Grant-making – Page 3 – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

The BUILD Health Challenge

DW Admin on December 3, 2019

Maybe it all started with a love of Legos? Or maybe it was Lincoln Logs? Or creating an indoor tent and pillow fort with every clean sheet and pillowcase I could find in my house (sorry Mom!)? In short, the inclination to build things starts in childhood. As adults, we start building in other ways. Beyond construction, we develop systemic plans, and we see opportunities to build and work with intention to expand or increase something – make something bolder. Building something bolder–a perfect way to describe Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ new venture with the BUILD Health Challenge.

Launched in 2015, the BUILD Health Challenge is a visionary funding collaborative designed to support local community partnerships. Its goal is to improve the overall health of local residents experiencing significant obstacles to health and health disparities. BUILD is underwritten by several national funders such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation with investments by a select group of regional funders throughout the United States. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is one of those co-investors, bringing the BUILD Health Challenge to South Texas.

BUILD is an acronym for Bold, Upstream, Integrated,Local, and Data-Driven. BUILD focuses on the upstream factors – social, environmental, and economic – also known as the social determinants of health that have the greatest influences on the health of a community. The beauty of BUILD is its boldness; it’s a fundamental shift beyond short-term programmatic work to longer-term systems change such as creating policy that makes a community healthier. Imagine going from building one Lego house to creating an integrated Lego community of nonprofits, hospitals, local mental health authorities, schools, churches, community centers, businesses, and on and on. This is where the challenge portion of BUILD comes into play: how do you address upstream challenges and drive sustainable improvements in community health?

Earlier this year, the BUILD team released a call for applications seeking imaginative and resourceful collaboratives who could design a strategy that adhered to the BUILD principles (bold, upstream, integrated, local, and data-driven), offer novel approaches to improving population health, and work with a health equity lens in all aspects of the project.

[To read more about health equity, please see Tim Barr’s blog “An Introduction to Health Equity” here: : https://news.mhm.org/an-introduction-to-health-equity—part-1/]

After a rigorous two-stage application process, the Hope for Health Collaborative in Kerrville, Texas, was selected as the BUILD grantee for Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ service region. Over the next 2 ½ years (the grant project period) New Hope Counseling Center is leading a collaborative to revitalize the Doyle Community, an historically isolated and segregated African-American and Hispanic neighborhood in Kerrville. Beginning with local policy changes, the Hope for Health Collaborative project is about reconciliation and repairing a century of structural racism. The collaborative plans to address the revitalization of this forgotten neighborhood with a focus on social connection, navigation and resident participation to address their individual and community resources and healthcare needs. This is groundbreaking work that will have population health impact for a community.

As part of a U.S. cohort of designated BUILD projects, New Hope will be on the national stage to share their BUILD story. As a co-investor, Methodist Healthcare Ministries is excited to stand beside some of the country’s most influential foundations to help shape a national conversation about the importance of collaborative funding and what we can build together to improve the health of communities.

To read more about the BUILD Health Challenge, visit www.buildhealthchallenge.org.

The BUILD Health Challenge Announces 18 New, Cross-Sector Partnerships

DW Admin on November 19, 2019

San Antonio (Nov. 19, 2019)–Today, the BUILD Health Challenge^®welcomed its Third Cohort of awardees — including 18 new communities throughout the U.S. — that will receive a total of $8 million in funding and resources to transform health at the local level over the next two years. The Hope for Health Collaborative out of Kerrville, TX is among those 18 communities, representing the first BUILD Health Challenge community in the Texas Hill Country.

Launched in 2015, the BUILD Health Challenge addresses the intersectional factors that impact health and well-being at the community level. BUILD recognizes that direct medical care, while critical, is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to lifting up the standards of living for people in the U.S. and works across sectors with local community organizations to affect positive, sustainable improvements to community health.

“Expenditures in health account for nearly 18 percent of the American economy, and yet as a nation we still struggle with creating conditions that allow for everyone to have the opportunity to reach their greatest health potential,” said Emily Yu, Executive Director of the BUILD Health Challenge. “Changing this narrative means two things: approaching health as a holistic issue that involves social, economic and physical variables; and supporting those who know best how to care for their communities by supporting their work with the tools to drive change.”

“Methodist Healthcare Ministries is proud to support The BUILD Health Challenge and bring much needed attention and investment to Central Texas,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. “We congratulate the Hope for Health Collaborative and all the contributing partners in Kerrville for creating a strong program that helps the community thrive and strengthens families in the Doyle neighborhood of Kerrville and across the Texas Hill Country.”

The Hope For Health Collaborative was formed by New Hope Counseling Center, Peterson Health, the Texas Department of State Health Services-Region 8, Barnett Chapel and Glory Community Garden, Light on the Hill at Mt. Wesley, the City of Kerrville and The Doyle School Community Center in a joint application for the BUILD Health challenge. These organizations, as well as many others, committed to work together to address the revitalization of the Doyle neighborhood of Kerrville, with a focus on social connection, navigation and resident participation to address their individual and community resources and healthcare needs.

“The Hope for Health Collaborative is very proud to bring home this award for our Kerrville community!” Brenda Fudge, executive director of New Hope shares, “Blessed with abundant resources and the willingness of many to share their gifts and talents, this BUILD Health Challenge award is a wonderful opportunity to all work together, creating and laying the groundwork for sustainable improvements that will translate into overall well-being for the residents of the Doyle neighborhood.”

The BUILD Health Challenge is excited to fund dynamic collaboratives that are addressing critical issues such as food security, maternal and child health, transportation planning, and housing through a health equity lens. The $8 million in awards and resources will support community-driven partnerships in each of the 18 new communities aimed at addressing these issues. In addition, each collaborative includes a local hospital partner that is also contributing monetary and/or in-kind support to the project, collectively adding more than $5 million to the overall award total.

“Since our first cohort started four years ago, we’ve seen positive health outcomes in communities across the country through the collaboration of local organizations, residents and community leaders,” said Yu. “Now more than ever we are seeing that the future of health lies in supporting local collaborations that include cross-sector and community driven involvement. Together, these partners are rewriting the playbook for better health and finding new and sustainable ways to tackle our country’s most pressing health issues.”

The first two cohorts of BUILD Health Challenge, launched in 2015 and 2017, included 37 unique community partnerships across 24 states. To date, the awardees’ efforts have yielded promising policy changes and community health solutions such updating regulations that prevent people from having to live in substandard housing that jeopardizes their health; leveraging data to identify hidden health trends in neighborhoods; and reimagining food supply and distribution channels in communities to address food insecurity. The BUILD Health Challenge is proud to welcome 18 communities to our ever-growing network of health disruptors and champions.

The projects and communities selected are:

· Advancing Community Partnerships to Increase Food Access in Southern Dallas – Food distribution[Dallas, TX]

· BUILD Fourth Plain – Healthy housing[Vancouver, WA]

· BUILD Sherman Park – Healthy housing and safe communities[Milwaukee, WI]

· Caring About Reno’s Elderly (CARE) – Geriatric and elderly care[Reno, NV]

· Collaborative Cottage Grove – Healthy housing[Greensboro, NC]

· Crecer La Confianza, Crecer La Salud – Children’s health[Greenville, SC]

· Empowering a Self-Healing Community: Safety, Self-sufficiency and Well-being in North Omaha – Community revitalization[Omaha, NE]

· Healthy Babies, Empowered Moms, Flourishing Families – Maternal and child health[Sunflower County, MS]

· Health Havenscourt Collaborative – Healthy housing[Oakland, CA]

· Healthy Highland – Community revitalization[Gastonia, NC]

· Healthy Together Medical-Legal Partnership to Improve Health in DC by Enhancing Community Resilience – Children’s health[Washington, DC]

· Marion County CHFE (Creating Health Food Environments) Project – Food justice[Marion County, SC]

· Maternal and Child Health at Columbia Parc – Maternal and child health[New Orleans, LA]

· Maternal Upstream Management (MUM) – Maternal and child health[Houston, TX]

· New Brunswick Healthy Housing Collaborative – Healthy housing[New Brunswick, NJ]

· Roots to Prevention – Food justice[Camden, NJ]

· Strong Immigrant Communities Through Collective Action for Housing Affordability and Ownership – Community revitalization[Vallejo, CA]

· The Hope for Health Collaborative – Community revitalization[Kerrville, TX]

Partnerships in Oakland, Greensboro, Washington, and New Brunswick, return for the Third Cohort building on momentum from a past award they received from the BUILD Health Challenge.

The BUILD Health Challenge is also honored to have leading grantmaking organizations partnering in this effort. This collaboration blends national perspective with issue-specific and regional expertise, and aims to inspire similar teamwork among organizations at the local level that will help to uncover tomorrow’s best practices for community health. The Third Cohort is made possible with support from the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, de Beaumont Foundation, Episcopal Health Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., New Jersey Health Initiatives, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Learn more about the BUILD Health Challenge communities at https://buildhealthchallenge.org/.

###

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 Build Health Challenge

The BUILD Health Challenge® is a national award that strengthens partnerships between local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments to drive sustainable improvements in community health. Created by the de Beaumont Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2015, it has grown to now also include support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation; BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation; Blue Shield of California; Communities Foundation of Texas; Episcopal Health Foundation; Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.; New Jersey Health Initiatives; and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries donates $500,000 to American Cancer Society HPV Initiative, “Mission: HPV Cancer Free Texas”

DW Admin on August 12, 2019

San Antonio, Texas, August 12, 2019– – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. announced a second round of funding for the American Cancer Society’s campaign, “Mission: HPV Cancer Free Texas,” formally “Cancer Prevention: It's worth a shot.” Methodist Healthcare Ministries will donate $500,000 to the American Cancer Society (ACS) for a second comprehensive, two-year cancer prevention initiative focused on increasing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations among medically underserved children in South Texas. Specifically, this gift will target communities served by local and regional Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) by improving systematic clinical practices and providing HPV vaccination education for parents and families.

"This campaign by the American Cancer Society to promote HPV prevention aligns perfectly with our vision which calls us to be a leader for improving the wellness of the least served," stated Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. “Through this effort, we can improve HPV vaccination rates and save lives, minimize the risk of future infection and protect thousands from a disease that is linked to 33,000 cancer diagnoses each year.”

As part of this effort, the American Cancer Society will partner with six Federally Qualified Health Centers (Amistad Community Health Center, Atascosa Health Center, CentroMed, CommuniCare, Gateway Community Health Center, Inc.and Community Action Corporation of South Texas). Methodist Healthcare Ministries has a long-standing relationship with most of these FQHC partners. In 2017, Methodist Healthcare Ministries funded the first round of ACS’s “Cancer Prevention: It's worth a shot,” now named “Mission: HPV Cancer Free Texas,” with a $500,000 giftthat enabled ACS to partner with three FQHC partners in the initial phase of the campaign.

The HPV vaccine has been proven safe and effective in protecting children from six different types of cancer later in life, including cervical and throat cancers. Currently, the vaccination rate in Texas is woefully low as the state ranks 44^thout of 50 states for HPV vaccine rates among children ages 13-17, with only 39 percent of kids receiving the vaccine. Approximately 3,070 Texans are diagnosed each year with a cancer caused by HPV. Although preventive care like vaccinations is covered by Medicaid and many private insurance plans, thousands of children, especially in clinics that serve those in greatest need, go without vaccinations that could protect them.

“We are excited to continue this vital partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries to raise HPV vaccination rates in South Texas and help prevent 6 types of cancer,” said Lindsay Maggio McElwee, Executive Director for the American Cancer Society. “Together, we are building a movement and working towards the first generation free from HPV-related cancers. With this generous gift from Methodist Healthcare Ministries we could have the chance to make not just one, but multiple cancers history and save countless lives in our community.”

This second round of the campaign builds on the best practices and assessments from the initial phase. The American Cancer Society works with each FQHC to build a customized program that will include provider education, patient outreach, education, and follow-up, as well as other quality improvement efforts. Each FQHC partner will receive capacity building funding to support their comprehensive program. The project aims to identify and employ approaches to increase provider recommendation and vaccination coverage levels that will be sustained beyond this additional funding period.

###

About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

About American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of nearly 2 million volunteers dedicated to saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer. From breakthrough research, free lodging near treatment, a 24/7 live cancer helpline, to free rides for patients, and convening powerful activists to create awareness and impact, the American Cancer Society is the only organization attacking cancer from every angle. For more information about cancer and/or other ways you may become involved, call the American Cancer Society’s 24-hour helpline at (800) 227-2345 or visitwww.cancer.org.

New Funding Opportunity for South Texas Nonprofits

DW Admin on February 27, 2019

San Antonio (Feb. 27, 2019)–Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is proud to support the third cohort of the BUILD Health Challenge which opened its Call for Applications Wednesday, Feb. 27. The challenge represents an opportunity for nonprofit organizations across South Texas to apply for up to $250,000 in funding over the next two and a half years and gain access and exposure to a national network of funders and experts.

With a focus on strengthening partnerships between community-based organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments, the BUILD Health Challenge is seeking innovative collaboratives who are working together to address upstream challenges and drive sustainable improvements in community health.

The BUILD Health Initiative is supported by multiple national funders, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and de Beaumant Foundation. This year, Methodist Healthcare Ministries is joining the BUILD Health Challenge as a regional investor, bringing this opportunity to South Texas for the first time.

In addition to funding, awards include a robust array of coaching and support services; specialized trainings and capacity building opportunities; participation in a national network of peers engaged in similar work; and the opportunity to spotlight their local work on a national level.

Applications are due April 5, 2019. To learn more about this opportunity—eligibility requirements and how to apply—visit: www.buildhealthchallenge.organd download the 2019 Call for Applications. The Call for Applications includes key dates, including informational webinars for prospective applicants.

The third cohort of the BUILD Health Challenge is made possible with generous support from: the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, de Beaumont Foundation, Episcopal Health Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

###

About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

About The Build Health Challenge

The BUILD Health Challenge® is a national awards that strengthens partnerships between local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments to drive sustainable improvements in community health. Created by the de Beaumont Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2015, it has grown to now also include support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation; BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation; Blue Shield of California; Communities Foundation of Texas; Episcopal Health Foundation; Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.; New Jersey Health Initiatives; and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Coffee with Cassandra: Increasing access to care through grant-making

DW Admin on May 18, 2018

Before you start your workday, enjoy your morning coffee with brew from Methodist Healthcare Ministries. This is your daily dose of stories that speak to the heart of our organization, paired with your favorite cup of joe!

At Methodist Healthcare Ministries, one of the ways we fulfill our mission — “Serving Humanity to Honor God” — is through strategic grant-making. In order to increase access to affordable health care for the least served, we fund organizations who share similar missions across our 74-county service area. Our goal through grant-making is to create measurable impact at the community and regional levels.

For this edition of Coffee with Cassandra, I had the opportunity to talk with Jane Hevezi a senior program officer in our Community Grants department. Jane works with a portfolio of our funded partners to guide them through their grants. She describes how our grant-making structure focuses on building a firm relationship with our Funded Partners to make a difference in South Texas communities.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries awards $26.7M in health care grants to more than 90 grantees across South Texas

DW Admin on April 27, 2018

Methodist Healthcare Ministries has awarded $26.7 million in community grants to 93 agencies to assist the health care needs of hundreds of thousands of Texans throughout its 74-county service area. View 2018 funded partners.

Given annually, these grants are rooted in partnerships that support access to care, integrated delivery systems and patient-centered models. In partnership with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), safety-net clinics, counseling services and regional community projects, Methodist Healthcare Ministries' goal is to create measurable impact at the community and regional levels to further establish health care networks. Awards are based on five core areas of giving: Primary & Preventive Care, Dental Services, Regionalization & Community Engagement, Social Services & Behavioral Health and Health Care Professional Shortages.

Funding is allocated to approximately 131 grant programs to deepen collaborative efforts, incentivize quality health outcomes, leverage and strengthen health care delivery systems and promote sustainable systems change.

The single largest area of giving this year is to Primary & Preventive Care, with more than $12 million awarded to support programs designed to promote health, wellness and primary medical care services. Funding to Social Services & Behavioral Health is the second largest area with awards totaling $7.7 million to support integrated health care programs.

San Antonio-based FQHC, CentroMed, will receive $2 million for primary and preventive care services in Bexar County. The intent is twofold. First, to promote patient health improvement in a panel of underserved patients with two or more co-morbidities including diabetes (prevention/ management), hypertension, obesity management and prevention, and depression. Second, to strengthen the safety net for homeless patients at the Haven for Hope campus by providing needed services to patients and increasing care coordination among service providers.

“It is truly a blessing to be able to continue in this important partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries,” said CentroMed President & CEO, Dr. Ernesto Gomez. “The funding support and technical assistance Methodist Healthcare Ministries has provided over the years has enabled us to acquire expanded capacity to provide much needed health care to the many families struggling with pervasive poverty, homelessness, and a lack of health insurance. Together, we are able to provide critical health care for the least served among us.”

Methodist Healthcare Ministries provides funding and/or works in partnership with 17 of the 22 FQHCs located in its service area utilizing a value-based funding model. "Our FQHC partners play a vital role in our mission of serving the underserved,” said Ricks.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries seeks partnerships that align with its mission and services and support its objectives. Methodist Healthcare Ministries' board of directors oversees the selection of funded partners and requests are considered on an annual basis by invitation only; unsolicited proposals are not accepted.

Since inception, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has invested more than $281 million in grant-making to improve community health care in its 74-county service area – which makes up 29 percent of Texas counties.

In addition to grant-making, Methodist Healthcare Ministries seeks to increase access to health care through advocacy and direct services. Methodist Healthcare Ministries operates two San Antonio-based primary health care clinics: Wesley Health & Wellness Center and Dixon Health & Wellness Center, and two School Based Health Centers: School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary and School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary. The clinics address the needs of low-income families and the uninsured by providing services at no cost or on a sliding fee scale. The health care services Methodist Healthcare Ministries provides are a cornerstone of its charitable purpose of creating access to care. In 2018, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has a budgeted expenditure of more than $112 million for nearly 950,000 patient and client visits.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries' mission also includes its one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System – the largest healthcare system in South Texas. This creates a unique avenue to ensure the Methodist Healthcare System continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all, and revenue to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its programs and services.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries Provides Philanthropic Leadership in Value-Based Funding

DW Admin on March 22, 2018

Change is coming!

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) will soon be subject by law to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). This means that part of their funding will be at risk, based on whether their patients get healthier. This is known as value-based funding. Payment reform makes sense – our health care system should encourage providers to do what it takes to get patients healthy, even if that’s not business as usual. MIPS is a huge change for FQHCs, who are used to being paid for the provision of services, not for patient health outcomes.

Many funders are starting to look at readiness for payment reform (MIPS), trying to figure out how to help their grantees adapt to the change. Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ approach to helping its grantees, or ‘funded partners,’ is different. Rather than training funded partners, the organization is using experiential learning. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is the first grant funder in the nation to engage in value-based grant funding in health care. While managed care organizations are trying it, and some state Medicaid agencies have utilized the value-based funding model, foundations and other grant funders are not. This makes Methodist Healthcare Ministries a trailblazer in the philanthropic sector.

Prior to 2017, Methodist Healthcare Ministries used a service-based grant model for all its grants. However, it shifted its funding for FQHC partners to value-based grants to “improve the health of those least served,” and not just “count the heads of those least served.” With this grant structure, the organization pays for what it really wants: healthier patients. If patients hit a targeted level of health improvement for a co-morbidity, FQHCs receive an additional amount of money for each co-morbidity. The funding is completely flexible; FQHCs can spend the grant however they want, to help patients get healthier.

Early results

The change to a value-based funding model allows Methodist Healthcare Ministries to receive patient-level data for deep analysis of strategies that are effectively improving patient health outcomes. So far, the results have been very positive both in terms of being a catalyst for innovative changes in the participating FQHC’s delivery of care – thanks in large part to the flexibility in the use of funds, and patient health outcomes. Some have developed completely new programs, with patient commitment forms, and practice changes, including nutrition and exercise support services, and “higher touch” models such as case management and home visits, with frequent patient outreach. Gateway Community Health Center in Laredo, for example, created the “Lado a Lado” model incorporating several of these elements, which has greatly increased patient compliance and has excelled in diabetes management. Before we offered the flexible funding, Gateway’s spending on their Methodist Healthcare Ministries grant was focused on routine clinic-based care.

More importantly, patients have gotten healthier. Four core metrics were established as part of the new funding strategy in 2017, related to co-morbidities in the patient panel: 1) HbA1c control for diabetics; 2) blood pressure control for hypertense patients; 3) PHQ9 symptom reduction for depressed patients, and 4) BMI reduction. Except for BMI reduction, which was too challenging for a one-year period, most of the health centers did very well on the outcomes; 86 percent of the patients receiving care through this funding showed improvement on at least one of these co-morbidities.

Learning through doing

According to the funded partners participating in the program, it has been a tremendous source of learning. “We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” one funded partner said recently. “It’s all about the details, and you only learn those lessons through experience.”

Until one partner had to start reporting, they had no idea it would take their physicians seven hours a week to pull the data needed for MIPS. They were able to modify their Electronic Medical Record (EMR) templates and reporting system to make it faster and more efficient. That will have benefits far beyond the Methodist Healthcare Ministries grant.

As Albert Einstein said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” We at Methodist Healthcare Ministries learned alongside our funded partners in exploring this new payment structure – lessons that may benefit other funders exploring value-based funding:

It’s important to gain consensus on the metrics to be used and the amounts in the payment structure. Methodist Healthcare Ministries went through an iterative process with the FQHCs to select metrics they were willing to try and worked closely with the accounting department to develop and refine the payment structure.
It’s important to use nationally benchmarked metrics such as those with a Medicaid average, metrics aligned to MIPS, or Healthy People 2020. That means the bar is set in a realistic place and the FQHCs are likely to be tracking those things already. The funder has a responsibility to set metrics realistically, as setting the bar too high can cost the FQHCs money in this type of payment structure.
It’s likely that some patients selected for the panel will leave the FQHC during the year. Low-income, uninsured populations tend to be more transitory; they could move, get a job with health insurance, change phone numbers, or lose their transportation. Methodist Healthcare Ministries adjusted its terms with funded partners so that if those type of changes occurred in the first half of the year, the FQHCs could replace those patients, within limits (to ensure there was enough time for the newly added patients to get healthier).
The FQHCs needed more help than anticipated with pulling data from their EMRs. Funders investing in this model should be prepared to provide technical assistance with data management. In 2018, Methodist Healthcare Ministries will fund a software project to make it easier for the FQHCs to pull report data from their systems.
It is important to define everything. Small differences of meaning or interpretation could affect how much money an FQHC receives. It’s important to be clear upfront about what qualifies for an incentive payment, when an FQHC will receive disbursements, what patients are eligible for panels, and which diagnosis codes qualify for each co-morbidity.
FQHCs need flexibility on co-payment rules. At the onset of this new funding structure, Methodist Healthcare Ministries required a co-payment waiver from participating partners. This was a problem for some FQHCs, as they found that “neighbors talk to neighbors,” and some patients that were not in the panel were distressed that those who were in the panel didn’t have to pay. For 2018, the requirement to implement a co-payment waiver was removed, allowing FQHCs to charge a co-pay, but the fee is capped at $20. Interestingly, many of the FQHCs have chosen to keep the waiver because they found it improves patient compliance. Patients are more willing to come to follow-up visits if they don’t have to pay additionally.
Remember that we’re all learning. We at Methodist Healthcare Ministries openly acknowledged that we were learning alongside the participating FQHCs. Listening was very important. We admitted mistakes and made any course corrections we could. For example, we changed the PHQ9 metric to a tiered structure, which allowed a more modest change for mildly depressed patients. We had expected that, on average, most patients would come in at higher levels of depression, but that wasn’t true at some of the FQHCs.

What’s next for the Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ value-based funding model?

In 2018, prevention metrics were added to supplement the disease-management and obesity metrics collected from funded partners. We have also changed the metrics to be aligned with national benchmarks and MIPS metrics, which we believe will make them more realistic and attainable. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is also commissioning a software company to build a cloud-based reporting system that will make it easier and faster for the FQHCs to report back.

The bottom line is that the experiential learning so far has been deep and detailed, both for Methodist Healthcare Ministries and our FQHC funded partners. No workshop can teach FQHCs in this much depth what they need to do to modify their EMR templates, or change the way their physicians chart, for example. This is the great value of this program; because they have learned through experience, FQHCs will be better-equipped to handle MIPS when millions of dollars, not thousands, are on the line.

Funded Partner Spotlight: Triple H Equitherapy

DW Admin on September 27, 2017

Founded 22 years ago, Triple H Equitherapy, a therapeutic riding center, offers people of all ages and with any kind of special need a place to work with horses to experience health and healing. Methodist Healthcare Ministries has proudly supported Triple H Equitherapy since 1996 through funding for their psychotherapy programs.

Triple H Equitherapy uses an innovative approach to provide behavioral health treatment for children and veterans that have gone through caustic and traumatic life experiences. Treatment focuses on relationship building with horses as part of a traditional therapeutic plan, helping clients overcome trauma and improve their mental health. Healing relationships with their horses empower clients to develop life skills that help them relate to themselves and the world around them in healthy and sometimes joyful ways.

“The most exciting thing that I’ve noticed about the horses is that they work with folks in an unconditionally, excepting and loving way,” said Ginger Eways, executive director at Triple H Equitherapy. “When you put anyone in an environment of unconditional love and acceptance, good things are going to happen.”

Learn more about grant-making at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. To learn more about Triple H Equitherapy, visit http://www.triple-h.org/.

Funded Partner Spotlight: West Texas Counseling & Guidance

DW Admin on June 22, 2017

Situated inside the historic, elegant Cactus Hotel (the fourth ever Hilton hotel built in 1929), lies the new, modern, loft-style location of West Texas Counseling & Guidance — a funded partner of Methodist Healthcare Ministries since 2013. As the elevator doors open to the sixth floor, the juxtaposition of the grand luxurious hotel building dissipates to an inviting, cozy, serene space, well-suited for patients seeking mental health treatment.

As a nonprofit, West Texas Counseling & Guidance works to ensure individuals and families seeking mental health treatment have access to counseling services, regardless of their socioeconomic status and ability to pay. The objective of the organization is to help individuals learn to heal themselves in mind, body, and spirit utilizing evidence-based practices that are effective, affordable, and promote personal development and independence.

With about 20 counselors on staff, services include individual counseling, couples counseling, family therapy, children and adolescent counseling, veteran services, PTSD counseling, grief and loss support, addiction support, eating disorder counseling and depression and anxiety counseling. With help from Methodist Healthcare Ministries, two play therapists — fully licensed clinicians with specialized training in treating problems with children using the natural language and process of play — are employed. Off-site services are also available at churches and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in seven surrounding rural sites: Brady, Menard, Mason, Eden, Junction, Ozona and Sonora.

Operating since 1976, West Texas Counseling & Guidance has grown out of two previous locations, and in 2016 saw a 25 percent increase in clients from the previous year with approximately 2,500 patients for more than 11,000 sessions. With a new location (equipped with double insulation for sound proof rooms, open spaces, and a welcoming staff), West Texas Counseling & Guidance expects to grow more and looks forward to assisting more patients.

Dusty McCoy, LPC-S, executive director at West Texas Counseling & Guidance, shares more on his organization’s mission of providing the highest quality counseling and educational services for all residents of the Concho Valley.

Q: What does West Texas Counseling & Guidance offer?
We’re a nonprofit counseling center that’s been in existence for 41 years. Our clients range in age from 3 years old to 93 years old. Our approach is cognitive behavior therapy that’s short-term and goal-oriented; our goal is to teach people to become their own therapist. Some need long-term therapy, but our goal is to get you where you need to be and give you skills to move forward and not need us. We provide counseling regardless of insurance or inability to pay. Basically, access to mental health services is what we’re all about. The whole thing is about breaking down barriers for people to have access to mental health services.

We offer a sliding scale fee that goes to zero. I was really adamant about that. Some have suggested that patients at least pay $5-10 to give it a sense of value, but with psychotherapy counseling, for example, treatment starts off at once a week. If someone’s on the verge of homelessness or unemployed, taking $10 a week adds up to $40 a month, and when you’re struggling for food and a place to live that $40 hinders you from getting treatment.

Q: What are some prominent issues in the San Angelo community?
Every year since 2000, our community has had higher than average state and national suicide rates. I think it goes back to stigma, not feeling comfortable to go to therapy. In 2016, only 11 percent of our clients were 50 years or older, and only 36 percent were male. If you look at who are dying by suicide in this community, it’s white males over 50; those are the people that aren’t coming in and accessing mental health services. It’s important for us to break down the stigma. We’re trying to work on all fronts. Anything we could do to increase access is important: breaking down stigmas, providing affordable counseling and offering high-quality services.

Q: What resources are available for those struggling with suicide?
We have a survivor of suicide group with over 20 people that meet weekly: the LOSS Team. The importance of the LOSS Team is when someone has a loved one that dies by suicide, they themselves are at a much higher risk of dying of suicide, 64 percent higher. Those that have lost loved ones to suicide typically take 4.5 years to get help on their own; with the LOSS Team, we can reduce that down to 30-45 days. We take an active approach. We have a veteran’s outreach coordinator who goes to vets and brings them in. Our local outreach to suicide survivors is the same concept, we go to them. In July, we’ll have a live response program; if someone dies by suicide, we’ll go to the scene, wrap services around them, and bring them in for help.

Q: Do you believe the stigma of mental health is decreasing?
Definitely. The average age of our patients is 29. We see a lot of kids, 42 percent of our clients are children, and there’s no stigma with them. They’re more comfortable coming in, just as they would for any other medical condition. I think we’re making progress. I know we have a lot more work to do with the older population, but I think we’ve made progress with younger generations.

We’re trying to overcome stigmas. Tiffany Talley, our director of development and community relations, does a lot of community outreach on what resources are available and that it’s OK to come in. In Texas, there’s a bootstrap mentality. People find it hard to come in; they believe it’s a sign of weakness, so a lot of what we do is education and we work to get prominent citizens to come out and join the conversation, and it’s effective.

Q: How has Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ partnership helped West Texas Counseling & Guidance?
In 2016, Methodist Healthcare Ministries funding totaled 29 percent of West Texas Counseling & Guidance’s total budget. We just couldn’t do what we’re doing without Methodist Healthcare Ministries. We couldn’t see the people we’re seeing, provide counseling at our rural sites, or provide low-cost or free counseling. If we weren’t at those rural sites, and if it weren’t for Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ funding of those FQHC partnerships, most likely people would go without help there. We also do constant referrals back and forth with Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Wesley Nurses, and the grants department has even helped us with other grants and has helped put us in contact with other organizations that give us guidance if we have a problem or need help, so it’s been a fantastic partnership. On every level, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has impacted this community and our organization.

Q: How will this new location help even more?
Being in a nice, new location like this definitely helps people feel comfortable. I think it’s going to bring more clients that maybe wouldn’t have come in the past. Methodist Healthcare Ministries came in at a substantial level to make this a reality.

Q: What is your outlook for the future?
It makes you feel good when you see someone who went through so much distress change their life around. They learn to become their own therapist and live life again. What we’re hoping for, our goal on a bigger level as far as impact, is to look back in three to five years and say that we’re not higher than the state or national average on suicide. To see something of that magnitude improve through our services and outreach … that’s the overarching goal of what we’re doing.

To learn more about West Texas Guidance & Counseling, visit www.sanangelocounseling.org.

This interview was conducted with Dusty McCoy, executive director at West Texas Counseling & Guidance, and Tiffany Talley, director of development & community relations, May 31, 2017, at West Texas Counseling and Guidance’s new location, by Jennifer Perez, Communications Coordinator II at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Photos by Methodist Healthcare Ministries multimedia production coordinator, Dustin Wenger.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries awards $26.7 million in health care grants

DW Admin on May 19, 2017

More than 85 grantees funded across South Texas

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., a private, faith-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for uninsured and low-income families through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making, will award $26.7 million in community grants to more than 85 agencies to assist the health care needs of hundreds of thousands of Texans throughout its 74-county service area. View 2017 funded partners.

"We at Methodist Healthcare Ministries have always been committed to ensuring all people and families have access to quality care, regardless of where they live or ability to pay," said Methodist Healthcare Ministries' President & CEO, Kevin C. Moriarty. "We know the need for care is tremendous yet the accessibility of it, for far too many, is very limited. No one entity can meet this need alone, so for us, partnering with the more than 85 agencies that we fund, all of whom share in our mission to improve the health of our communities, is the only way we can together meet the need."

Funding is allocated to approximately 122 grant programs to deepen collaborative efforts, incentivize quality health outcomes, leverage and strengthen health care delivery systems and promote sustainable systems change.

The single largest area of giving this year is to Primary & Preventive Care. More than $12 million will be awarded to support programs designed to promote health, wellness and primary medical care services. Funding to Social Services & Behavioral Health is the second largest area with awards totaling $8 million to support integrated health care programs.

A San Antonio-based FQHC with a long-standing partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, CommuniCare Health Centers, will receive the largest award, $2,031,000, for primary and preventive care and dental services.

"We are pleased to once again partner with Methodist Healthcare Ministries," said Paul Nguyen, MHA, President & CEO at CommuniCare. "This funding will enable us to provide services to thousands of patients, to promote patient health improvement and more in-depth tracking of outcomes."

A new funded partner this year, though not an unfamiliar partner due to previous ties through Methodist Healthcare Ministries' parenting programs, is Magdalena House, a transitional home in San Antonio that serves mothers and children who have fled dangerous and abusive lives by providing transformation through education, nurturing community and programming.

"This funding will enable Magdalena House to build a new facility to provide holistic care for families that have experienced some form of trauma," said Greg Stroud, president of the board of directors at Magdalena House. "We're appreciative and look forward to our partnership."

Methodist Healthcare Ministries provides funding and/or works in partnership with 15 of the 22 FQHCs located in its service area. "Our FQHC partners play a vital role in our mission of serving the underserved, especially by serving rural communities where access to care is limited," said Moriarty.

Since inception, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has invested more than $255 million in grant-making to improve community health care in its 74-county service area which makes up 29 percent of Texas counties.

In addition to grant-making, Methodist Healthcare Ministries operates two San Antonio-based primary health care clinics: Wesley Health & Wellness Center and Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic, and two School Based Health Centers: School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary and School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary. The clinics address the needs of uninsured and low-income families by providing services at no cost or on a sliding scale fee. The health care services Methodist Healthcare Ministries provides are a cornerstone of its charitable mission of creating access to care. In total, the organization has invested over $600 million in services for unfunded patients.

Funded Partner Spotlight: CentroMed, increasing access to health care in San Antonio

DW Admin on April 11, 2017

Since it's grassroots beginnings in 1971, integrated primary care clinic, CentroMed, has grown to become a trusted source for low-income families in and around San Antonio. Methodist Healthcare Ministries has proudly supported CentroMed since 1996 through funding for health care services and capital expansion projects.

"We're really honored to work with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, a great partner of CentroMed for over 20 years," expressed CentroMed Vice President of Development & Marketing, Ana Maria Garza Cortez. "Without Methodist Healthcare Ministries' support, I'm not sure that many of our buildings would be in existence today."

A major component of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' and CentroMed's partnership includes care for the uninsured, including the homeless, to make an affordable primary care home accessible to those least-served, thus improving their health outcomes.

"CentroMed is honored to serve six homeless shelters in San Antonio. We provide the medical and primary health care services that our community needs. We couldn't do that without the support of Methodist Healthcare Ministries," stated Cortez. "In addition to support for building facilities and growing our services, we're fortunate that Methodist Healthcare has been a partner in providing grants and programs so patients can get the health care they need at a very low cost."

In March 2017, after assessing a lack of health coverage in the Indian Creek area, CentroMed announced the groundbreaking of their new health and wellness center (view photos of the groundbreaking day).

"There was not a single primary care provider in the area," stated Marina Gonzales, executive manager for special projects at CentroMed. "We decided to build an adequate facility to fit the needs of the community. We're fortunate to have a partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries who came on board early on in support of the growth of our new medical clinic, which will encompass a primary care clinic on one side and an adjacent wellness center."

"Our community continues to grow, and we see many families that still need access to health care," said Cortez. "With the support of Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we can continue to provide those services, and by working together, we can keep our community healthy."

Learn more about grant-making at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. To learn more about CentroMed, visit http://centromedsa.com/.

Funded Partner Spotlight: Mercy Ministries of Laredo

DW Admin on February 21, 2017

Methodist Healthcare Ministries is dedicated to providing access to care to low-income families and the uninsured in South Texas. It's mission of improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the least-served is the driving force behind its funded partnerships. For this reason, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been proud to partner with Mercy Ministries of Laredo, a clinic of the Mercy Health System which also strives to help the underserved through holistic patient-centered models.

"Our missions could not be more comparable. We care deeply about the medically underserved and we are trying to make their lives better," said Sister Maria Luisa Vera, president of Mercy Ministries of Laredo. "Mercy Ministries has been blessed with a 10-year partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries."

Mercy Ministries is a mid-level practice that provides primary health care services to unfunded residents of Webb County. Currently, Mercy sees between 1,800 to 2,000 adult patients, primarily Hispanic, between 18-70 years of age. All services are provided to the uninsured on a sliding-scale at 250 percent of poverty, based on income and family size.

"Our main goal is primary health care with a heavy emphasis on prevention and education," stated Elizabeth Casso, vice president and CFO of Mercy Ministries of Laredo. "We want to provide as good a care in this clinic as they could get anywhere."

Since 2007, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has provided Mercy with grants that have assisted their dental, diabetes, and women's health programs. In addition, Mercy's variety of services includes medication assistance, social services, and nutritional guidance, as well as a mobile clinic that travels to 14 Webb County sites (colonias, inner city, and rural areas).

Nearly three years ago, Mercy began to shift its focus to integrated behavioral care (IBH).

"We started looking at how mental health affected our patients and their chronic diseases," said Casso. "We were looking to address the needs of our community and look for solutions; we wanted to help our patients overcome their problems and get better outcomes."

An added solution came in the co-location of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' behavioral health supervisor, Zonia Garza. By being on site, Garza offers Mercy patients support services such as one-on-one counseling to help with issues of parenting, family relationships, depression and substance abuse and referral assistance. Garza is able to assist Mercy through case management and support services that are designed to help people who are uninsured, whose existing coverage does not provide mental health services benefits, are low-income and lack the money to pay for counseling services, or would not receive treatment any other way.

"Having Zonia in our clinic two days a week is an added blessing," said Sister Maria Luisa Vera. "Because Zonia came to Mercy before the start of the Sí Texas Project, we already could envision what was possible if our services evolved into an IBH model."

In 2015, in further pursuit of introducing IBH to patients, Mercy Ministries joined Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Sí Texas: Social Innovation for a Healthy South Texas project, a Social Innovation Fund program that stimulates local solutions to improve both physical and behavioral health together, such as diabetes and depression. Sí Texas focuses on IBH models that are effectively improving health outcomes in communities with high rates of poverty, depression, diabetes, obesity and associated risk factors.

Through the Sí Texas Project, Mercy Clinic enhances its current integrated services, utilizes referral psychiatric services, and incorporates a spiritual wellness component that gives patients the option to augment their counseling through prayer, church referral, pastoral counseling, family counseling, or all of the above depending on patient need. The aptly named, "Sí Three" initiative is based on three aspects of wellness: mind, body, and spirit. The model moves the clinic from its existing co-located model, in which behavioral and physical health services were offered in the same building, to an integrated model in which these services are fully coordinated.

Natalie Burkhalter, family nurse practitioner and Sí Texas project manager at Mercy Ministries, explains, "We wanted to see how the values of our clinic and those three components were driven throughout the clinic so the patient could have complete service – whether it be physical, behavioral or spiritual health, holistically, everything in one. We've even changed our outcome deliverables to be much more evaluative, for the long-term, so we can help as many people as we can."

Three years into the five-year project, with approximately 400 patients participating, Mercy is already witnessing improvements such as better health numbers and patient compliance.

"Our patients are committed to our clinic and to their care. They come because they want to come; they want to get better and maintain their health. Self-management is key to their success and their wellness," said Burkhalter.

Mercy plans to integrate IBH care with all of its patients even after the Sí Texas Project is complete in 2019. According to Casso, the Sí Texas Project has given Mercy many opportunities; it's increased the clinic's capacity and helped evolve the conversation about data, evaluation and outcomes.

"I hope we can help all of our patients stay healthy, and that they can share their health education and teach their families to be healthy too," said Casso. "For example, we offer diabetes classes so patients can learn about their disease and how to manage it. One of our patients' has a husband that's a truck driver. One weekend he wasn't feeling well and was exhibiting symptoms of diabetes. Because of her own experiences as a diabetic, she suspected he was diabetic too, so she brought him quickly to the clinic before he took off on the road again, which could have made his symptoms worse had he waited longer. I think it's great she applied what she learned and was able to help him."