Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal

Category: Health Care

  • Prism Health North Texas selects CFO

    Prism Health North Texas (PHNTX) has hired a new Chief Financial Officer.

    Javier Vallejo joined the organization on June 21. Vallejo was selected from more than 40 applicants under a national search conducted by Milburn Partners, Inc. He is a seasoned accountant with more than nine years of specialized health care experience. His background includes healthcare management, audit and attestation, tax preparation, consulting, outsourcing, and other compliance services for a range of healthcare entities.

    Vallejo received his B.B.A. in accounting from the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business, a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from the Texas Tech Health Science Center, and a Master of Legal Studies – Healthcare Law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina. Vallejo holds several professional certifications, including Certified Revenue Cycle Representative and is a member of both the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Hospital Financial Management Association.

    Vallejo’s last role was serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Deaf Smith County Hospital District/Hereford Regional Medical Center. In this role, he oversaw both a rural hospital and outpatient health center with an average patient service revenue of $50 million dollars. His accomplishments included the optimization of the facility’s revenue cycle, successful negotiations with third party insurers, and improved relationships with state and federal funders. Prior to this role, Vallejo was with CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP and Durbin & Company, LLC as a healthcare auditor and senior accountant. 

    Prism Health North Texas is the region’s largest HIV and AIDS service organization, serving over 13,000 patients in the region including over 5,000 living with HIV. Roughly 30% of people living with HIV in North Texas receive medical care and support at one of its four health centers. In addition to operating clinics, pharmacies, and a nationally renowned clinical research department, the organization focuses on behavioral health, healthcare access, and education.

    Prism Health North Texas opened services in 1986 during the HIV/AIDS crisis in North Texas, through an initial grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The agency has recently expanding services to address the rise in sexually transmitted infections in Dallas County and North Texas.

  • James L. West Center fosters culture of care with employee aid program

    James L. West Center fosters culture of care with employee aid program

    Since June, North Texas has experienced some of the hottest days on record. As the longstanding heat wave settled in, the James L. West Center for Dementia Care looked to not only meet the needs of its clients, turning concern to the agency’s employees as well. 

    Earlier this summer, the West Center’s leadership team asked each employee if they were living in an environment with adequate air conditioning to protect themselves and their families. Four employees immediately provided notification they were living without AC. Through an employee giving fund created three years ago to support the West Center’s staff in times of need or crisis, work began immediately to purchase cooling units and other necessities. 

    The West Center is a faith-inspired nonprofit serving those impacted by dementia. The agency provides personalized care and support for families, as well as specialized education for caregivers, healthcare professionals and the community. It was founded by Eunice P. West, who witnessed the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on her husband, Fort Worth business leader and philanthropist James L. West. A grand opening for the West Center was held in 1993. Major funding was provided by the James L. and Eunice P. West Charitable Trust through First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth.

    The West Center’s Employee Aid Fund was established as a “pay it forward” opportunity just prior to the pandemic. Through bi-weekly payroll deductions, more than $7,000 has been collected to date. 

    Post-pandemic, the fund’s existence took on greater meaning. The long-term care community has been considered “ground zero” for COVID-19 and among the least attractive places to work. Staffing shortages and attrition have intensified. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that long-term care facilities have lost more than 400,000 employees since the start of the pandemic. Long-term care workforce levels are at their lowest in 15 years.

    The issue is so significant that in January, industry advocates from LeadingAge, a nonprofit organization representing more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers, called on the Biden administration and Congress to deliver emergency relief for senior living and other long-term care providers. The group advocated one-time $2,000 relief payments to the nation’s 4.6 million direct care workers, among other measures.

    Leaders at the West Center view taking care of its ’employee family’ as a way to help buoy the agency during these times of staffing challenges.

    “The West Center’s greatest asset is its amazing healthcare workforce,” said Cheryl Harding, CEO of James L. West Center for Dementia Care. “Our employee family is the heart of the Center and through the Employee Aid Program, we can illustrate how the Center’s nonprofit status and culture of philanthropy is embraced from the inside out.”

    Recent response efforts through the Employee Aid Fund didn’t stop with air conditioning. As leadership continued to ask employees about their needs, other concerns were identified. Staff members needed assistance with medical bills, beds, secure housing for someone fleeing abuse and more.

    The West Center reports that the Employee Aid Fund has expended more than $4,800 in cash or merchandise grants to support employees so far. In addition to disbursing resources from the fund, an on-staff fund coordinator has worked to identify additional community resources for addressing long-term needs.

    Creating a culture of generosity, integrity and support is the goal.

    “We know that when we take care of the needs of our employees, our employees come to work with energy and a commitment to our residents,” said Harding. 

  • Game, Set, Match – 35th Anniversary party for The Magdalen House propels mission

    The Magdalen House announces it raised more than $50,000 at the second annual Game, Set, Match event on May 21 at Lakewood Country Club. Funds will cover the cost of live-saving recovery services for 27 women who enroll in the organization’s First Step program.

    A recovery community for alcoholic women, The Magdalen House helps clients achieve and sustain sobriety at no cost. It’s programs are based on 12-step spiritual principles. It has provided free services in North Texas since 1987.

    In celebration of organization’s 35th anniversary this year, the fundraising event featured an 80’s theme. Activities included tennis, live music and food. Tickets were $200 each, which included one guaranteed game of tennis, drinks and dinner. Attendees could choose from three levels of play – beginner, intermediate and Fast4 Knock-Out tournament (Advanced). An award ceremony followed all play. .

    According to a recent study, women increased their drinking by 41% before the pandemic. Today, there are over 250,000 alcoholic women in North Texas alone. Less than 1 in 15 alcoholic women (only 6.9%) will seek formal help. Because women face more stigmatization, shame, family responsibilities, and socioeconomic barriers than men, they frequently have co-occurring disorders and are less likely to seek treatment.

    The Magdalen House offers comprehensive programs.

    • First Step program: A two-week, residential program for an alcoholic woman who wants to stop drinking but cannot. She is provided with the education and resources to achieve sobriety and build a foundation of recovery.
    • Next Step program: A three-phase, nonresidential program for an alcoholic woman at any stage of recovery. She is provided with support and structure to sustain her recovery while growing in her knowledge of 12-Step spiritual principles.
    • Meetings and Fellowship: Solution-focused classes, meetings, and workshops are provided for alcoholic women at every stage of recovery, 365 days a year. We also have dedicated volunteers who provide Family Support to families and loved ones of alcoholics.
    • Resources and Education: Community partnerships help us connect alcoholic women and their families to resources that include sober living, counseling, and women’s health. At the same time, education initiatives allow us to reach and serve more alcoholic women.

    “For 35 years, we have proudly changed the lives of so many alcoholic women by offering compassion and support at every stage of recovery,” says Lisa Kroencke executive director of The Magdalen House. “Funds generated by Game, Set, Match empower us to offer programs that provide solution-based education and resources to alcoholic women as well as their families and loved ones.”

  • Birthday Benefit pays off for Grant Halliburton Foundation

    The tenth anniversary Eric Nadel Birthday Benefit has raised more than $100,000 for Grant Halliburton Foundation.

    Held on June 2 at the Kessler Theater, the event featured a VIP party for sponsors, live and silent auctions and music acts including Cas Haley as the headliner. It was presented by Bell Nunnally and 105.3 The Fan served as media sponsor.

    The event included a new feature for 2022. Guests enjoyed Texas Rangers-themed snack vendors, such as those that would be seen at a baseball game. The baseball-themed treats included sunflowers seeds, Cracker Jacks, Big League Chew bubble gum, Baby Ruth candy bars and roasted peanuts. 

    Eric Nadel, the voice of the Texas Rangers, welcomed attendees to his 70th birthday party benefit concert. Kevin Hall, Grant Halliburton Foundation president, also spoke at the event. Proceeds from the fundraiser support the Foundation’s mental health and suicide prevention education programs for North Texas children, teens and young adults.

    Grant Halliburton Foundation was established in 2006 in memory of a Dallas teen who battled depression and bipolar disorder for several years before his suicide death at the age of 19. The Foundation that bears his name works to help families and young people recognize the signs of mental illness through a variety of avenues including education, conferences, collaboration and encouragement. Since its inception, the Foundation has provided mental health education, training, and support to more than 250,000 students, educators, parents, and professionals.

    The Foundation also offers free community tools that provide easy access for North Texans seeking mental health and addiction information and resources.

  • Prism Health North Texas opens pride clinic

    Prism Health North Texas (PHNTX) announces the opening of its Pride Clinic, an after hours STI and HIV testing service that is free and available to anyone.

    The Pride Clinic is open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays at PHNTX’s Worth Street Health Center at 4004 Worth Street in Dallas. Patients can be tested for HIV and common STIs including syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. 

    According to 2018 data from Dallas County, STI infections were on rise in the metroplex. While new STI infection data has not been released by the County since 2018, PHNTX has seen this upward trend of infection continue, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    “While it is difficult to give a current rate of STI infection in North Texas, we do continue to observe a greater need for our STI treatment services,” Alexander Ortega, PHNTX Program Manager of Core Prevention said. “We are seeing patients that many times do not know that they have contracted an STI or HIV, which is why it is important to not only test regularly for STIs but to increase how often you are tested when you have multiple partners or are engaging in more sexual activity than usual.”

    Once testing is complete, results are reviewed by PHNTX medical providers and patients are offered referrals to any needed services including treatment options, linkage to PrEP and HIV services, and additional general health screenings recommended.

    In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, PHNTX absorbed much of the demand for STI testing in Dallas County, rapidly expanding its telehealth services in early 2020.

    “Fortunately, during the pandemic we were able to step up and fill in many gaps in testing availability here in Dallas,” Ortega added. “Now that we have moved into a new phase, we feel that it is important to make testing not only available to the community, but truly accessible so that it is easy and convenient. We look forward to welcoming folks after their work day is over.”

    The organization serves over 10,000 patients in North Texas, including more than 5,000 currently receiving HIV care. As typical HIV treatment costs $48,876 annually, prevention, education, and regular testing are essential in maintaining physical, mental, and financial stability.

    PHNTX opened services in 1986 during the HIV/AIDS crisis in North Texas, through an initial grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Formed as AIDS Arms Network out of the Communities Foundation of Texas, PHNTX for the past 35 years has connected people living with HIV to care and services in the area. PHNTX evolved to be a nationally recognized leader in delivering high-quality HIV and sexual health services, most recently expanding services to address the alarming rise in sexually transmitted infections in Dallas County and North Texas. Roughly 30% of people living with HIV in North Texas receive medical care and support at one of the four health centers. 

    All of PHNTX’s services are available to North Texans regardless of insurance or socioeconomic status. Walk-ins are welcome and appointments can be made online. 

  • Prism Health North Texas receives statewide award

    Prism Health North Texas’ (PHNTX) Free World Bound program has been awarded the Reentry and Integration Division Award as part of the Texas Governor’s 2022 Criminal Justice Volunteer Service Awards.

    The award was presented by Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chairman Patrick O’Daniel and TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier during an online ceremony.

    The Free World Bound program, which works with ethnic minority individuals who are currently living with or are at risk for HIV and who are currently or previously incarcerated, includes HIV prevention services and linkage to medical care to help them succeed within society. In late 2021, the program was awarded two grants by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), allowing it to expand from 30 prisons to becoming available to any of the 61 prisons in the state of Texas. 

    Daron Kirven, PHNTX Senior Director of Community Outreach, and Nadia Mitchell, Program Manager, accepted the award in Austin. Kirven was essential to the establishment of the Free World Bound program in 2001, and has been integral to its development and expansion since then. 

    “In the 21 years we have been working with incarcerated Texans through Free World Bound, we have been proud to provide support and solutions that lead to success upon reentry to society,” said Kirven.

    In addition to linking the incarcerated individuals to medical care and providing HIV and STI testing, Free World Bound provides assistance with referrals to essential services, linkage to social services, procurement of HIV medication or PrEP, housing and transportation, behavioral health services, emergency financial assistance, and with HIV, STI, and substance misuse prevention education.

    The program works to further Prism Health North Texas’ mission to advance the health of North Texas through education, research, prevention, and personalized integrated HIV care. When being released from incarceration, healthcare can fall in priorities when compared to housing, food, transportation, and employment. The Free World Bound program works to maintain access to healthcare, HIV care, and PrEP in order to set a solid foundation for success in other areas of life upon reentering the free world. 

    Prism Health North Texas opened services in 1986 during the HIV/AIDS crisis in North Texas, through an initial grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It formed as AIDS Arms Network out of the Communities Foundation of Texas. PHNTX evolved to be a nationally recognized leader in delivering high-quality HIV and sexual health services, most recently expanding services to address the alarming rise in sexually transmitted infections in Dallas County and North Texas. Roughly 30% of people living with HIV in North Texas receive medical care and support at one of the four health centers.

  • Bryan’s House adopts off-campus hybrid work model

    Amid the on-going impact of COVID-19, Bryan’s House has shifted operations to a co-working location that will allow the organization to deliver its mission while keeping children in its care safe.

    Bryan’s House serves medically fragile, at-risk children in six North Texas counties. The new initiative will allow staff to host trainings, team workshops, partner agency meetings and more via a new innovation lab at WORK214 in Uptown Dallas. It features a five-desk dedicated work space for a six-month period that begins in April.

    “Bryan’s House has a need to bring people together as it continues telling its story during the COVID era and having this innovation lab separate from the children on our West Dallas campus will help us do that,” said Bryan’s House CEO Abigail Erickson-Torres. “Also, this new hybrid working model and unique, inspiring space will reinvigorate the Bryan’s House team as it does this important work.”

    The venue has modern common areas and meeting rooms that Bryan’s House board members as well as the agency’s volunteer Jubilee Society can utilize for regular meetings. Client meetings will not be held in the space.

    The transition will free-up space in the Bryan’s House campus for mission-critical clinical services. It allows for broader geographic reach and provides a new way for businesses to be exposed to the work that Bryan’s House does. Work214 also hosts monthly social hours that the organization’s staff and board can attend, allowing new individuals to learn about its mission.

    “This space will be quieter than the hustle and bustle that goes on at our West Dallas campus, where we care for children from birth through age 6,” Erickson-Torres said. “It will give the staff a chance to think more creatively about the problems we solve. I envision this space as a think tank to re-energize both our board and staff to envision all that Bryan’s House can be.”

    Bryan’s House departments – children’s programs, social services, development and operations – will rotate use of the innovation lab. The agency hopes this unique partnership will serve to redefine the way nonprofits and corporations can work together to achieve critical community goals.

    Bryan’s House was founded in 1988 at the peak of the HIV/AIDS crisis and works with at-risk children who have special needs. The agency has helped thousands of North Texas families get their lives on track and their children in stable early childhood education programs that also care for their medical and therapeutic needs.

    The pilot hybrid workplace initiative was funded by gifts from donors Sarah Losinger and Rust E. Reid.

  • Taylor’s Gift Foundation creates program for organ donor families

    Taylor’s Gift Foundation announced today during National Donate Life Month in April that the organization will partner with Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) to offer a new emotional support program known as “Kindred Hearts” and designed specifically for donor families.

    “Our goal with the Kindred Hearts program is to fill in a gap for families of organ and tissue donors when it comes to emotional support,” said Tara Storch, co-founder of Taylor’s Gift Foundation. “We want to step into that space, providing donor families with caring support and also the ability to connect with people who have experienced similar emotional pain and trauma.  We don’t want financial constraints to ever be a reason that a donor family isn’t able to get the emotional support they need, so all of our services have no fees.”

    Donor families from across the country who participate in the Taylor’s Gift Kindred Hearts Program receive personal access to support groups and Caring Guides, trained to help them navigate through their grief journey. The groups are offered both virtually and in-person for individual and family groups.

    Twelve years ago, Storch and her husband, Todd, were searching for similar emotional support when they lost their oldest child, Taylor, in a tragic skiing accident. Taylor went on to become an organ donor, saving and improving the lives of five people. While this fact brought comfort to the Storches, it also surfaced many other emotions they weren’t equipped to handle. Their own personal experience motivated them to create their nonprofit, Taylor’s Gift Foundation, and subsequently, the Kindred Hearts Program.

    “The grief process is difficult and challenging for many donor families who often struggle with the unexpected loss of a loved one,” said TOSA Donor Family Aftercare Manager Adriana Almanza. “TOSA is looking forward to being able to support the families of heroic organ donors with individualized support that Taylor’s Gift and their Kindred Hearts Program provides. We know families will benefit from working with an organization led by a donor family who can relate to them.”

    Dr. Macey Levan, Associate Professor of Surgery and Population health for NYU Lagone Health and the Director of the Center for Surgical and Transplant Applied Research Qualitative Core, has been working with Taylor’s Gift Foundation on the Kindred Hearts Program. Currently, she and her team are working on a pilot program and research study surrounding the program.

    “Organ donation and transplantation can be difficult to understand, especially for a family suffering a traumatic loss. Our team of researchers is working on national efforts with Taylor’s Gift Foundation’s Kindred Hearts Program to improve the care of donor families by offering dedicated emotional support and improving the culture of organ donation in America. We know the Kindred Hearts Program can fill a community need that we have determined through our ongoing research,” said Levan.

    Taylor’s Gift Foundation hopes to offer the Kindred Hearts Program to organ procurement organizations (OPOs) across the country, so that donor families have open access to the emotional support they so desperately need as they cope with such devastating loss.

  • One Tribe Foundation partners with UTA on mental health research

    One Tribe Foundation and researchers at The University of Texas (UTA) are partnering on a study to determine whether veterans and first responders experience therapeutic mental health benefits from motorcycle riding.

    For the study, being led by faculty and students in UTA’s School of Social Work, riders answered survey questions on their experiences with so-called wind therapy. In follow-up interviews, participants discussed how motorcycle riding brought mental clarity and relaxation that lasted anywhere from a few hours to a full night.

    “We were particularly interested in learning how veterans were using non-traditional therapy during COVID-19 to cope with social distancing,” said Donna Schuman, assistant professor of social work at UTA. “There was concern that social isolation would worsen mental health outcomes for veterans, including increasing suicidal thoughts or behaviors.”

    The research team reports it is finding that for many veterans, especially those who typically do not pursue more traditional forms of therapy, riding is a way to cope.

    “Being strong and self-reliant are values inculcated in the military,” Schuman said. “Seeking help can be perceived as a sign of weakness. Even though military members may have been told that it is not weak to seek mental health care, many still struggle with that.”

    One Tribe Foundation’s mission is to create a community that raises awareness and combats suicide by empowering veterans, first responders, medical frontline workers and their families through traditional and non-traditional therapies. Its Wind Therapy Program introduces participants to the therapeutic benefits of motorcycle riding and the supportive nature of the riding community.

    Funding for the project was received from the competitive 2021 Cheryl Milkes Moore Endowed Professorship in Mental Health Research Grant.

    The Wind Therapy Program study remains active and is looking for participants who are over 18 years old and have ridden a motorcycle to manage stress since March 2020. Military service or first responder experience is not required to participate. More information is available on the UTA School of Social Work’s website.

  • Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation supports Hispanic community

    The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation recently hosted an event in partnership with Canales Furniture to open the conversation of suicide and mental health in the Hispanic Community.

    Construyendo por Amor was held on April 12 at All Saints Catholic Church in Fort Worth. The event included Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) training in Spanish. QPR training addresses suicide data, myths and facts, suicide warning signs, and the three steps that one can use save a life.

    Suicide rates among Hispanic youth have nearly doubled over the last decade and are highest among those aged 20-24. Although the conversation regarding suicide and mental health has been improving, there is still significant stigma. Historically marginalized communities have traditionally been left out of the conversation. Education and training can make a vital difference to help those who are struggling in silence.

    The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation’s mission is to eradicate suicide by funding depression research and suicide awareness through education. It was created after the 2012 suicide of Jordan Harris, a young woman from North Richland Hills who was in her senior year at the University of Michigan.  Jordan was high school valedictorian, a National Merit Scholarship winner, a tireless volunteer, and a compassionate champion of those less fortunate. 

    She suffered from a brief bout of depression and ended her life without warning, leaving her devastated family and friends to wonder if they could have done more to save her life. Jordan’s loved ones discovered there were no local programs available in Tarrant County providing evidence-based suicide prevention training and education.  The JEHF was founded in 2014 to undertake that role in Tarrant County.

    The organization will host future Constuyendo por Amor events on the following dates (location TBD):

    • June 21st 6–8 p.m.
    • August 9th 6–8 p.m.
    • October 6th 6-8 p.m.
    • December 8th 6-8 p.m.