Sharlene Scheler, RN
Wesley Nurse, First United Methodist Church
Smithville, Texas

When the Wesley Nurse Health Ministries™ team was tasked with the goal of enhancing programs and partnerships through collaboration with their respective health committee and community agencies, I set a personal goal of completing two projects before the end of the year. 

With only four months left in 2013, I had my work cut out for me!

The first project, a Diaper Drive, was an instant success with 4,123 diapers collected for the Food Pantry and My Baby & Me.

Coming off of that massive achievement, we were excited to start planning the second major collaborative project: a Back-to-School Bash to collect school supplies and clothes.

To get started, the health committee and I visited with the principal of Brown Primary School in Smithville, Texas. We were surprised to learn that the demand for school supplies in the area was low; many local agencies donated school supplies at the beginning of each school year. We were even more surprised to learn of the strong need for health services for families in the community – especially around back-to-school time. Shifting gears in the direction of health care, we visited a local pediatrician, Dr. Spears to get his input and his reaction was validating. His response was, “I have been here seven years and this has never been done. Count me in!”

I also met with two area dentists. Their response to the proposal matched Dr. Spears’s, “Let’s do it!”

After receiving so much support from Smithville practitioners, I visited with a number of community agencies, groups and businesses to include: the Student Health Advisory Committee; school nurse; the police department; the Sheriff’s office; Speak Freely (a local speech therapist and audiologist); St. Mark’s Clinic; Tejas Clinic; Smithville Safe Route to School; DSHS; and countless others.

Now that the key players were aligned and interest was drawn, the school principal and his team suggested the fair be scheduled in coordination with school registration, with a focus on pre-k through second grade.

After advertising the fair in the local paper, passing out flyers and speaking at local functions, we had a flood of calls from community members wanting to volunteer or hold some role in this inaugural event.

Dr. Spears educated attendees on the harms of soft drinks, dentists handed out free toothpaste and toothbrushes and conducted brief dental exams, and vision tests were provided by a nurse clinician – one child was identified to have a severe vision problem, which alone made the event worth it.

The Sheriff’s office provided parents with electronic finger prints and educational DVD’s. The Police department gave out coloring books and safety resources.

Great Clips gave 35 haircuts. School nurses administered required immunizations and Wesley Nurses provided education on medication safety.

The First United Methodist Church of Smithville brought their popcorn machine and two congregation members dressed as clowns and made balloon art. Blue Bell Ice Cream donated ice cream and MHM provided Frisbees.

The fair ran from 1:00 to 5:00pm. In the end, over 100 residents showed up. All resources, goods and services – donated au gratis – were free to attendees. The only item that had to be purchased was bags for the fair which Wesley Nurse Health Ministries™ gladly secured.  

I must admit, when I set my goal of hosting two community event before December 2013 I thought I may have been too ambitious. I wondered how everything would come together, and if the end result would translate into a success. I am happy to report a resounding response to the two events recently held in Smithville. I look forward to bigger and better community-wide events next year!

On July 6, 2013, my 15 year old granddaughter was on a plane at the San Francisco International Airport when the Asiana Airlines Boeing 787 crashed upon landing. Her flight to China was delayed two days as the airport and airlines dealt with the aftermath of the tragedy.

This event and many more since that time also made me reflect on how I cope with tragedy – personal and global.

The acronym SPOT is my coping mechanism:

• Sadness. I reflect upon my personal sadness and loss out of the event. I also try to reflect upon the sadness and loss felt by my neighbors near and far.
• Pray. I pray to God for comfort, healing, presence, awareness, justice, mercy and guidance for me and for all touched by the tragedy.
• Offer Hope. I remember that God offers me and all people the hope of a better tomorrow in the midst of the darkest of times. God will bring healing, love and abundance into life out of the tragedy that has occurred. God is a God who gives abundant life to all.
• Tell. God tells God’s story of justice, mercy and a humble walk with God to everyone and invites each of us to engage in that journey that the world might be filled with joy, love and abundant life for each person.

In using the acronym SPOT I am able to be engaged with being comforted and healed in the midst of tragedy and living toward a world that seeks to be engaged with God that tragedy will be no more. I invite you to accompany me on that same journey.

Blessings,
Rev. Mickey McCandless

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.