Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is proud to have been selected by its employees as a Top Workplace for 2016. Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been ranked among the top companies to work in San Antonio based on a comprehensive analysis conducted by Workplace Dynamics LLC, an independent research firm. The survey given to Methodist Healthcare Ministries' employees measured qualities such as company leadership, compensation and training, workplace flexibility and diversity.

Top Workplace winners were formally announced at an awards luncheon held at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio on Oct. 20, 2016. All winners are listed in the Top Workplaces special section published in the Express-News.

"Being selected a Top Workplace by our very own 378 employees is an honor," said Kevin C. Moriarty, president & CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. "At Methodist Healthcare Ministries, our staff is dedicated to making a difference by helping low-income and uninsured individuals and families receive access to health care. The team is vital in providing compassionate support to our patients and clients; it's critically important to us that we create an equally supportive and nurturing workplace for them to do such important work."

In the San Antonio metro area, Methodist Healthcare Ministries employs approximately 280 employees at its corporate headquarters and four community clinics (Wesley Health & Wellness Center, Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic, School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary, School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary) in addition to staff positions located within local churches and community centers. Methodist Healthcare Ministries offers employees health insurance which the company pays at 100 percent for employee's premiums and 55 percent of dependent premiums on the base medical plan. Employees are also given the opportunity to invest in a 401(k) savings plan. Methodist Healthcare Ministries matches 7 percent of contributions after one year of employment and 9 percent of contributions after 10 years of service. Other employee incentives include the Be Well Reimbursement program, the education reimbursement program and paid vacation, personal and sick days.

Since being founded in 1995, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been dedicated to creating access to health care for uninsured and low-income families through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. The mission of Methodist Healthcare Ministries is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of those least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' 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 charitable care when needed, and it provides revenue to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its programs.

The San Antonio Express-News 2016 Top Workplaces competition surveyed a record 138 local companies with 53,151 employees. Winning employers were chosen through employee surveys on a variety of workplace topics. Survey results were verified by an independent organization.

For more information about Methodist Healthcare Ministries, visit www.mhm.org. 

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. proudly joins the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and those around the country in celebrating Healthcare Quality Week, Oct. 16-22. The week brings greater recognition for the healthcare quality profession and the contributions and impact these professionals have made in the field.

Year-round, Methodist Healthcare Ministries celebrates healthcare quality by adhering to national practices that measure the clinical performances of hospitals and clinics. Measuring the quality of health care is a necessary step in the process of improving the health outcomes for our patients. This week, in observance of Healthcare Quality Week, Methodist Healthcare Ministries brings special attention to our Commitment to Quality. Each and every team member, from clinical staff to administrative employees, pledged their commitment to provide care and support that is safe, evidence-based, timely and efficient. Further, Methodist Healthcare Ministries proudly displays this commitment on a large building banner adhered to its corporate headquarters located in the South Texas Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, along with signage present in its four owned and operated clinics as a constant reminder to its pledge.

During Healthcare Quality Week, Methodist Healthcare Ministries gives a special recognition to members of its quality department for their promise to help Methodist Healthcare Ministries provide the best care to its patients and clients, and helping to identify areas for improvement. Their embrace of tools and technology like data visualization, electronic health records and diligence in minimizing risks and errors in the workplace, all with a focus on the provision of equitable care delivered with high ethical standards and customer-focused service allows Methodist Healthcare Ministries to positively influence the health outcomes of the patients and clients it serves.

"Patients and families know quality care when they receive it. From the warm welcome when entering a Methodist Healthcare Ministries clinic to the doctor's bedside manner, our patients have come to expect a high standard of care that makes them feel at ease at Methodist Healthcare Ministries," says George Thomas, chief operating officer at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. "Delivering this level of service and care is a team effort. Together, with quality at the helm, Methodist Healthcare Ministries strives to create and maintain an optimal healthcare delivery system that ensures safe, effective, high-quality care for all."

Visit www.nahq.org/hqw to learn about ways you can help promote National Healthcare Quality Week.

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About NAHQ
NAHQ defines the standard of excellence for the healthcare quality profession and equips professionals and organizations to meet these standards. NAHQ offers the only accredited certification in healthcare quality—the CPHQ—and more than 9,000 professionals across the continuum of healthcare hold this designation. NAHQ also provides extensive educational programming, including the HQ Principles program for those new to the field; preparation programs for CPHQ certification; and the industry-elevating HQ Essentials for advanced and master practitioners in healthcare quality. To learn more, visit www.nahq.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 uninsured and low-income families through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. The mission of Methodist Healthcare Ministries is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of those least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' 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 charitable care when needed, and it provides revenue to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its programs.

For more than 20 years, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been dedicated to creating access to health care for low-income families and the uninsured in South Texas, including the predominantly rural Hispanic communities in its service area. Through its public-private partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund, Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Sí Texas: Social Innovation for a Healthy South Texas project is touching the lives of many Hispanics by stimulating local solutions that improve both physical and behavioral health together, such as diabetes and depression.

In 2014, the Social Innovation Fund awarded a grant to Methodist Healthcare Ministries to make region-wide improvements in the identification and treatment of co-occurring behavioral health problems and chronic disease in South Texas. The Sí Texas Project focuses on addressing primary care and behavioral health needs, by integrating behavioral health care services into primary care settings. Models have emerged that include the use of care managers, behavioral health consultants, behavioralists, or consultation models. Referred to as Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) models, these innovative approaches inspire improvements in behavioral health and chronic disease in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy, Kenedy, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Zapata, Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg and Webb counties – making up the state’s Coastal Bend, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley regions. Eight participating organizations (subgrantees) are putting these models into practice to improve health outcomes in communities with high rates of poverty, depression, diabetes, obesity and associated risk factors. In turn, this project will effectively build a portfolio of IBH solutions that can be scaled and replicated nationwide.

Read more on the Corporation for National & Community Service Blog.

George N. Ricks was elected to the position of chair of the board of directors during Methodist Healthcare Ministries' annual board meeting on June 22, 2016. Mr. Ricks brings with him deep experience in leadership and a passion for service to others.

As chair, Mr. Ricks will concurrently represent Methodist Healthcare Ministries on Methodist Healthcare System's board of governors and community board.

Ricks has served on Methodist Healthcare Ministries' board of directors since 2005.

"I cannot begin to express how delighted I am to work under George Ricks' leadership," explains Kevin C. Moriarty, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. "George's faith-filled and selfless approach to leadership serves as an inspiration to us all. He has a true desire to understand the organization's challenges and explore new opportunities."

In addition to serving on Methodist Healthcare Ministries' all-volunteer board of directors, Ricks is the vice president of technology services at Documation, LLC. Ricks is a past board president for Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District serving as a board member for 14 years.

Ricks is an active member and current board of trustees' chairman of Schertz United Methodist Church, and a United States Navy veteran. He resides in Cibolo, Texas with his wife of 37 years, Barbara. Together, they have a son named Michael.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries is fortunate to have Ricks' vision and direction as we move into a new stage of growth for Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Methodist Healthcare Ministries' board of directors is a diverse group of experts and leaders from the fields of banking, philanthropy, business development and health care. The board meets regularly to develop operational goals and metrics, report on progress being made in key areas, and explore new opportunities.

Award to implement Advancing Health in South Texas Engagement Series

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. received the Eugene Washington Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Engagement Award to implement a community engagement series called Advancing Health in South Texas. The series seeks to convene patients and key stakeholders across a 20-county area to develop a coordinated regional approach for patient-centered research and evaluation among university systems, academic institutions, managed care organizations, and public health systems. The desired outcome is to promote actionable and measurable engagement opportunities to create a clear and intentional framework to guide system alignment and ensure authentic patient engagement in the future dissemination of research and evaluation findings. The series is focused on the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend regions of Texas to include Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Maverick, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata and Zavala counties.

The engagement series consists of five sessions taking place in the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend regions of Texas all with specific audiences and purposes:

• What Matters to You? (February 2016) consisted of six, two-hour focus groups in Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Nueces, Webb and Zavala counties. These sessions solicited community feedback to frame and shape conversations among academic institutions, managed care organizations, and public health systems. The sessions gathered valuable patient feedback regarding what patients identify and define as important health issues for their communities. We also explored how health issues are communicated to patients and whether these strategies are effective, and if they believe they are actively engaged in co-constructing solutions. Read summary report
• Knowledge Sharing Champions (May 2016; McAllen) brought together university systems and academic institutions with a regional footprint to discuss current areas of research; opportunities for intersection and alignment around population health outcomes; opportunities to share meta-data sets; how and/or if patient stakeholder groups are currently engaged throughout the research process; and how research findings and evaluation results are, or are not, shared and communicated with patient stakeholder groups.
• Engaging Health Payers (August 2016; Austin) will bring together managed care organizations to discuss findings from the first two sessions; opportunities to develop a consensus around the need for patient-centered research and evaluation; opportunities to identify areas of alignment and gaps based on patient input; how to redefine engagement and participate in effective care models and improved population health outcomes; how planned research and state funded projects can help shape and inform market growth and reimbursement strategies; and how policy changes can be made under the purview of the public health systems, policy makers and managed care organizations to incentivize and encourage future alignment and integration of patience-centered research and dissemination .This session allows historically disjointed systems to connect around shared population health outcomes and measurements, as well as, realize the importance of patient engagement strategies and identifies possible gaps.
• Engaging the Community Voice (October 2016; TBD) will gather end users, such as consumers, caregivers, policy makers and health advocacy groups to discuss best-in-class strategies for research dissemination. The results of these sessions will allow regional academic and public health systems to align dissemination practices with the realities of consumers. Essentially, this meeting will determine the best way to package and communicate information for patients.
• Building the Patient-Centered Partnership (February 2017; TBD) will bring back participants from the Knowledge Sharing Champions session to discuss systems redesign based on the information gathered throughout the engagement series and discuss how they will incorporate consumer feedback in their dissemination strategies and research plans. During the session, participants will hear from patient-identified community leaders who will share health-related research questions, ideas, and suggestions developed throughout the patient-focused discussions with systems leaders. This session will also have a call to action to engage all academic and public health systems to create a clear and intentional framework to guide system alignment and ensure patient feedback and authentic patient engagement in the future dissemination of research and evaluation findings.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries is committed to hosting meetings throughout the region to build the infrastructure necessary for relevant and meaningful research dissemination for the next decade.

"We at Methodist Healthcare Ministries believe the quality of health care is immensely improved when patients are well-informed to become their own advocates. We are honored to be selected by PCORI, and to be recognized for our ability to assemble community members in a collaborative and meaningful way," explains Rebecca Brune, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning & Growth. "The engagement series will provide us with a stronger platform upon which to make systems changes and facilitate further conversation on the topic of improving the health care landscape in South Texas. We are embarking upon a critical journey; a journey that has the potential to positively change the healthcare system in our community."

PCORI is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 to fund comparative effectiveness research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence needed to make better-informed health and healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is proud to have sponsored Camp Freedom, a residential/day camp of the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association for children ages 7-14 years old with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. The event took place June 24-26 at the UT Rio Grande Valley Wellness & Recreational Sports Complex in Edinburg, Texas.

The goal of the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association is to provide a fun and safe camping experience for children who have diabetes, so that they do not see their diabetes as an overriding issue, but rather an important added factor. Campers enjoyed a fun filled weekend of swimming, educational activities, games, arts and crafts. Health care professionals, educators, and volunteers provided supervision under the guidance of local pediatric endocrinologists.

"Methodist Healthcare Ministries is delighted to support the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association, an organization that is making a difference in children's lives in the Rio Grande Valley," expressed Patricia Mejia, director of community engagement at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. "With nearly 2 million Texans living with diabetes, we rely on community partnerships to help address the high prevalence of this devastating disease."

The South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association was established after determining the imperative need in the Rio Grande Valley and the lack of resources. The organization strives to give families support and encouragement so children with diabetes can live happy, confident lives.

For more information about the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association, please visit www.stjda.org. 

By Tim Barr, collective impact strategy manager

"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." – Australian Aboriginal Collective

For years, I have really appreciated this quote because it speaks to a fundamental truth of community engagement. In the long-run, communities do not need outsiders to come offer help and salvation. At Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we believe in the power of asset-based community development (ABCD), which recognizes that each community has immeasurable resources and untapped potential.

If we hope to see communities grow healthier and stronger, the role of an outsider is not to come with answers and solutions. Instead, outsiders must listen well, especially to those who are most familiar with the challenges. Truly liberating community engagement acknowledges that we are all interconnected and that liberation only happens when there is mutual respect and trust.

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, an organization that advances smarter grant-making practices to enable nonprofits to grow stronger and achieve better results, underscores this conviction:

Effective stakeholder engagement starts and ends with respect — respect for the expertise that those on the front lines bring to the problems affecting their community, and respect for their capacity to develop solutions if given the chance. Assessing whether stakeholder engagement strategies have truly taken hold requires a shift in our traditional approach to evaluation and learning processes and the factors that constitute success.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries' board of directors prioritized the Coastal Bend region for increased investment, including staff time, grant-making and coordination of efforts. For several months, we've been listening in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend regions and have conducted:

–  13 interviews with Methodist Healthcare Ministries staff (Wesley Nurses and Community Health Workers)
–  5 interviews with Methodist Healthcare Ministries funded partners
–  17 interviews with community organizations
–  7 coalition meetings

To add more detail, 23 of the 35 interviews were with people or organizations based in Corpus Christi, and the remaining 12 were in rural areas outside the city. In addition to interviews, Methodist Healthcare Ministries is also conducting research on South Texas health concerns, following health-related stories in local newspapers, and contacting chambers of commerce to learn about upcoming events. Every piece of information is an opportunity to see a bigger picture and enhance the alignment of resources, stakeholders and plans.

While Methodist Healthcare Ministries is not conducting a formal Health Impact Assessment, the same principles and practices are being followed. Consistent with the methodology of the World Health Organization, we are relying on a mixture of quantitative, qualitative and participatory techniques to understand current health disparities and illuminate large-scale choices that will improve health and well-being for the working poor throughout this region.

While this might seem like a lot of listening – and not much doing – the truth of the matter is that we are only beginning to hear and understand what might be possible. Decision making will be significantly stronger and more effective if we are both patient and purposeful – building trust with community leaders, and discerning how best to work collectively. It is critical that we hear from a diverse pool of cross-sector partners such as nonprofits, churches, funders, and government to align efforts and address complex social problems. It is particularly important that we hear from leaders who look like and are accountable to the communities they are leading.

As our work evolves in the Coastal Bend, we will continue to prioritize relationship-building, research, and alignment of resources. Listening for common concerns and hopes, we know that a strengths-based, relational approach holds the most potential for effective and long-term system change. Indeed, let us recognize how our liberation is bound up together, and let us work together to improve the health of all who live in the Coastal Bend.

Tim Barr is the Collective Impact Strategy Manger for Methodist Healthcare Ministries and he supports, develops, and facilitates collaborative efforts in the Coastal Bend region.

By Catalina Schultze-Kraft, MSN, RN, staff development manager

I recently had the honor of presenting at the 2016 Joint Meeting of the Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) and the Association of Community Health Nurse Educators (ACHNE), held in Indianapolis. The conference, Public Health Nursing: Key to Our Nation's Health, focused on continuing the advancement of public health research and practice in the U.S.

Representatives from health departments of every state convened as well as public health nurses, public health and community health nursing educators, public health leaders, and students and partners interested in public health, health equity, population health, and other public health issues.

Being a presenter gave me the opportunity to describe a small piece of what Methodist Healthcare Ministries is doing to a larger audience. It allowed me to have conversations with people who work in various areas of public health. My presentation, "From Needs Assessment to Asset-Based Community Development: Engaging the strengths of people and the community in health," touched on Methodist Healthcare Ministries' approach to building and maintaining health throughout 74 counties in South Texas. Most striking for attendees was the large area Methodist Healthcare Ministries serves and how we are able to successfully implement initiatives such as Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) in such a large geographic area.

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) was introduced to our Wesley Nurses in 2013 as a strategy to engage the community in health. ABCD asserts that every community has assets that can be mobilized to work together to solve complex problems. It does not look at the needs of a person, family or community, but their strengths. As a result, ABCD has allowed us to create lasting partnerships. New nurses to Methodist Healthcare Ministries have a better understanding of public health nursing and faith community nursing and are better equipped to practice as a Wesley Nurse. Perceptions have also changed and people are seen as contributors to the community.

As a conference attendee, my biggest takeaway was an initiative that public health leaders have developed to help all areas look for solutions to health problems. The "Triple Aim for Health Equity" focuses on:

1. Expanding the understanding of what creates health. This means making sure that Social Determinants of Health (the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age) are addressed when talking about health.
2. Taking a "health in all policies" approach. Health equity is the goal. Health doesn't only mean access to health care, but also encompasses where we live, learn, work and play.
3. Strengthening community capacity. Involving communities in health care can foster connectedness and trust, improve assessment efforts, and build a capacity of individuals to positively affect their community's future.

This year, I wanted to explore other nursing areas, in addition to faith community nursing, that align with Methodist Healthcare Ministries' mission. I wanted to explore where we rank in comparison to other programs that academia, governmental organizations, and not-for-profits are managing. This conference confirmed to me that our nursing team, and our organization overall, is headed in the right direction. We have a unique model that allows us to accomplish things other health departments are unable to do and improve the physical, mental and spiritual health of the least-served in South Texas.

Catalina Schultze-Kraft, MSN, RN, is a staff development manager for the Wesley Nurse program at Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Nurse program is a faith-based, holistic health and wellness program committed to serving the least-served through education, health promotion and collaboration with individuals and communities to achieve improved wellness through self-empowerment. Learn more at www.mhm.org/programs/health-ministries. 

Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning & Growth, Rebecca Brune, recently spoke on behalf of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Inc. at the Council on Foundation's 2016 Annual Conference in Washington D.C. Over 1,300 attendees gathered from across the country to advocate the importance of philanthropy and to connect with others in the field and enhance their skills. As one of three panelists for the "Harnessing community and innovation into collective impact" session, Brune provided an overview of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Sí Texas: Social Innovation for a Healthy South Texas Project (Sí Texas Project), a Social Innovation Fund program, and its impact in South Texas.

The panel session was moderated by Lois Nembhard, Deputy Director for the Social Innovation Fund – a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service that combines public and private resources to grow the impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the United States.

Session speakers discussed progress made on their shared purpose initiatives. Additional panelists included fellow Social Innovation Fund grantees, Avo Makdessian, director of Silicon Valley Community Foundation's Center for Early Learning, who discussed early childhood education in San Mateo County; and Marc McDonald, director of grants management for the AARP Foundation who touched on back to work economic stability for women age 50 and above nationwide. Brune depicted how the Sí Texas Project is largely centered on the treatment of chronic disease and related behavioral health conditions in twelve South Texas counties.

Sí Texas focuses on integrated behavioral health models that are effectively improving health outcomes in communities with high rates of poverty, depression, diabetes, obesity and associated risk factors. Brune explained that Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Sí Texas project stimulates local solutions that improve both physical and behavioral health together, such as diabetes and depression. The project targets 12 South Texas counties: Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy, Kenedy, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Zapata, Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg and Webb. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is the first faith-based organization to receive funding from the Social Innovation Fund program. The project leverages both federal and non-federal dollars to South Texas that otherwise would not have been available to the region.

Shared measures are essential for any collective impact effort, but agreeing to them can be a challenging process. At the end of the session, attendees were taught how to assess the value of shared measures, and how to align multiple programs around the same performance measures.

For more on Methodist Healthcare Ministries and the Sí Texas Project, visit http://www.mhm.org/programs/sitexas. For more information about The Council on Foundations, which aims to provide the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance, and sustain their ability to advance the common good, visit http://www.cof.org/.