Blog – Page 2 – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Funded Partner Spotlight: Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA).

DW Admin on January 3, 2024

Since 1995, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. has provided over $1.4 billion to improve the well-being of the least served through its clinics, programs, and strategic partnerships. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is proud to partner with organizations that share similar missions and organizational objectives of increasing access to care for uninsured and economically disadvantaged individuals and families across South Texas.

The Rio Grande Valley’s diverse and binational population is at a crossroads. With over 2.67 million residents in the area, the region surpasses both San Antonio and Austin in population. Despite being one of the largest urban areas in Texas there is a lack of a centralized municipal government which means that resources allocated to the area are often divided among dozens of cities across the region. During the COVID-19 Pandemic this decentralization was even more evident as the unemployment rate in the region increased to 17.3%, far exceeding the statewide rate of 13%, according to the Texas Tribune. However, since 2020 the unemployment rate in the area has dropped to 5.2% in Hidalgo County (the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area) and 4.9% in Cameron County (Brownsville-Harlingen) as of October 2023, according to USA Today.

Part of the effort that is driving this success is the work of the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA). The organization promotes workforce development programs and provides skilled unemployed or underemployed individuals with connections to employers looking for various types of skilled labor.

Established in 1995 by Valley Interfaith and industry leaders, VIDA addresses the disconnect between Rio Grande Valley residents and employer demand for skilled labor by providing comprehensive workforce training that better equips program participants to pursue a more gainful means of employment.

For the first time, Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM) is partnering with VIDA to address health equity and the social determinants of health (SDOH). One of these priority areas includes education and workforce development, which overlap with VIDA’s mission and vision.

As an MHM partner receiving 2023 grant dollars, VIDA recently received a capacity building grant of $60,000 to hire a Development Director. The Development Director will strengthen and cultivate new partnerships as well as identify new sources of funding to support the organization and its programs.

“VIDA was developed as a workforce development intermediary where to help industries fill those jobs that were in high demand evolving with technological advances and at the same time give residents of our region more opportunity to upskill and achieve economic mobility,” said Felida Villarreal, President and CEO of VIDA.

Today, VIDA builds institutional relationships in the Rio Grande Valley that links employers to unemployed and/or underemployed residents and uses these relationships to create necessary support services for their students such as career guidance, intensive case management and financial assistance.

“VIDA offers a variety of wraparound student support services that vary from student to student because it’s very customized to the individual’s needs,” Villareal said. “We can provide anything from tuition, tools, transportation or childcare assistance as well as financial assistance for anything they may need in their career journey to ensure program persistence and completion.”

Prior to joining the program participants typically earned $8 an hour but graduates earn an average annual salary of $47,756. VIDA is opening doors to better employment opportunities that include higher salaries, access to employer sponsored healthcare insurance and established career paths with room for growth.

“That drastic change and being able to achieve that economic prosperity, has a tremendous impact on their lives and that of their families,” Villarreal said. “There’s just no limit to the potential and professional growth from that point on. We’ve even seen some of our graduates become successful business owners.”

According to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, the Rio Grande Valley is currently experiencing a shortage of 6,000 nurses across the region which puts further strain on existing medical staff and their ability to serve patients. In response to this, VIDA recently made national headlines as one of 25 organizations across the nation to be awarded the $3 million Nursing Expansion Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. This will be key in providing services for students pursuing careers in the medical field and alleviating the shortage of nurses in the area.

“We’re truly grateful for the opportunity to be selected as a MHM grant recipient,” said Villarreal “We’ve already expanded our fundraising division and are seeking additional opportunities to grow our programs, serve more students and provide additional services to our community.”

Learn more about VIDA and their programs through their website: https://www.vidacareers.org/

November 2023 Calendar of Events – WHWC

DW Admin on November 1, 2023

Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Wesley Health & Wellness team offers a wide variety of programs and classes designed for every skill level! All classes are free and open to the public. Registration is required, call (210) 922-6922 to register.

Click here to download a copy of our Wesley Health & Wellness Center – Calendar of Events for November 2023.

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Early Voting Begins in Texas

DW Admin on October 23, 2023

Early voting in Texas begins today, October 23, for fourteen amendments to the Texas constitution. Each one is the result of legislation passed during the 88th Texas Legislature earlier this year.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries advocated for several of the propositions on the ballot. They positively impact nonmedical drivers of health, improving the health of Texans and the patients we serve.

Proposition 2 – Childcare facilities

This amendment allows cities and counties to provide a property tax exemption for childcare providers if a minimum of 20% of their students receive subsidized childcare services. The exemption must be at least 50% of the property’s appraised value and does not apply to school district taxes or home-based childcare providers who have already received a homestead exemption.

Proposition 4 – Property taxes / school funding

This amendment lowers school district property taxes. Specifically, the amendment:

Increases the amount of homestead exemptions from $40,000 to $100,000.
Releases an additional $7.1 billion appropriated to school districts during the 88thTexas Legislature to lower property tax rates.
Imposes a temporary 20% cap on increases in the taxable value of appraisals for commercial, mineral and residential properties that do not receive a homestead exemption and are worth less than $5 million. The cap expires in 2026.
Expands the pool of business that do not pay the state franchise tax.
Allows voters to elect three members to the local appraisal district board of directors. (The members are currently appointed).

Proposition 6 – Texas Water Fund

The 88th Texas Legislature created the Texas Water Development Board to oversee projects throughout the state recognizing clean water is essential for healthy communities. This amendment creates a fund within the state treasury, endowed with $1 billion to begin to address the state’s significant water issues.

A minimum of 25% of the fund is dedicated to the New Water Supply Fund for Texas, supporting projects to increase the state’s water supply from nontraditional sources such as saltwater desalination.
The remaining 75% is for the Texas Water Fund which aids in infrastructure repairs, obtaining new water sources, mitigating water loss at existing facilities and ensuring future water availability.

Proposition 8 – Broadband infrastructure fund

The Texas Broadband Development Office estimates 3 million Texas households do not have broadband internet connections and an additional 5 million households have unreliable connections. Most live in rural areas. The amendment provides $1.5 billion to develop and finance broadband, telecommunication and 911 services as well as provide matching funds for federal grants from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.

Proposition 10 – Medical and biomedical products

This amendment exempts biomedical equipment and inventory when calculating a facility’s appraised value for property tax purposes. All taxing entities are included (city, county, school districts and special taxing districts) in the exemption. The rationale for giving the exemption is more manufacturers will choose to locate their business in Texas with a more favorable tax situation.

For more information about any amendments on the ballot, including arguments for and against each amendment, visit the nonpartisan voter guides published by The Texas Tribune or the League of Women Voters.

Everyone is encouraged to exercise their right to vote. Early voting runs through Friday, November 3. Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. To find your polling location and hours, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

Funded Partner Spotlight: Community Council of South-Central Texas, Inc.

DW Admin on October 5, 2023

Since 1995, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. has provided over $1 billion to improve the well-being of the least served through its clinics, programs, and strategic partnerships. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is proud to partner with organizations that share similar missions and organizational objectives of increasing access to care for uninsured and economically disadvantaged individuals and families across South Texas.

In the months following November 1963, just after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson carried on Kennedy’s plans to alleviate the burdens of Americans living in poverty. Later the next year, Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act, which established and funded Community Action Agencies and Programs. By 1968, there were over 1,600 agencies across America serving the country at a local level.

One of these Community Action Agencies, the Community Council of Comal County was established in 1965. In 1981, the change in funding from the federal government to state Block Grant funding led the organization to be renamed the Community Council of South-Central Texas (CCSCT).

Almost 60 years later, CCSCT has expanded to serve 31 counties across South, Central and West Texas with the objective of promoting and delivering much needed services to low-income families in their service area. Case by case, CCSCT uses their network of over 1,000 partner nonprofits and programming to help families on their journey to becoming fully self-sufficient.

In 2023, Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM) provided $100,000 in grant funding to CCSCT to fund their housing support programs across their service area. The grant also supported the renovation of a new public outreach facility in Karnes County, where unhoused individuals can come for connections to resources, as well as use printing and computer services.

“It (the grant funding) has been instrumental in providing assistance to low-income families when funding is low or when we are unable to serve that population,” Carol Delgado, program officer at CCSCT, commented. “MHM funding has allowed us to provide assistance that we normally wouldn’t be able to provide.”

The grant provided by MHM will also, in part, go towards the building of a new outreach facility in Karnes County with the hopes of providing basic resources such as a computer lab, breaking down transportation barriers, as well as directing clients to much-needed programs offered by CCSCT.

“A homeless person or unhoused person is not going to be able to travel to our Seguin office or our Jourdanton office so they can go through the front door [at our Karnes office],” Kenneth Loy, Program Manager and Veteran’s Resource Coordinator, commented. “It allows people down there to have a local place to help address an unhoused issue.”

One of the programs CCSCT provides is home and rental assistance in the form of the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program (TBRA) which offers security and utility deposits as well as rental subsidies for up to 24 months while the household engages in a self-sufficiency program. Securing safe and secure shelter as well as food and water is key to facilitating access to healthcare and other needs for unhoused populations.

CCSCT also provides support for eligible former members of the military through their Veteran’s Financial Assistance program. The program is supported by a grant from the Texas Veteran’s Commission Fund for Veteran’s Assistance and provides short-term services such as one-time utility payments and one-time rent or mortgage payments.

The ERA2 program is an initiative set forth by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to assist eligible families with financial assistance and housing stability. It’s through this program that CCSCT has been able to receive funding to help transition families and individuals out of homelessness and into permanent living spaces. CCSCT has seen a 40% success rate with transitioning eligible households from temporary and semi-permanent living areas and into permanent housing.

“The two basic needs that people look for are food and shelter,” Loy said. “And so, when you address food and shelter, you allow a person the freedom to do other things like pursue healthcare.”

If you or a loved one would like to contact the Community Council of South-Central Texas, visit their website and find a location near you to get in contact with a representative today.

CCSCT Website: https://www.ccsct.org/

Celebrating our 2023 SA Worx Summer Interns

DW Admin on July 27, 2023

For some recent high school graduates, the summer before starting college is filled with days at the pool, spending time with friends, and maybe preparing for their first time living away from home. For Bobbie Campos, oral health intern, summer is an opportunity to learn, grow, and serve her community. Campos is currently completing her second internship with the oral health team at Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Dixon Health & Wellness Center as part of the 2023 SA Worx program, where she and other interns are developing lifelong transferrable skills that they can take to any career.

The SA Worx program connects students across San Antonio to internship opportunities with organizations working in their areas of interest. It is an industry-led program that provides educators with student resources to pass along while also creating a reliable source of strong talent across multiple industries here in San Antonio.

MHM has participated in the SA Worx program for over 7 years and continues to be the program’s largest partner with over 28 interns housed in facilities across San Antonio for the 2023 program. Interns at MHM can select an area of interest such as oral health, behavioral health or recreation and work on-site with MHM team members serving our patients and clients.

Interns are also encouraged to attend several workshops that further enhance their experience at MHM while providing professional development opportunities for the students. Workshops covered topics such as Gallup Strengths, where interns learn more about their strongest qualities and how to use them for professional growth.

“It has made me look at my strengths in our strength finders’ workshop, we learn different strategies that help you realize everything that you want to be and everything you’re already good at,” Savanna Rodriguez said. “So that way, you can grow in that area.”

Rodriguez is currently completing her second internship at MHM as a Behavioral Health Intern, an opportunity that has allowed her to grow personally and professionally over the years.

“I have anxiety going in crowds and just sparking up a conversation. But here I’ve learned that you don’t have to be scared because everybody is very welcoming here specifically.” Rodriguez said. “But even if they’re not, I’ve learned that you can be that welcoming person and you can spark up the conversation when somebody else feels nervous.”

MHM’s Talent Management team, consisting of Brittani Dmitriev and Diane Rodriguez, have facilitated the partnership with SA Worx and the internship program. Together, they manage the interns by department and facilitate learning opportunities throughout the duration of the program.

“Seeing the interns that returned from last year to this year, you can definitely see the difference,” Dmitriev said. “They’re very confident in themselves and in the work that they’re doing. It’s giving them experience and it’s also helping them personally just grow, from teenager to young adult.”

The interns are now completing their final week in the internship program as schools preparing to reopen for the upcoming school year. While most of the interns will be returning to complete high school, Bobbie Campos will be starting her first semester at Palo Alto College’s dental program.

“It has inspired me to go into this occupation. I knew I wanted to be in the dental field, but I didn’t know which part.” Bobbie said. “So just getting the experience in the different areas made my mind so set on being a dental hygienist.”

Are you or someone you know interested in the SA Worx program and interning at MHM? Visit the link below to learn more about the SA Worx program and how you can apply for the next cohort:

https://greatersatx.com/sa-worx/programs/internships/

Men’s Health Awareness Month – One Patient’s Access to Care Journey

DW Admin on June 30, 2023

June is recognized as Men’s Health Month across the nation and it’s a time to encourage men everywhere to take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing. With over 13.2% men over the age of 18 considered to be in poor health, according to the CDC, it’s important to create a space to share stories and resources that emphasize the holistic wellbeing of the men in the communities we serve.

At Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we have a variety of programs and resources to help men along their health journeys. One story from our Wesley Nurse program is a great example of how men can utilize these resources to get access to care for unique issues they face.

On Wednesday nights, Marlene Anders, our Wesley Nurse in Travis County goes to the Lakeway Food Bank where she works with community members to provide food for low-income individuals in her area. As the MHM Wesley Nurse in that area for over nine years, she’s built a network that provides help to each other when needed.

“It’s a system that I just find remarkable because I collaborate with them and sometimes people will come in and say that if you can help them with this, they’ll help you with that,” Marlene said. “It’s a very give and take relationship and it works very well.”

Although Lakeway City is a higher income area with an average household earning around $143,000 per year, according to the U.S. Census (2017-2021), there are still what Marlene calls “pockets of poverty” where people live without access to clean water, plumbing or even showers. These communities are around HWY 62 and Apache Shores where inhabitants are often unseen and sometimes unwanted.

Marlene met one of these community members through working with the Food Bank and happened into a conversation she was not expecting. The man had been a client of the food bank for several years, but she had not had the chance to meet with him yet.

“My badge said I was an RN so he started up this conversation and I could tell he was anxious. I could tell he was in some kind of pain and so he just kind of blurted out his problem,” Marlene said. “And it took me back a little bit because that’s one issue I haven’t come up against and it had me going through all of my knowledge from school.”

The patient noted a strange pain in his groin and trouble urinating which after diagnosing as a testicular hydrocele, Marlene recommended that the patient immediately go to an emergency room.

The patient, who did not have insurance, worked with Marlene to apply to the Travis County Medical Access Program or MAP. Through this process, Marlene also found out that the patient lived in a small lean-to shed in Apache Shores where he did not have access to toilet or shower facilities. The patient also had no access to transportation, making access to care much more difficult. After this process, she met with the patient at Seton Emergency Room after arranging transportation and prior paperwork.

“They ended up calling the security guard on him because they thought he was a homeless person,” Marlene explained. “This is what he’s up against.”

From there, Marlene worked with the patient to undergo an operation that would temporarily relieve the pain and other symptoms by negotiating with the clinic staff to bring down the out-of-pocket costs for the procedure to $84 which she paid using Wesley Nurse special funds. While the procedure was only temporary, she’s still working with the patient to acquire personal transportation and access to a more permanent solution to his health issue.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Marlene said. “Not anything that happens overnight, because they didn’t get into their situation overnight either.”

Marlene, who has been with MHM for ~~over~~ 26 years since she started in 1997, has worked with many patients who face extreme poverty and the biases that come with it. There are over 3.7 million people in Texas living at or below the poverty line and over 5 million individuals without health insurance according to data from Every Texan, formerly the Center of Public Policy Priorities.

“We’ve been talking a lot about health equity and the state where everybody can attain their full potential of health no matter what their circumstances.” Marlene said, reflecting on the experience with the patient. “But we’ve always been doing it. I think that what I do now is the same as what I did back in 1997.”

At MHM, we approach health from a holistic perspective that considers the entire wellbeing of our patients and communities. For more information on men’s health and resources to share, view the links below.

Additional Resources:

Center for Disease Control Men’s Health Fast Stats: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mens-health.htm
My HealthFinder: https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/doctor-visits/regular-checkups/men-take-charge-your-health#the-basics-tab

May 2023 Calendar of Events – WHWC

DW Admin on May 3, 2023

Click here to download a copy of our Wesley Health & Wellness Center – Calendar of Events for May 2023.

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March 2023 Calendar of Events – WHWC

DW Admin on March 2, 2023

Click here to download a copy of our Wesley Health & Wellness Center – Calendar of Events for March 2023.

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February 2023 Calendar of Events – WHWC

DW Admin on February 9, 2023

Click here to download a copy of our Wesley Health & Wellness Center – Calendar of Events for February 2023.

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December 2022 Calendar of Events – WHWC

DW Admin on December 8, 2022

Click here to download a copy of our Wesley Health & Wellness Center – Calendar of Events for December 2022.

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An Economic Mobility Study Building Upon the Strengths of San Antonio

DW Admin on September 22, 2022

On August 31, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, along with key partners and members of the community gathered at The Neighborhood Place in the Westside of San Antonio to learn more about how economic mobility approaches and interventions can positively impact the city of San Antonio and other communities.

The more than 100 attendees at the event listened to a keynote presentation by Charles J. Homer, M.D., M.P.H who has served as a clinician and researcher on national healthcare, education, and economic mobility focused initiatives. His presentation gave an in-depth look into why it is important to address inter-generational poverty in our communities and strategies that promote economic mobility. He also discussed how different interventions, such as cash assistance, and science-based coaching and recognition, can work together to positively impact individual and community-wide health and life outcomes. Click here to view his remarks.

After lunch, a panel discussion focused on how one local intervention—the San Antonio G.O.A.L.S. Initiative—has the potential to transform and strengthen the financial independence and well-being of resilient individuals and families. Click here to read more about the San Antonio G.O.A.L.S. Initiative. The panel, moderated by Dr. Homer, included representatives from our key community partners on the G.O.A.L.S. Initiative, alongside our President & CEO, Jaime Wesolowski.

Community Conversation Panelists

Charles J. Homer, M.D., M.P.H (moderator)
Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO, Methodist Healthcare Ministries
Kim Janey, President and CEO, EMPath
Mary Garr, President and CEO, Family Service
Andrea Figueroa, Executive Director, Empower House
Erica Sosa, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and Associate Professor, Public Health, UTSA HCAP

The San Antonio G.O.A.L.S. Initiative

Methodist Healthcare Ministries commissioned The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Health Community and Policy (HCAP) to serve as third-party evaluators of the economic mobility research study, looking at two different interventions: cash assistance and economic coaching, specifically EMPath’s Mobility Mentoring^®.

The research focuses on understanding how Cash Assistance and a type of partnership called Mobility Mentoring^® contribute to financial stability and economic mobility in Bexar County. We want to understand the combined impact of these interventions on financial self-sufficiency, while learning about the factors or participant characteristics that affect the impacts of the interventions. We want to learn about what works best for different people in Bexar County. Recruitment is currently underway . The application is open to individuals ages 18-60 who live in one of 13 priority zip codes with an income that is less than 150% of the federal poverty line. Families living in these zip codes have some of the highest levels of poverty in Bexar County. One person per household may apply, and 575 people will be selected to participate.

After two years, we hope that the findings we learn can help inform our future strategies and investments around economic mobility, as well as serve as a model for other communities and organizations to follow. Ultimately, we want to see what impact these interventions can have on health and well-being of these community members and imagine what this could mean for all of South Texas.

During the Q&A portion of our community conversation, several attendees asked how the G.O.A.L.S. Initiative would take into consideration the difficulty our communities experience with participation in research. Attendees shared that fear of discrimination, language difficulties and lack of access to healthcare were some of the reasons community members do not participate in research studies. The G.O.A.L.S. Initiative is internally guided by Dr. Inez Cruz, who leads Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ research efforts. Dr. Cruz acknowledged that “historically a tension exists between diverse communities, especially communities of color, and research recruitment.” She noted that two prominent deterrents to participation in research studies are lack of trust and appropriate incentives. However, over the years Latino researchers, and researchers in general, have striven to address these concerns.

Dr. Cruz added, “As a researcher, I need diverse communities, to participate in research if we want our findings to be reflective of the community we serve.” For San Antonio, this means not only Latino/a/x, immigrant, and Black community members but also other individuals and communities historically underrepresented in research, including indigenous communities and people with disabilities. The G.O.A.L.S. Initiative began with community surveys and focus groups to ensure that our research directly incorporated community feedback. Methodist Healthcare Ministries has partnered with trusted community-based nonprofits (Family Service and Empower House). The study will be accessible to participants in English and Spanish and we will also work to accommodate other languages and individuals with disabilities in an effort to reduce barriers to participate. And finally, the G.O.A.L.S. Initiative recognizes the value of our community’s time and expertise. At a minimum each participant can receive $250 in gift cards over the two years for completing surveys with the potential for either economic coaching, cash assistance or a combination of both.

Why is Methodist Healthcare Ministries supporting this effort?

Two years ago, Methodist Healthcare Ministries commemorated 25 years of service to communities across South Texas. As we crossed the quarter-century mark, we asked ourselves: “Were the health and well-being of communities across South Texas improving?”

The answer for many of our patients and clients was—yes! However, when we looked at overall population health metrics across communities in our service area, we saw that many community-wide metrics were not improving. We knew we had to set a course for the next 25 years to make broader, community-wide impact. So, we committed ourselves to a new strategic vision and plan rooted in health equity.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Commitment to Health Equity:

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. believes that to improve the wellness of the least served and fully live out its mission of “Serving Humanity to Honor God,” it must recognize the inequities inherent in its communities that contribute to poor health outcomes. Health Equity is both the process and goal by which Methodist Healthcare Ministries seeks to carry out that purpose. Health Equity is a framework of thought and action that strives to reduce racial and socio-economic disparities and create fair and just opportunities for every person to reach their full potential for health and life and contribute to that of others.

As part of our new strategic plan and focus on health equity, we committed to impacting systemic change in the communities we serve, and economic mobility is one of our focus areas.

Our work to advance health equity includes addressing systemic and root causes of inequity to disrupt the cycle of inter-generational poverty. As we examined those roots, poverty, especially generational poverty, stood out as being one of the strongest risk factors for poor health. Particularly, the link between financial well-being—and physical and mental health.

Financial independence directly contributes to our quality of life—it impacts where we can live, what types of foods and services we can access, the quality of our education and access to healthcare. Generational poverty is when poverty persists in a family for at least two generations and is affected by employment, economic, education, and other community-wide systems that have historically excluded and marginalized entire communities through racism, sexism, and other injustices. To disrupt cycles of generational poverty and improve the social and economic factors that impact community health outcomes, solutions must acknowledge the inherent dignity of each person and the circumstances that exist across communities. Solutions should build upon existing assets of individuals and communities and allow individuals and families to best meet their financial needs and life goals.

There are several steps Methodist Healthcare Ministries is committed to taking in order to address generational poverty and promote prosperity. We are going to identify, invest in, and support approaches that address root causes of poverty and financial outcomes for individuals and families living in poverty. We will focus on strengthening financial inclusion, knowledge, behaviors and opportunities through financial information, education and coaching opportunities, along with capital and asset building to develop financial capability and security.

Our hope is that in two years, when the results of this economic study emerge, we will have a clear understanding of the approaches and strategies that can help strengthen families and foster thriving communities across our service area. We hope the findings will be a model for other organizations and communities to follow to promote generational prosperity across the country.

It’s a lofty goal, for sure, but doing so will be just one more example of our efforts to bring the words of John Wesley to life. We’ll be doing all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, to all the people we can, as long as ever we can.

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Lessons Learned from Value-Based Grant Program

DW Admin on July 7, 2022

Since 1996, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has invested more than $412 million in grants within our 74-county service-area. We believe that everyone deserves a fair opportunity to make the choices that lead to good health. Traditionally, our Community Investments department has made it a priority to promote access to clinical care in underserved communities, but we also recognize that root causes of poor health outcomes must be addressed if we are to achieve health equity and intervene effectively to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

With a national movement towards value-based payment models by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other payors, in 2016 Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Community Investments department developed a new grant program aligned with value-based concepts. These concepts included emphasizing quality of care rather than quantity of care and incentivizing health improvement through a flexible funding model.

This program, initially called Integrated Health Improvement, focused on improving specific health outcomes for a qualified panel of patients. A funding amount was allotted per patient on the panel, consisting of a base amount and incentive amounts. If the panel of patients reached the health outcome goal(s) by the end of the year, the funded partner received the incentive payment(s) for the goal(s) that was met. To the department’s knowledge, this program was one of the first, if not the first, value-based program from a regional nonprofit funder in South Texas, and it inspired another funder in our service area to support a similar program.

From 2017 to 2021, Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ value-based grant program served complex care patients in South Texas. During this time period, 15 of our Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) funded partners participated in this program.

Since the first grant year in 2017, the value-based program went through many adjustments, which were informed by funded partner feedback and outcome performance. One of the most notable changes to the program was the addition of prevention components after hearing from grantees that preventive measures were key to improving the health of the patient populations they served. The program was aptly renamed “Integrated Health Improvement & Prevention”.

Throughout the years, key program components remained similar—including patient eligibility, which specified that panel patients needed to be over 18 years of age, uninsured or underinsured, low-income, and patients must have at least two of the required comorbidities. Comorbidities included depression, pre-diabetes or diabetes, hypertension, and overweight or obesity. Health outcome goals also remained similar and reflected the specified comorbidities.

As we reflect on the program, we think there were many successes. Flexible funding allowed our partners to use their grant dollars in ways best suited to achieve program success. Some partners used this program to try new things for their health centers, like case management, patient dashboards, and program contracts/agreements with patients. During the program, partners increased their quality of care, including improving documentation, establishing and improving workflows, and strengthening follow-up with patients. These changes also helped grantees better prepare for reports and reviews from other funders. Their efforts helped to establish a consistent source of health care for patients, and patients exhibited improvement in their health. As we spent additional time with partners at their centers and communicated with them through email and phone to provide technical assistance and for audits, our relationships with partners strengthened.

There were also challenges with the program. Grantees, especially in rural areas, often have staff that wear multiple hats, making this complex program difficult to implement and manage. The program required ample staff time and training to develop and implement many processes, including finding or recruiting patients that met panel criteria, documenting their clinical data and financial information, and reporting back on patient level data four times a year. As partners built new processes, some encountered challenges with their electronic health record or billing systems. Once set-up and staff training were completed, another challenge that arose was patient attrition due to reasons such as patients moving, changing providers, or changing phone numbers. This made it difficult to fill the patient panel and keep patients engaged in care to help meet the challenging program metrics.

To help our partners with their challenges, we provided one-on-one technical assistance, held workshops, and sought their continuous feedback and suggestions through surveys and multiple check-ins. We modified and simplified the program design where we could. Modifications included explaining program elements more thoroughly and adjusting the program metrics to be more achievable. We simplified the reporting as the years went on, aiming to ask for only what was needed to determine panel eligibility, panel size, and metric attainment. We also connected partners with each other, to share ideas on electronic health record templates, program set-up, and eligibility documentation. If the challenges were too extensive for the partner—such as consistently not meeting their panel size or not meeting most goals—we transitioned them to another grant structure.

Many lessons were learned throughout the program, and in 2021 the program came to an end at Methodist Healthcare Ministries, as our organization changed its strategy around grant-making to be focused on achieving health equity and breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty by addressing root causes and the Social Determinants of Health.

Our funded partner, Gateway Community Health Center, designed their value-based program, “Lado A Lado” or “Side by Side”, for their clinic locations in and around Laredo, Texas, and had great success with the value-based program. Gateway shared their experience with the program, and how it impacted their clinics and the lives of their patients in the video below.