The kickoff to Fiesta is right around the corner! In honor of the celebration, we are proud to announce our 2018 Fiesta medal.

As an organization headquartered in San Antonio, Fiesta is a grand celebration that is important to us, and so is the longstanding tradition of Fiesta medals.

Our 2018 medal features our logo, surrounded by a wreath of newly blossomed flowers. Much more than a common symbol of Fiesta, these flowers represent the blossoming growth of our organization. We consider each of our team members a seed that has been planted within our organization to grow and prosper in their ministries. This year, we also have quite a few budding things to celebrate: a relocated clinic, expanded access to care, and of course, new team members! Each of these “flowers” has been planted thoughtfully and watered with our mission of “Serving Humanity to Honor God.”

As the custom, the medal was given as a gift to employees and community partners – making its way through the 74 South Texas counties that Methodist Healthcare Ministries operates programs.

While the medal is not up for sale, keep an eye out on our Facebook page next week for a chance to win a medal to add to your collection!

Methodist Healthcare Ministries wishes everyone a happy 2018 Fiesta season!

The board of directors of Methodist Healthcare Ministries has established a $1 million scholarship endowment fund at Texas Lutheran University in honor of the organization’s first president & CEO, Kevin C. Moriarty, who is retiring in 2018 after 22 years of faithful service.

The “Methodist Healthcare Ministries/Kevin C. Moriarty Scholarship Fund” will award scholarships to full-time students enrolled in the nursing program who demonstrate financial need and academic merit. Preference will be given to students who plan to practice the nursing profession in Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ 74-county service area in South Texas.

“Kevin has been a fierce and steadfast advocate for the least served his entire career,” expressed George N. Ricks, chair of Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ board of directors. “Kevin has devoted himself to ensuring our community – mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and neighbors who don’t have health insurance – have access to quality health care, regardless of their ability to pay. We could not think of a better way to celebrate the mark he has left than to grow and nurture the professionals who will deliver the care he has fought so hard to uphold in South Texas.”

The scholarship fund was announced publicly at a farewell reception for Moriarty April 3. Surprising Moriarty with the news, Ricks presented a ceremonial check to Texas Lutheran University President Dr. Stuart Dorsey, and the university’s nursing director, vice president for academic affairs, and interim vice president for development and alumni relations.

“We are grateful to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for selecting Texas Lutheran University Nursing to honor Kevin Moriarty and proud to be associated with Kevin’s exemplary career. His dedication to improving access to quality health care for the underserved in South Texas closely aligns with the mission of our nursing program,” said Dr. Stuart Dorsey, president of TLU.

For over 40 years, Moriarty has been a central figure in San Antonio’s health care and human services sector. His tenure led Methodist Healthcare Ministries to become one of the largest private funding sources for community health in South Texas. Before joining Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Moriarty served as a public official with the city of San Antonio for over 20 years. Moriarty announced his plans to retire Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ last June (read more). The board of directors has since been engaged in a nationwide executive search to succeed Moriarty (read press release).

Methodist Healthcare Ministries has proudly been a longtime host of the Spurs Youth Basketball League. On March 1, nearly 50 league participants were surprised with a unique experience when San Antonio Spurs player, Bryn Forbes, and Spurs assistant coach, Becky Hammon, led a special basketball clinic at Wesley Health & Wellness Center.

After warm-ups, the evening kicked off with Spurs broadcaster Andrew Monaco who spoke to players about the importance of good sportsmanship and teamwork. He then revealed special guests 6x WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon and guard Byrn Forbes, and introduced the Spurs trainers helping at the clinic. The group of boys and girls split up into groups to rotate doing various 8-minute drills to improve their athletic skills while learning teamwork, cooperation and discipline.

“Giving back to our youth is huge. It’s important to help kids fall in love with the game,” said Forbes. “This means the world to me. It reminds me of when I was younger … seeing NBA players was such a big deal for me so it’s cool to be in this position now and it’s fun to interact with the kids.”

The Spurs Youth Basketball League encourages children to remain in school, act with integrity, say no to drugs, make positive choices, and respect one another. It teaches the importance of learning and understanding the fundamentals of basketball while also having fun in a safe environment.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries hosts the Spurs Youth Basketball League during the winter season. It is open to children at Wesley Health & Wellness Center’s academic hall, camps, and children from the local community ages 6-14. To learn more, contact our Recreation & Enrichment department at (210) 922-6922.
 

According to the American Heart Association, America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers are heart disease and stroke. To increase awareness of heart disease, Methodist Healthcare Ministries proudly sponsored several American Heart Association events, including two in February in celebration of American Heart Month.

More women die from heart disease than from all forms of cancer combined. On Feb. 8, Methodist Healthcare Ministries proudly sponsored the Go Red for Women Luncheon in San Antonio to inform attendees to catch the red flags and encourage women to know their heart health story. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends are all at risk of heart disease and stroke. Go Red For Women inspires women to make lifestyle changes, mobilize communities, and shape policies to save lives.

On Feb. 24, Methodist Healthcare Ministries also sponsored the Vestido Rojo Conference, an initiative to address the needs of Hispanic women in San Antonio. Because heart disease is the number one cause of death for Hispanic women, the Vestido Rojo conference empowered women with knowledge and tools so they could take positive action to protect their health. The event included blood pressure screenings, education sessions, exhibitors, and a luncheon packed with entertainment and heart health information.

Looking ahead on April 7, Methodist Healthcare Ministries will be a top-level sponsor at the Go Red for Women Luncheon in Corpus Christi, Texas. The luncheon, organized in part by local Wesley Nurses, will provide women of all generations tips and information on healthy eating, exercise, and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control and blood cholesterol management. For more information on the luncheon and to register, click here.

The American Heart Association movement continues to reach women, men, health care professionals, policy-makers, and even celebrities to embrace and elevate the cause of heart disease. For more information on the American Heart Association, and for helpful resources, visit www.heart.org.

Jan. 16, 10 p.m.: INCLEMENT WEATHER UPDATE — DELAYED START TIME: All Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ San Antonio area facilities will resume operations at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Patients and clients with appointments before 10 a.m. should call 210-922-6922 with questions and for updates on appointment times. Visit this webpage for additional updates.

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Jan. 15, 7 p.m.: Due to expected inclement weather, all of our San Antonio area locations will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. This includes: Wesley Health & Wellness Center; Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic; School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary; School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary; and our corporate headquarters.

The safety of our patients, clients and team members is of utmost importance. Visit this webpage for the latest updates. Please take note of your local news station for the latest weather updates to ensure you and your family stay safe.

Historical and current policies have created and maintained large disparities in children’s health, education and financial security, according to State of Texas Children 2017: Child Well-Being in the Rio Grande Valley, a new Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) report released today.

The Rio Grande Valley has a unique place in Texas history, but like many Texas regions, a history of discriminatory local practices denied equal access to opportunity for several generations through discrimination and segregation in schools, neighborhoods, places of employment, and the courts. Barriers to housing, employment, and education contribute to far too many children living in poverty and experiencing other troubling disparities.

"These policies and practices may be from the Rio Grande Valley’s past, but they still have a profound effect on the present," said report author Kristie Tingle, a research analyst with CPPP. "The effects of discriminatory policies can last generations, which we can see in the nearly half of children in Hidalgo and Cameron counties that live in poverty."

Graciela Camarena of Children's Defense Fund–Texas and Marsha Griffin from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley spoke as part of an Edinburg event and community discussion about child well-being in the Rio Grande Valley. McAllen Monitor Opinion Editor Sandra Sanchez moderated the conversation, which was sponsored by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Key report findings include:

• The majority of children in the Rio Grande Valley live in high-poverty areas (68 percent), while statewide 18 percent of children live in high-poverty areas. High-poverty areas tend to have fewer public and private resources, which means Rio Grande Valley children are more likely than other Texas children to experience under-resourced schools, an unequal opportunity for job-training programs, and more.
• Nearly one in two women in Hidalgo County between the ages of 15 and 44 lacks health insurance. In the rest of Texas, fewer than one in four women of childbearing age lack health insurance. Lack of coverage is related to delayed or inconsistent care should a woman become pregnant.
• An estimated 30 percent of children (or 123,200 children) in Hidalgo and Cameron counties are food-insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for a healthy diet. Statewide, 27 percent of children are food-insecure. Hungry children have a harder time focusing on school and are more likely to have social and behavioral problems.

Key policy recommendations:

• Create partnerships between schools, workforce development programs and businesses to promote pathways out of poverty and better support for families.
• Increase access to affordable health insurance for underserved families and women of reproductive age.
• Expand access to school-based child nutrition programs, such as Afterschool Meals, Summer Nutrition and School Breakfast.
• Preserve current health insurance coverage policies to help protect Texas children and families’ physical and financial health:
  • Do not block grant or cap Medicaid. It would lead to fewer Texans covered or coverage with limited benefits.
  • Renew funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – about 400,000 Texas children rely on CHIP to receive the health care they need.
  • Protect the federal subsidies for families who buy health insurance on their own. They are under attack in Congress. Without subsidies, family budgets would take an enormous hit, forcing many families to go without health insurance and not get preventive care or postpone necessary treatments for chronic conditions.

"As an area of the state with hard-working families and an important economy, the Rio Grande Valley can only thrive if we invest in the health, education and financial security of the region's children—across neighborhood and income," said Chris Yanas, Director of Governmental Affairs for Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. “Looking at the data, we find that too many children in the Rio Grande Valley today continue to face tremendous barriers to opportunities because of the legacy of discriminatory policies.”

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In 2015, Methodist Healthcare Ministries was awarded the Eugene Washington Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Engagement Award to implement the Advancing Health in South Texas Engagement Series. The award gave Methodist Healthcare Ministries the opportunity to develop a coordinated approach to patient-centered research and evaluation in the hopes to create a framework to guide patient participation. We understand the importance of trust in any relationship, but especially between patient and provider. The intention of the series, among others, was to increase patient trust and engagement.

The series was comprised of several engagement sessions, which included community focus groups ("What Matters to You?"); university systems and academic institutions ("Knowledge Sharing Champions"); managed care organizations ("Engaging Health Payers"); town halls with consumers, stakeholders, academic institutions, health groups, health care providers, and payers ("Engaging the Community Voice"); and small group discussions with the town hall stakeholder audience ("Building the Patient-Centered Partnership").

The series attempted to identify and adopt multi-sector strategies based on differentiated but aligned activities through a common research framework by identifying cross-cutting themes in each group. In total, more than 300 residents, stakeholders, and community partners participated.

The comprehensive report and executive summary will provide you with a full look at the series. Highlights include:

• Key findings for each stakeholder session;
• Top dissemination, communication, and collaboration strategy recommendations;
• A synthesis of cross cutting themes by geographic location; and
• A framework of suggested topics and indicator criteria for future community collaborations.

All reports can be found on our website at www.mhm.org/library/south-texas-engagement-series.

We appreciate every community member, partner, and agency that helped make this initiative a success, and ask you to continue to engage with us.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. – a private, faith-based not-for-profit dedicated to creating access to care for uninsured and low-income families with headquarters in Bexar County and programs in 74 South Texas counties – has selected Korn Ferry, a preeminent global people and organizational advisory firm, to lead its search for a new chief executive officer. The selection of Korn Ferry follows the current and first-ever CEO’s announcement in June of his plans to retire after more than two decades of service.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries, in partnership with HCA Healthcare – one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 172 hospitals and 119 freestanding surgery centers in 20 states and the United Kingdom – together own the San Antonio-based Methodist Healthcare System. As the local co-owner of the Methodist Healthcare System, Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ mission is two-fold: “Serving Humanity to Honor God,” by improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church, and ensuring the Methodist Healthcare System continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. It’s co-ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System also provides revenue to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its programs and services.

“Our partnership with HCA makes Methodist Healthcare Ministries a unique business model as does the programs and services we offer. In addition to operating primary care clinics, Methodist Healthcare Ministries is one of the largest, private funding sources for unfunded patients in South Texas, and is a respected state health policy thought-leader and advocate,” explained George Ricks, who serves as the chair of the Methodist Healthcare Ministries board of directors. “We know Korn Ferry, which is a proven industry leader on a global level, is up to the task of attracting the unique blend of vision, innovation, expertise and experience we need to ensure our continued growth and success in all we do.”

The Korn Ferry team in Texas, which includes offices in Dallas and Houston, will conduct the nationwide search.

“We at Methodist Healthcare Ministries feel confident that our organization, and community, will best be served by working with the Korn Ferry team,” expressed Ricks. “We look forward to welcoming the next generation of leadership to the organization.”

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. – a private, faith-based not-for-profit with headquarters in Bexar County and programs in 74 South Texas counties (including those severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey) – has donated $100,000 to the Rio Texas Conference's Disaster Response Fund. Beyond the donation to the Rio Texas Conference, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has also deployed health care staff, supplies and other resources to the effort.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries' 74-county service area mirrors the same geographical area of the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. The donation will assist the Rio Texas Conference's Disaster Response Committee, comprised of trained early response teams equipped to assist local communities after a disaster. Assistance includes expert advice to help communities with immediate needs or recovery plans; distribution of cleanup kits and health kits, volunteer recruitment, home repair, and spiritual and emotional care. The committee works closely with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).

"The Rio Texas Conference has been a critical partner to us in serving the unmet health care needs of communities that were already in distress before the disaster," said Knoulton. "The Church has had, and will continue to have, an important role in healing the communities impacted by the devastation."

Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Rio Texas Annual Conference, stated, "The Rio Texas Conference deeply appreciates the generosity and compassion of Methodist Healthcare Ministries as expressed in this donation. I look forward to our continued cooperation."

Methodist Healthcare Ministries also directed an additional sum of $11,000 to its Wesley Nurse program for hurricane relief efforts to 11 churches. The following United Methodist churches received $1,000 each: Victoria, Goliad, Flower Bluff, Sinton, Corpus Christi, Rockport, Karnes City, New Braunfels, Boerne, Del Rio, Uvalde.

Relief efforts in South Texas include:

• Medical, dental, behavioral and spiritual health care, as well as nursing and case management, at shelters in Bexar, Kerr, Uvalde, La Salle, Nueces, Val Verde, Travis, Kleberg, San Patricio, Aransas, Jim Wells, Goliad, Victoria, Jackson, Gonzales, Calhoun, Bastrop and Caldwell counties.
• Direct health care services by physicians, nurses and behavioral health staff from Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Health & Wellness Center, Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic and School Based Health Centers. Transportation to the clinics is also offered.
• Donations of durable medical equipment and health care supplies (walkers, canes, etc.)
• Connecting families, assessing patients and addressing health care needs through our Wesley Nurse program. Nearly 30 Methodist Healthcare Ministries' regional staff members, including Wesley Nurses and Community Counselors who work directly out of United Methodist churches, have been on the ground and will continue to support community recovery efforts in various South Texas counties.
• Medication assistance as needed.
• Working alongside the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to understand where short- and long-term resources need to be focused.
• Working with relief organizations and case managers on-site at hurricane relief locations to determine how we can help to transition those needing ongoing care into our network, as appropriate.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries extends thoughts and prayers to all who have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, especially patients and clients who may have been injured or whose homes may have been damaged during the storms. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is also grateful to staff members working hard to help those in need in affected areas, especially those helping others despite damage to their own homes.

For more information about Methodist Healthcare Ministries visit www.mhm.org. For more on the Rio Texas Conference and their disaster response, visit https://riotexas.org/harvey.