with our work as an organization guided by a mission of "Serving Humanity to Honor God.”

We believe that to improve the wellness of the least served and fully live out our mission we must recognize the inequities inherent in our communities that contribute to poor health outcomes. Inequities revolving around maternal and infant health, chronic stress, trauma, education, food security, safe housing and financial wealth have resulted in vast differences in life expectancy and quality of life for people living in the 74 counties we serve.

The disenfranchisement of people of color in our community through policies and practices contributing to systemic racial oppression denies individuals the opportunity to reach their full potential for health and life, and does harm to all families, preventing every community from thriving.

This Juneteenth, we will celebrate the progress achieved and, in keeping with our Methodist faith, we will continue to honor the gifts that every racial group and culture bring to our total life. We reaffirm our commitment to lead and to stand with our partners, patients, clients, and community in rejecting all expressions of racism and policies and practices that erode inclusion and diminish health equity for all.