Tag: Blog

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)

I start off with this verse because April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. We know, however, that we must prevent and address abuse each and every day. Having worked as a behavioral health nurse, I am acutely aware of the devastating and destructive effects that physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse has on a child's life. It is up to the community, agencies, schools, and churches to protect and strengthen families because these institutions have a great influence on family life.

Children thrive on attention, affection, and having their needs adequately met by their parents. They depend on parents to nurture, guide, instruct, and support them on a daily basis and throughout their life span. Children need parents to be a part of their lives, and to be aware of their friends and activities –even when parents aren't very welcomed around their teenage years. Your awareness, knowledge and involvement in the care of children within your family, church, and community can help prevent or stop current abuse. Reporting child abuse and neglect is mandated by law, not just for professionals, but for any person that witnesses or suspects a child is affected. Speak up and be an advocate. Reports can be made to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at 1-800-252-5400 or www.dfps.state.tx.us, or to a law enforcement agency. Additional information can be found at www.childwelfare.gov. 

 You can advocate for children and further help to nurture communities through education, speaking to neighbors, and/or becoming a volunteer at any organization that serves families. If you are unable to physically participate in this manner, you can carry this need in your heart and pray for children and families struggling with these issues. Pray for justice for these little ones. Pray for their healing and protection. Remember to always thank the Lord for your family, little ones, and the life and love that you all share with each other.

In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, please join us at the 19th Annual Hidalgo County Child Abuse Prevention Candlelight Vigil on April 7, 2016, for a public awareness walk to raise awareness and remember those we have lost to child abuse. The walk begins at the CASA of Hidalgo County office building (1001 S. 10th Ave., Edinburg, TX 78539) at 5:45 p.m., and ends at the Hidalgo County Court House lawn where the Candlelight Vigil will take place at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call (956) 381-0346 or visit www.casaofhidalgo.com. 

By Wesley Nurse, Lindsey Floyd, RN

As a Methodist Healthcare Ministries Wesley Nurse in Edna, TX, I encourage good nutrition and exercise. My role involves being committed to helping the least served in our community through education, health promotion, and collaboration to achieve improved wellness through self-empowerment. Walking, in particular, is a great form of exercise since it is inexpensive and is an easy way to get fit.

This year, I, along with Jackson County Hospital District, recruited people in Jackson County to participate in Walk Across Texas – a free 8-week statewide program designed by Texas A&M Agrilife Extension to help Texans establish the habit of regular physical activity. The goal is to "walk across the state of Texas" in eight weeks – 830 miles. In order to stay on track, everyone on a team (up to eight people) must walk nearly 13 miles each week.

Our initial goal was to form 10 teams. We are proud to say that we now have 30! We started our challenge on February 16.

The aim is to be the first team to reach 830 miles or walk the most miles. We hope to walk 850 miles. While there is no monetary compensation, the much greater benefit includes reducing your risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This challenge helps people start moving more to establish physical activity as a lifetime habit. What's also great is since you're working in a team, you have a support system to help you keep going. In fact, you don't even have to walk to participate; you can convert your exercise into mileage, which allows participants to do any type of physical activity that fits their lifestyle. Some of our team members are walking on their own, while others walk together on tracks and city parks.

With just a few weeks to go, all our teams are happy to join thousands of fellow Texans on a daily walk to a better life. We will have an awards night to celebrate our accomplishments on April 12.

If you're interested in participating (anyone can join, even individually), check out the Walk Across Texas website at http://walkacrosstexas.tamu.edu/. To learn more about Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Nurse program – a faith-based, holistic health and wellness program – visit http://mhmbridgeofblessings.org/programs/community-outreach. 

Methodist Healthcare Ministries – a faith-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 South Texas counties – has thrived under Moriarty's direction. He is responsible for executing the overall direction for the organization, executive administration of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' primary care medical and dental clinics, and providing policy guidance to Methodist Healthcare Ministries' board of directors.

Since being selected as the founding president and chief executive officer in February 1996, Moriarty has led Methodist Healthcare Ministries to become the largest private funding source for community health care services in South Texas. Moriarty's implementation of the board of director's strategy of community health has grown from one program in 1996, with 2,900 patient/client visits, less than five funded partners, and a $3.1 million budget, to 21 programs in 2016, 850,000 projected patient/client visits, more than 90 funded partners and a $91.9 million budget. Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been recognized by law makers as a critical voice and advocate for low-income families and the uninsured. Through its public policy analysis and research, and as a result of Moriarty's direction, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has helped to ensure Texans have greater access to health care services.

In addition, Moriarty oversees the quality and charitable management of the Methodist Healthcare System, San Antonio's second largest private employer of which Methodist Healthcare Ministries is one-half owner. This creates a unique avenue to ensure the Methodist Healthcare System continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all, and charitable care when needed. Under Moriarty's leadership at Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and through his role on the Methodist Healthcare System's Board of Governors and its Community Boards, both organizations have made great strides in working to achieve a high standard in community care.

Prior to his service at Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Moriarty served as a public official with the City of San Antonio for more than 20 years. The last position he held was as director for the Department of Community Initiatives. A native New Yorker, Moriarty received his B.A. from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, with areas of concentration in history, economics and philosophy. He earned a Master of Science in Urban Studies from the City University of New York with a concentration in public administration, health and human services planning, manpower planning and data analysis. Moriarty continued his education through the Harvard Business School Executive Program in 1997, and the Executive Program for Philanthropy Leaders through Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2006.

Moriarty also served as a member of the Peace Corps in Liberia, West Africa for two years as a teacher for elementary and secondary schools.

Today, Kevin resides in San Antonio with his wife and five children. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is honored to celebrate this grand milestone and looks forward to continuing prosperously under his leadership. Congratulations, Kevin!

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is proud to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the opening of our School Based Health Centers.

Since 2001, the School Based Health Centers at Krueger Elementary and Schertz Elementary have helped children in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City and Marion Independent School Districts (as well as their siblings up to age 21) have access to pediatric primary health care, dental services and a comprehensive range of services.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries invites you to celebrate this milestone with us, along with National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month in February, by attending our Open House on Tuesday, February 23, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary (757 Curtiss Ave., Schertz, TX 78154). Come tour our clinic and meet the team of professionals who provide our medical, dental and social services. Click here to register: http://mhmbridgeofblessings.org/events/416-school-based-open-house.

To schedule an appointment at one of our School Based Health Centers, contact:

School Based Health Center at Krueger Elementary
217 West Otto Street
Marion, TX 78124
(830) 420-2291

School Based Health Center at Schertz Elementary
757 Curtiss Ave.
Schertz, TX 78154
(210) 658-4875

We hope you will join us so that we may work together to help our youth stay happy and healthy!

If there's one thing I've learned from my more than two decades of treating and addressing mental health issues, it's this: there is no greater power than the power of a strong partnership. This partnership I speak of takes shape in a multitude of ways. Partnering with our patients to be allies in health; partnering with a multidisciplinary team of providers to strengthen treatment plans; and partnering with the community to augment the health care landscape within in our area.

It is with this notion that I am so proud of one of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' latest partnerships. For those who do not know, Methodist Healthcare Ministries offers behavioral health services at our clinic locations in the San Antonio area (Wesley Health & Wellness Center; Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic; and School Based Health Centers), and through community and church sites throughout our 74-counties in South Texas as part of our Community Counseling program.

And, although, I know from our clients we are addressing a need, I also recognize there are demands we are not equipped to address. That's where that powerful word, "partnership," comes into play.

To fill a void our behavioral health services team recognized, Methodist Healthcare Ministries recently partnered with Family Service Association – a non-profit agency in San Antonio dedicated to helping children, seniors, and families in need – to house a full-time Financial and Vocational Counselor at the Wesley Health & Wellness Center and Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic to serve as an in-house point of referral for Methodist Healthcare Ministries' patients and clients.

The partnership model takes the patient's/client's social determinants of health into consideration as part of the treatment available through Methodist Healthcare Ministries' two San Antonio-based clinics. As poverty is one of the strongest risk factors for poor health, this partnership is designed to help low-income individuals improve their financial health and provide them with skills and education to prevent them from being in subsequent financial emergencies.

A counselor will work on an individual's budget and teach them how to pay off debt. The partnership will also allow for one-stop access to job training programs.

As this partnership continues, I hope to see a positive effect on our emergency assistance program. If we can find ways to empower people to take control of their health – both physical and financial – perhaps we will ease the burden or stress financial crisis creates for our patients and clients.

Ultimately, by pairing financial and vocational counseling with other social services, we are better able to overcome barriers that may affect one's mental and physical health like minimal educational attainment, insufficient job skills, ineffective support systems; lack of individual employability; and intergenerational cycles of poverty.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. provides practical support through parenting programs to help parents and guardians learn parenting skills so they will be more confident and competent leaders within their families. As part of this initiative, Methodist Healthcare Ministries is proud to announce a new Parents Helping Parents site located at Trinity United Methodist Church in San Antonio (6800 Wurzbach Rd.).

Launched in 1999, Parents Helping Parents is a parent support group designed to build stronger, healthier communities by strengthening and encouraging family life. As one of four distinct Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Parenting Programs (Meld; Parents Helping Parents; Parents as Teachers™ and the Nurturing Parenting Programs®), Parents Helping Parents is volunteer-based and built upon the belief that parents are the first teachers and best advocates for their children. Parents Helping Parents focuses on areas of health and safety, child development and guidance, family management, personal growth and other topics that promote positive parenting skills. Sites are established after a group recognizes a need in the community. Trinity United Methodist Church was identified as a Parents Helping Parents site at the request of Pastor Margret Decker who received assistance by Mickey McCandless, director of church connections for Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Groups meet once a week for a two-hour session for a period of 10-12 weeks. Groups also select at least two volunteers, willing to be trained by Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Parenting Program Coordinators, to serve as facilitators.

Trinity United Methodist Church will become an active Parents Helping Parents site following facilitator training in January 2016. Groups are provided with ongoing technical assistance and a full program curriculum written by professionals in child development and family resources. Three courses are available both in English and Spanish: Teen Parents; Parents of Children 3 & Up; and Parents Raising Teens.

As the only Parents Helping Parents group in San Antonio, Trinity United Methodist Church aims to provide parenting support not only to moms, dads, grandparents and guardians of children in their surrounding community, but to anyone who is interested in wanting to learn more and share their experiences.

Currently, eight out of 14 Parents Helping Parents sites are active. The coming year looks to produce even more growth with new sites in Boerne, New Braunfels, Helotes, Eagle Pass and Pleasanton. With the collaboration of Wesley Nurses, program needs and volunteers will be identified, allowing Parents Helping Parents coordinators to build key relationships with community partners all over South Texas.

Parents Helping Parents is always looking to implement new groups in different service areas. If you'd like to learn more about Parents Helping Parents or would like to start a group in your area, please contact Methodist Healthcare Ministries at info@mhm.org or (210) 692-0234.

Editor's Note: Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Nurses are known to provide health education and coordination of care in the communities where they serve across South Texas. What many folks may not know, is that they are also advocates for local health initiatives that impact communities far beyond the walls of the church where they serve.

Signy Sizer, a Wesley Nurse in Port Lavaca, recently had an opportunity to support the passage of a 'Smoke Free' ban in her community, and her experience is a testament to the diverse, and indispensable, part Wesley Nurses play in influencing population health.

We caught up with Signy to learn about the Smoke Free ban in Port Lavaca and the part she played in its passage.

Question: What was the initiative and how did you get involved?
In April, 2015, Port Lavaca City Council instituted a city ordinance to ban smoking in public places. This ban was lifted in August when registered voters petitioned to either have the ordinance repealed, or to call a special referendum. This is when my husband and I became involved, calling city council members, and encouraged friends to do the same, to let council know we supported the ordinance and did not want the issue dropped.

Question: How does this type of local policy issue fit into the work you do in the Wesley Nurse Program?
"Smoke Free Port Lavaca" is important to me personally as well as professionally. Secondhand smoke is serious concern for employees of businesses where smoking is allowed. Third-hand smoke extends exposure to families and can cause long term health risks. There are few employment opportunities in small towns, and, as we are well aware, employers of restaurants and bars do not typically offer health insurance. People most affected by second/third-hand smoke are MHM's target audience, those most vulnerable within our communities.

"Smoke Free" campaigns align perfectly with the Wesley Nurse role of assisting individuals and communities achieve improved health and wellness, as well as MHM's value of "Making a Difference."

Question: Who were some of the other players in this effort, and were there any challenges you faced?
I give my husband credit for spearheading this challenge. He enlisted friends who worked the "Smoke Free Victoria" campaign. With their help he connected with Blake Windham, Texas Grassroots Management of the American Cancer Society (ACS); Jay Arnold, Senior Director of Local Policy, American Heart Association; and Jim Arnold, Arnold Public Affairs. This group met with our small grassroots team weekly and they directed the campaign. Vicki Krcha, Wesley Nurse district manager, encouraged me to contact Chris Yanas, MHM's director of governmental affairs too. On behalf of MHM, Chris contacted local city officials. She followed our campaign progress, lending support and practical advice.

It was so interesting to work with the policy staff and to be a part of their strategy sessions. Their advice included: don't engage in 'Smoke Free' arguments—keep your focus on health, and keep the initiative low key; talk to people you know and encourage those who are in agreement to vote! So that's what we did.

We retrieved voting lists, posted signs and talked to individuals. The ACS provided funding for telephone polls and reminders to vote for those who were voiced agreement with "Smoke Free," as well as signage and mail-outs. Local physicians served as media spokespersons. ACS also posted a "Smoke Free Port Lavaca" Facebook page. Comments on the Facebook page were negative and the ACS staff warned us that they were very concerned about the election outcome.

Question: What was the outcome of the campaign and all your efforts?
The good news is Port Lavaca voters endorsed "Smoke Free Port Lavaca," 696 to 213 in the November 3rd election! This change can only improve the quality of life for citizens of Calhoun County.

I learned to: get help from people who have experience; talk to your friends, neighbors and acquaintances—you never know who will be your strongest ally. Be resourceful and stay positive!

MHM employees have a passion for total wellness for all. You just never know where this journey may lead you.

The Texas Women's Healthcare Coalition (TWHC) – an organization largely funded by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. that promotes access to preventive health care for all Texas women – hosted an event on Dec. 9 in McAllen, Texas, to inform Rio Grande Valley community members of recent developments in women's health care and state women's health programs. Dr. Janet Realini, chair of TWHC and president of Healthy Futures of Texas, presented at the event, as well as Lesley French, associate commissioner of women's health services at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

The event provided an opportunity for TWHC to engage with community stakeholders who serve a population of women in particular need of a strong women's health care system. Nearly 45 attendees represented more than 20 organizations including: Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the Cameron County Health Department, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Nurse-Family Partnership, family planning clinics, private practices and Title X providers. Most attendees expressed interest in wanting to learn more about TWHC and staying informed of its efforts.

The event also helped strengthen the relationship of TWHC and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Following the initial presentation, Associate Commissioner Lesley French conducted a focus group with local women to discuss the challenges and barriers they have faced in obtaining basic preventive health care.

TWHC plans on having several similar events in 2016. Methodist Healthcare Ministries continues to work with TWHC in an effort to support regionalization objectives in the Rio Grande Valley. Methodist Healthcare Ministries helped fund the creation of TWHC in 2011, and has been instrumental in the Coalition's work to reverse severe cuts to women's health care and to ensure a strong women's health care system in the state of Texas.

As a key funder for TWHC, Methodist Healthcare Ministries fully supports the Coalition's mission of providing every woman in the state access to preventive and preconception care so that she may stay healthy.

To learn more about the Texas Women's Healthcare Coalition, visit http://www.texaswhc.org/.

by Rhonda Hunnicutt, RN, Wesley Nurse

…. A time to weep and a time to laugh… Ecclesiastes 3:4

It's hard to believe that December is already here! For many, it's a season of joy, of love, and celebration of Christ's birth. For others, the holiday season, not just Christmas, is a dark time spent alone reflecting on the loss of loved ones, a time of loneliness, and despair. A condition known appropriately as S.A.D., can exacerbate those feelings in some people. S.A.D. , or Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a mood disorder prevalent in winter months, due to shortened days and decreased sunlight. Though more common in northern climates, it is no less serious among those who suffer from S.A.D. in the south. Most people are somewhat familiar with symptoms of depression- symptoms of S.A.D. are much the same. To name just a few: decreased energy and interest in favorite activities; difficulty concentrating or remembering things; irritability; sadness; feelings of guilt or hopelessness; sleeping too much or too little; thoughts of death.

The good news is, that as days lengthen and sunlight increases again, S.A.D. symptoms usually abate on their own. And there is treatment. However, no one should have to suffer through a season with this depressive mood disorder needlessly. For some people, relief comes as simply as first recognizing the feelings and symptoms at the onset, opening the shades to let in more natural sunlight, or even better, getting outdoors to combine sunlight and activity/exercise. Exercise doubles the benefit because as activity or exercise decreases stress, it also releases endorphins that boost mood and coping ability. Other ways of coping with symptoms are deep breathing, prayer, and laughter…difficult to think of doing at this time, but so important to remember to do.

Of course, this article is not meant to diagnose or treat any mood disorders, rather, to raise awareness. If you are experiencing these symptoms more severely, and are not able to alleviate with simple measures, you should seek help from your health care provider who can properly diagnose and treat your symptoms.

The take away message that I want to leave you with is that you are not alone! Visit with your pastor or other trusted members of the church, your health care provider… surround yourself with positive people who don't encourage negative self-talk or feelings. Have lunch with a friend. Take walks with a buddy. Focus on the blessings you have in your life. Volunteer your services to others as a means of bringing clarity and purpose to your life. Anyone of us has the potential to fall victim to S.A.D. or other depressive disorders- recognition, action, and treatment are key to overcoming. And as quickly as December came, the longer, darker days of winter will be gone again. Until next time, be well, and be blessed.

Rhonda Hunnicutt, RN, is a Wesley Nurse with Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Methodist Healthcare Ministres' Wesley Nurse program is a faith-based, holistic health and wellness program committed to serving the least served through education, health promotion and collaboration with individual and community in achieving improved wellness through self-empowerment.

By Enomie Rosenthal, Wesley Nurse

I was invited by the executive director of Agape Ministry to attend their volunteer appreciation luncheon in May. Dr. A. Mangla, assistant director of the Metropolitan Health Department was a guest speaker at the luncheon. He spoke about various statistics in Bexar County. At the end of his presentation, he opened the floor for questions. Prior to the luncheon, I had been looking for free adult immunizations for the underserved in my community and was not able to find any resources. There were no shortages for free children immunizations, but none for adults. While researching information on adult immunizations, I found adult immunizations rates in the United States remain significantly low, falling well below national targets according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Bexar County I was not able to pull up accurate numbers. I relayed my dilemma to Dr. A. Mangla after the presentation, and he graciously agreed to a follow up meeting to discuss adult immunizations in-depth.

We soon discovered there was a strong need in Bexar County. We strengthened our efforts by involving several local agencies in a conversation on how to address the issue. Collaboratively, we decided to host an Adult Immunization Clinic in San Antonio. I was able to secure a location at the Bethany United Methodist Church (4102 Eisenhauer) where I am stationed as a Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Nurse. We contacted vendors to participate. Food was donated for volunteers, vendors and attendees. We got the word out tapping into the channels and networks of all community agencies involved. As the word got out, there was a real buzz stirring.

When the day finally came, I have to admit a nervous anxiousness overcame me. To compound this, I heard rain was in the forecast for the day. I prayed, "Please God let there be a good turnout." I kept thinking, "I just don't want to fail."

When the doors opened, the anxiousness melted away and I was overcome with joy as I saw a full line of smiling faces.
I hustled about the day, visiting with vendors, checking on the rooms that were assigned for the immunizations and making sure everything was running smoothly. An event volunteer heard one the of the attendees say, "this is good for the community." I count that as a success! If we only touch one life, then we are successful. I also learned that God has my back and I need to trust Him no matter what the situation.

Beyond touching the life of participants, I am confident I've built a strong network of community agencies and leaders to bring about positive change in the health care landscape in San Antonio and beyond. I am hopeful to repeat this success next year.

Anne N. Connor, Director of Community Grants, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." In this African proverb, the concept of "going together," and the investment of time it requires, applies to an asset-based approach to collective impact in creating community health. The Communities Creating Health feature in SSIR poses the question: "What would happen if the design, implementation, and evaluation of health interventions became something we do with communities rather than to them?"

When Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. set out to launch a collective impact initiative to improve community health in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, we added a new element to this proven framework. We knew that too many funders had entered a high-need service area with the message, "We know what's wrong with this community, and we're here to help you fix it." Instead, we preceded the collective impact project with a year of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), a process of building relationships and identifying existing assets within the community. This changed the message to, "Your community has a lot of strengths, and we're here to help you leverage those." That's a very different conversation.

The ABCD project was conducted by Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Nurses, a group of 80 church-based Registered Nurses throughout our 74-county service area who provide community health and wellness services. The nurses met with hundreds of community agencies and individual community members to identify assets and build relationships.

Building on this approach, Methodist Healthcare Ministries was able to convene a core group of health care providers and cross-sector community leaders ("grass tops") to identify a common agenda for community health improvement (with a focus on diabetes). Methodist Healthcare Ministries' commitment to the collective impact framework included a one-year consulting contract with FSG, a well-known expert on collective impact implementation. The core group was expanded to a steering committee representing more than 40 organizations for a deeper dive into the shared agenda.

A major milestone in the steering committee's work was a written agenda called Unidos Contra Diabetes. The steering committee found that, while most providers in the community were focusing their resources on diabetes disease management, the community would prefer to be focusing on diabetes prevention. This is a huge shift, especially in terms of payment models, but the community committed to this agenda. The motivation is strong, as most households near the Texas border have had at least one family member with diabetes and have experienced the tragic complications.

The collective impact project has expanded the community voice even further, and now includes several working groups and one planned task force. Community members and leaders are participating in determining how their existing assets can be coordinated to help prevent diabetes. The measurement task force is identifying metrics that can be used to track project success.

The work of the measurement task force is informed by a related effort, the Sí Texas Project, which is funded by Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the Social Innovation Fund, and local funders. Sí Texas is short for "Social Innovation for a Healthy South Texas," and is focused on integrated behavioral health models which address diabetes disease management (rather than prevention) as part of a holistic mind-body-spirit approach. While Unidos Contra Diabetes covers four counties in the Rio Grande Valley, Sí Texas covers 12 counties ranging from the Coastal Bend to Laredo, and includes the Unidos Contra Diabetes service area.

In keeping with Methodist Healthcare Ministries' commitment to evaluating projects with communities, Sí Texas engaged in a consensus-building process led by its contracted evaluator, Health Resources in Action (HRiA), to select the shared metrics all the subgrantees and their partners will use. (Shared metrics are of course another element of the collective impact framework, along with a shared agenda). As much as possible, the Unidos Contra Diabetes task force will align any diabetes management metrics that it tracks with those used by Sí Texas.

In addition, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has committed to engaging in a series of focus groups and community meetings, with a focus on the patient voice, to help identify how best to share and distribute findings of both the Sí Texas Project and the Unidos Contra Diabetes project. The series will convene patients and key stakeholders across a 17-county area to develop a coordinated regional approach to inform patient-centered research and evaluation among university systems, academic institutions, managed care organizations (MCOs), and public health systems. Methodist Healthcare Ministries will inventory how research findings/evaluation results are, or are not, shared with patients. The series will develop an actionable engagement strategy between MCOs and stakeholders to share and disseminate research findings/evaluation. This will help develop a framework guiding patient participation producing increased levels of trust between patients and academic/public health systems.

The ultimate outcome is that the patient voice is heard across systems, throughout all phases of research, resulting in dissemination practices and strategies that are highly responsive, culturally and linguistically appropriate for patients in South Texas. Across all the efforts described above, Methodist Healthcare Ministries is walking together with the communities it serves, toward the goal not only of improved community health, but of greater local ownership of healthy communities.

Q&A with Isela G.

Question: What do Dietitians and Certified Diabetes Educators do at Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM)?

Answer: As a registered and licensed dietitian, I teach health education specific to how the foods we consume impact our overall health and well-being. I'm passionate about education and using the right foods to promote a healthy lifestyle. I earned the added designation, Certified Diabetes Educator, which means I've completed additional training to help clients prevent and manage this debilitating disease.

Question: What's your typical day look like?

Answer: During a typical day, I receive referrals from the physicians and nurse practitioner at MHM's Wesley Health & Wellness Center to help educate clients who have different medical needs including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or triglyceride levels, obesity, food allergies or are underweight. My day may also consist of consultations with individuals regarding diabetes self-management and smoking cessation. I often partner with nurse health educators during the year to help teach diabetes self-management group classes.

Question: What is the best part of your job?

Answer: As a health educator, the best part of my job is being able to work directly with patients at the early intervention stage. I educate and motivate people to eat healthier, become more active and take better care of their health. I like to think of myself as a personal health coach who encourages clients to lead a healthier lifestyle, so they can improve their quality of life. I love my job as a health educator and feel fulfilled a the end of the day when I see clients reach their weight loss goals, become more active, improve their eating habits, significantly improve their lab values and reduce their medication.

Question: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Answer: I enjoy circuit training (combination of cardio and resistance training exercises), running, reading, cooking, baking, singing and dancing.

Question: What do you love about living in Texas?

Answer: What I love most about Texas is the crazy hot weather. Many people complain about it, but I actually love San Antonio, Texas weather.

Editor's Note: Join the MHM Challengers team and our team captain, Isela G., at the American Diabetes Association's Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, October 31 at Mission County Park Pavillions in San Antonio, Texas. We're making a difference and you can too! Walk with us or donate today.