Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal

Category: Health Care

  • Children’s Medical Center Foundation receives $500K to support expansion

    Children’s Medical Center Foundation, the fundraising arm of  Children’s Health℠, has received a $500,000 donation to support the expansion at Children’s Medical Center Plano.

    The gift from the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation (JSFF) will focus on pediatric oncology. Children’s Health is one of the largest pediatric health care providers in the country and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas.

    “Annie and I are very grateful to the incredible oncology staff at Children’s Health for their life-saving work,” said Jordan Spieth. “We have a personal connection to pediatric cancer, and to this hospital specifically. And while we hope research continues to make this issue nonexistent in the future, for now, our focus is on improving each family’s experience as much as possible.”

    This is the largest donation granted to any organization from JSFF. In recognition of the gift, the family support lounge that will be located in the newly expanded Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Medical Center Plano, will be named the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation Lounge. The new space will provide respite for patient families with a comfortable lounge area and an enclosed kitchenette designed for families to gather in a calm and welcoming environment with a view of the expanded Plano campus.

    “Within each of our pillars, we want to focus on providing direct support to children and families who are facing challenges,” Annie Spieth said. “Our goal with this gift is to provide thousands of families in North Texas who are facing a diagnosis closer access to the life-saving care of Children’s Medical Center. If we can be a small part of expanding access to treatment and, in turn, give quality time back to these families, then we hopefully contribute toward their healing journey. Jordan and I are very grateful to the incredible oncology staff at Children’s for their life-saving work.”

    JSFF offers a platform for PGA Tour Pro Jordan Spieth and his family to lend time, help grow awareness and offer financial support for four philanthropic areas: individuals with special needs, junior golf, military families and veterans, and pediatric cancer.

    Children’s Health is one of the 2022 beneficiaries within the Foundation’s pediatric cancer pillar. The goal of the Spieth’s foundation is to fund programs that offer direct care for children fighting cancer and their families. This includes supporting child life services, emotional and social therapies, familial respite, and avenues to overcome financial burdens on families when facing a diagnosis.

    “Jordan and Annie Spieth have been longtime supporters of the Children’s Health mission, which they understand deeply,” said Brent Christopher, president of Children’s Medical Center Foundation. “We’re extremely grateful for this generous gift as the Plano campus of Children’s Health expands to meet the growing population of kids in North Texas. Having access to the best pediatric care for children and families close to home is critical. This commitment to help kids battling cancer is at the heart of what it means to make life better for children.”

    Groundbreaking for the Children’s Medical Center Plano campus expansion took place in October 2021 and is expected to be complete by late 2024. Expansion plans for the Plano campus include a new 395,000-square-foot tower to house expanded specialty care programs, such as cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, and neurology, among others. The new tower, which will nearly double the size of the hospital facility, will increase the total number of available beds from 72 to 212.

    Children’s Health cares for children through more than 750,000 patient visits annually. The Children’s Health system includes two hospital campuses: Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Children’s Medical Center Plano; along with the Children’s Health Care Network, specialty centers, rehabilitation facilities and physician services. Children’s Medical Center Dallas continues to be the only North Texas hospital to be ranked in 10 out of 10 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report.

    Through its academic affiliation with UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children’s Health is a leader in life-changing treatments, innovative technology and ground-breaking research. This affiliation led to establishing the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute in 2011, committed to pursuing research in regenerative medicine, cancer biology and metabolism.

    As the fundraising arm for Children’s Health℠, the Children’s Medical Center Foundation provides philanthropic support through partnerships with individual donors, organizations and corporations. These funds support Children’s Health with the enhancement of care, discovery of cures and building of a healthier community across all Children’s Health campuses in an effort to fulfill our mission to make life better for children. All contributions to Children’s Medical Center Foundation directly support patients and their families, ensuring the best experience, best care and ultimately a fighting chance to get back to being a kid again.

  • Methodist Justice Ministry provides new counseling services with new grant funds

    Methodist Justice Ministry provides new counseling services with new grant funds

    Methodist Justice Ministry (MJM) has established a new partnership with Wellness Counseling and Consulting, LLC to help provide life-changing counseling services to help victims of abuse and neglect overcome past trauma and break the generational cycle of abuse by learning new coping skills and healthy behaviors.

    Methodist Justice Ministry supports families who have experienced neglect and domestic violence by providing free legal representation and ongoing support to ensure that the children are with a caring and protective caregiver and the women can lead a life without the fear of violence and abuse.

    The counseling sessions are offered to MJM families at no cost to the clients.

    Wellness Counseling and Consulting, LLC was founded by Mirna Cano, MA, LPC in 2019 and provides therapy to English and Spanish-speaking families. Mirna and her fellow coworker,  Jenifer Ortiz, LMSW, have 24 years of experience in helping families and victims of domestic violence. 

    “Our vision is to restore hope by making counseling services accessible to those that need it the most and break the stigma surrounding mental health issues,” Cano said.

    Supporters of the initiative include the United Methodist Women of First United Methodist Church (UMW) and a Healthy Kids, Healthy Families® (HKHF) grant by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX). The HKHF funding supports BCBSTX’s commitment to community-based organizations supporting children and families that focus on health and wellness and target impacts of socio-economic and social determinants of health, as well as economic opportunity.

    “We are happy to award these grants that will support and nurture meaningful and transformational projects across Texas,” said Sheena Payne, BCBSTX’s director of Community Investments. “Strategically, it is also important that we continue to aid community-based organizations that are directly supporting children and families with health and wellness equity as well as building foundations for economic opportunity.”

    The United Methodist Women of First United Methodist Church is a community of women that is a faith-based organization with a long history of supporting women, youth, and children in the Fort Worth community while gaining inspiration of their own faith journeys.

  • HSC receives $3M grant to increase HIV care workers

    The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) recently was awarded a $3 million grant to address the growing shortage of health care workers who care for people with HIV.

    The scope of the work — funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration over a five-year period — is sprawling and incorporates multiple organizations across several disciplines.

    Dr. Waridibo Allison, vice president of health policy and director of HSC’s Center for Health Policy, will lead a collaborative group of organizations to integrate the National HIV Curriculum e-Learning Platform into health professions programs across the southern U.S. The NHC is a federally funded platform that provides the latest in HIV science, treatment protocols, practices and federal guidelines for educating health professionals on the optimal care for and treatment of people with HIV.

    Allison, who is also an associate professor in the HSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Medical Education & Health Systems Science and director of the national Rural Telementoring Training Center, said her group will focus on health professions programs that have students who tend to remain in the South after graduation. The South is disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. Through this funding, she hopes to increase the number of health care workers caring for people with HIV in communities most in need.

    “The HIV provider workforce in the U.S. is in decline,” Allison said. “The gap between available HIV providers and people with HIV who need their care continues to grow. This need is particularly pronounced across the southern U.S., where the majority of those with HIV live including those in rural communities that face persistent barriers to equitable health care.”

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show the southern U.S. experiences the greatest burden of HIV infection and illness, and lags far behind other regions in providing quality HIV prevention and care.

    One of the key goals of Allison’s team will be to establish a project known as the Targeted Access Knowledge and Education (TAKE) on HIV for Health Professions Programs. The project will use an evidence-based, sustainable and replicable approach to integrating the NHC e-learning program into health professions programs and to collecting, synthesizing and sharing its data.

    Other foundational goals of the project include incorporating telementoring; providing tailored training and technical assistance; recruiting underrepresented minorities into the HIV provider workforce; ensuring the findings and products of the grant are free and widely available to the public; and more.

    Co-investigators for the project are Dr. Stacey Griner, an assistant professor in the HSC School of Public Health, and Dr. Crystal Hodge, assistant professor in the HSC College of Pharmacy.

    “To end the HIV epidemic in the U.S., it is imperative that there is an adequate workforce with sufficient HIV knowledge and expertise to facilitate HIV prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment,” Allison said. “We are grateful to have this funded opportunity to bolster HIV knowledge within the health professions workforce pipeline. It is an opportunity we will not waste.”

  • Juliette Fowler Communities announces plans for 130th anniversary celebration

    Juliette Fowler Communities (JFC), an intergenerational community of residents at various life-stages, recently kicked-off activities to commemorate its 130th anniversary.

    The fourth oldest nonprofit in Dallas, JFC is located on 20 acres in the eastern portion of the city. Over 70 of the organization’s board members, residents, volunteers, and supporters gathered at the University Park home of Katie and Bret Pedigo for a milestone birthday on its behalf at the end of September.

    JFC’s One Heart Society, a membership group that supports the nonprofit’s mission through volunteerism, community awareness and fundraising, organized the event. The One Heart Fund provides $1.1 million in benevolent care and services supporting both older adults and youth programs.

    “Juliette Fowler Communities has an exciting fall planned in our 130 th year with a monumental grand opening happening on our campus in November,” said Nicole Gann, president and CEO, JFC. “The Peak, a $24 million, 144-unit, affordable housing development with supportive services for the ‘forgotten-middle’ seniors – those who are unable to pay market rate for apartments and do not qualify for low-income housing – will address a looming national crisis for this population, expected to double on a national level by 2029. In a city like Dallas, pricing for housing and rent have been escalating and gentrification is forcing seniors who have lived in areas for 40 or 50 years to move. We know that seniors want to stay in their communities, and we have had 400 interested applicants for our 144 units and have already pre-leased two of the available income levels.”

    The development will be the largest building on JFC’s campus and the first of its kind living community in the Dallas area.

    JFC team members are planning an invitation-only grand opening event in November to thank friends and supporters of JFC and The Peak. It will include tours and a picnic basket lunch to represent the tradition of such gatherings and special occasions that date to the early days of the organization, including the opening of Fowler’s first building in 1892.

    Anniversary year celebrations also include a “Get on the Bus and Give” campaign that seeks to raise a $50,000 matching gift to provide a new 14-passenger bus needed to meet the transportation for JFC’s residents.

    “Our residents depend on us for transportation to doctors’ appointments as well as for grocery store runs and other occasions,” said Gann.

    An additional focus area for the organization’s 130th year is continued work in the area of dementia care.

    “We know that approximately 5.5 million are living in the United States with cognitive impairment, and JFC is helping to foster Dementia Friendly Dallas, a movement for a more compassionate city,” said Gann. “We are stepping into a more engaged community for individuals living with dementia and those who care for them. We are expanding what we do and looking at strategic partnerships that can make an impact for the greater community.”

    JFC has also started a new benevolent fund called Friends Helping Friends. The grassroots effort is subsidizing $70,000 in food needs annually.

    JFC’s original mission of caring for widows and orphans has been adapted to a modern-day version of caring for seniors through all levels of care as well as children and youth. The agency supports children through foster and adoption services, youth working to escape or avoid human trafficking or exploitation, and young women at risk for homelessness due to neglect, abuse, or aging out of the foster care system.

    The organization provides independent and assisted living, a Five-Star Quality Rated skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, memory care and affordable senior housing. As the only certified I’m Still Here® Center for Excellence in Dementia Care in Dallas and one of only three in Texas, JFC’s program employs evidence-based techniques to adapt experiences to an individual’s cognitive abilities and strengths.

    JFC has been named a Great Place to Work in the Aging Services Industry each year since 2018.

  • Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice honors North Texas executive

    A Fort Worth-based home care and hospice executive has been selected by the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice (TAHC&H) as its 2022 Chairperson of the Year.

    Jeff Humber, vice president of payor relations for AccentCare of Texas, received the award that recognizes an individual who contributed to the outstanding leadership as a TAHC&H committee chairperson for the past year. The nomination reflects the hard work, activities, and achievements of the committee through the guidance of its leader.

    Humber serves as chair of the TAHC&H Government Affairs Committee and was selected for the award for showing dedication that went above and beyond his chairperson duties. His activities included attending biweekly meetings to move forward the government affairs strategic plan, traveling to Austin to testify on behalf of the industry in front of both House and Senate committees, and working to supply needed data to meet association priorities. The North Texas executive was also involved in implementing grass roots actions and direct contacts with legislators on behalf of the home care and hospice industry.

    Humber is viewed as a national leader in operations and business development, and in human services organizations. He’s been recognized for salvaging damaged infrastructure and reversing failing programs, driving improved relationships, performance, and revenue.

    TAHC&H is a respected trade association at the state and national levels. Founded in 1969, it has championed the collective interests of Texas home care and hospice agencies, organizations, and individual professionals.

  • North Texas nonprofits launch inaugural TX Trans Pride event

    Prism Health North Texas (PHNTX) has partnered with Arttitude and Transgender Pride of Dallas to present the inaugural TX Trans Pride event from 7 p.m.-4 a.m. on Sept. 30. The event will be held at Station 4 on the Cedar Springs Strip.

    The free event will include entertainment in Station 4’s Rose Room, a resource fair with trans-inclusive resources and services, free HIV and STI testing, and an Affirmation Station with free gender affirming items and products. Performances will include entertainers of Trans experience from Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, and Kerri Colby of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 fame.

    “We often see that events or holidays for the trans community are usually in observance, remembrance, or visibility, but never wholly a celebration,” said Brandon Corpus, Behavioral Intervention Specialist. “In establishing this inaugural event, we hope to create a space that is both informative and fun, with information about resources and services available and representation from world-class entertainers of the same experience and backgrounds.” 

    In addition to the entertainment portions of the event, there will be food trucks serving snacks.

    “This event is more than just a show or a resource fair,” Corpus said. “This is an opportunity to come together as a community and uplift our trans siblings, in addition to connecting with those who may need vital resources and services available through Prism Health North Texas and other local agencies. We will have gender affirming items and products, information about healthcare and behavioral health services access, and plenty of joy to share with attendees.” 

    PHNTX connects people living with HIV to care and services in the area. Arttitude is an LGBTQ Arts organization dedicated to supporting diverse LGBTQ+ and allied artists.

    To encourage regular STI and HIV testing, tickets to a meet and greet with Kerri Colby will be available on a first come, first served basis at various free testing operations this month. Details are available online.

  • AIDS Outreach Center secures $1M in funding

    AIDS Outreach Center (AOC) has been approved for $1 million to support its Seasoned Survivors program.

    The funding was allocated by The Tarrant County Commissioners Court as part of $35.5 million to improve public health and wellness, revitalize the economy, and strengthen the community from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  A total of 35 projects were selected and will be funded through the County’s American Rescue Plan Act Fiscal Recovery Funds (FRF) Program. 

    AOC will use the money to provide specialized care for those ages 55 and up who are living with HIV.

    Seasoned Survivors is a group for individuals who have been HIV positive for 10 or more years. Participants explore the experience of having survived HIV for more than a decade, as well as the effects and challenges faced during those years. The program addresses being proactive with physical and emotional health, and discusses the current trends in HIV treatment. Individuals in the program are also guided to find ways they can utilize their experience to help the greater HIV community.

  • Prism Health North Texas hires new CFO

    A new Chief Financial Officer joined Prism Health North Texas (PHNTX) in June.

    Javier Vallejo 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 dynamic range of healthcare entities.

    Vallejo’s most recent role was serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Deaf Smith County Hospital District/Hereford Regional Medical Center. He oversaw both a rural hospital and outpatient health center with an average patient service revenue of $50 million dollars. His most important 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, Mr. Vallejo was with CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP and Durbin & Company, LLC as a healthcare auditor and senior accountant. 

    Vallejo holds a Bachelor’s 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.

    “Javier will be joining us at an absolutely critical time in our organization’s growth and development of financial stability,” said Dr. John Carlo, CEO of Prism Health North Texas. “His enthusiasm, ability to work well with others, and experience will be incredible additions to our team.”   

    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. Formed as AIDS Arms Network out of the Communities Foundation of Texas, PHNTX for the past 35 years has served the role of connecting 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. 

  • The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation announces leadership change

    The Board of The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation (JEHF), a nonprofit providing suicide prevention training and education services in North Texas, has announced leadership changes for the organization.

    Long-time Executive Director Christina Judge is departing the organization. Matt Vereecke will step in as the JEHF’s new CEO in mid-August.

    Vereecke comes to the JEHF from the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, where he served as the Superintendent of the Catholic Schools since 2016. His credentials include a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. His experience includes more than 15 years of teaching and leadership in education. 

    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.

  • GSNETX hosts nontraditional ‘camping and coding’ experience for girls

    Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) recently hosted 20 high school girls from across the country at its Biomedical Engineering Destination Camp, sponsored by McKesson. The program served girls with an interest in engineering, coding and medicine.

    STEM is the fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy and a space where women are woefully underrepresented. The camp furthered GSNETX’s goal of closing the gap for STEM access and changing the trajectory of the STEM workforce pipeline in North Texas.

    The one-of-a-kind Biomedical Engineering Destination camp was conducted at the GSNETX STEM Center of Excellence in South Dallas and 15 states were represented among the attendees.

    Attendees explored real-world topics, like how the heart shrinks in size in astronauts that spend significant time in gravity, how to design prosthetic and assistive materials utilizing 3D printing technologies, and how to design an effective sterilization or sanitization system to defend against viral and terminal viruses. Texas Instruments and iCode facilitated the workshops focusing on medical coding.

    Participants also experienced offsite trips to Texas Christian University, Scottish Rite for Children, McKesson Corporation and Reunion Tower. The field trip to the McKesson offices including a discussion with Nancy Flores, Executive Vice President & Chief Information and Technology Officer, who spoke about her leadership journey.

    The camp also incorporated key Girl Scout activities, such as a low ropes course, archery, ziplining and traditional Girl Scout camping.