Tag: News

Methodist Healthcare Ministries' will relocate its primary care clinic to the former home of Southeast Baptist Hospital.

San Antonio (Jan. 12, 2017) – For 20 years, the Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic, owned and operated by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., has served San Antonio's uninsured patients from the Eastside Medical Office Building on East Commerce Street. Methodist Healthcare Ministries is proud to announce it will relocate its Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Clinic to a familiar address on the Southeast side of San Antonio. The property which once was home to Southeast Baptist Hospital was purchased Jan. 11 by Methodist Healthcare Ministries and will be the grounds for the expansion of its Dixon Clinic services when it relocates late 2017.

The Dixon Clinic is part of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' strategy for improving community health and is intended to stimulate additional investment in health care services on the Eastside. "We opened the Dixon Clinic with the vision that it would become a resource for uninsured and low-income families who had no other access to primary care or social services. Our goal then was to draw additional resources to what had been a dramatically underserved area. Today, in addition to operating the Dixon Clinic we continue to fund the Eastside through partners such as CommuniCare and CentroMed," explained Kevin C. Moriarty, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

In March 2015, Methodist Healthcare Ministries commissioned Capital Healthcare Planning, an independent consulting firm, to identify and determine high-level needs of at-risk populations across the greater San Antonio area (read report: Bexar County Uninsured Market Assessment: Primary Care). The objective was to understand the current provision of care to at-risk populations within Bexar County; identify major gaps in care that might suggest opportunity for Methodist Healthcare Ministries to provide additional resources; and to work with community leaders, partners and stakeholders to develop consensus around a model and plan for service delivery to address those gaps in care. "The data showed an emerging unmet need. It affirmed we still have work to do on the Southeast side and the Dixon Clinic was the answer just as it was 20 years ago," said Moriarty.

Southeast Baptist Hospital closed its doors in 2011. The current property grounds have two medical office buildings, as well as the once Southeast Baptist Hospital building, all of which sits on 20 acres of land. Dixon Clinic operations will relocate to one of the medical office buildings while the other is currently occupied by a group of private physicians. The hospital building will be demolished as additional plans for the site develop.

"We are thrilled to make this announcement as we celebrate the Dixon Clinic's 20th anniversary," said Moriarty. "Bishop Dixon, for whom the clinic is named after and who served in The United Methodist Church for many years, would have been so proud that a service that provides care to a community he loved, and which we have been honored to be a part of, will continue to serve so many."

For the latest updates on the Dixon Clinic relocation, please visit http://mhmbridgeofblessings.org/clinics/bishop-ernest-t-dixon-jr-clinic. 

###

About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. The mission of the organization is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of those least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit mhmbridgeofblessings.org. 

For the fourth, consecutive year, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. partnered with Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children's Hospital to donate nearly 50 decorated, artificial Christmas trees to several underserved families in San Antonio.

"We are delighted to be able to provide our clients with some holiday cheer this season. Christmas is a time of compassion and giving, and that's what these trees symbolize. We are grateful for the generosity of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children's Hospital, and the joy this donation will bring many families," expressed Oanh Maroney-Omitade, vice president of clinical operations at Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

As part of their holiday celebrations, several departments of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children's Hospital participated in an annual Christmas tree decorating contest. Trees adorned with unique ornaments, some hand-crafted by employees, were put on display at both hospitals, transforming the facilities into winter wonderlands. Select trees also contained presents for an extra holiday surprise. The trees were then delivered to Wesley Health & Wellness Center where they were distributed to approximately 50 families who participate in Methodist Healthcare Ministries' programs and services.

"Getting a Christmas tree means a lot to me and to my children," said a Christmas tree recipient. "There wasn't going to be a Christmas tree at our home, but thanks to Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we had a happier Christmas. We were very surprised and grateful. It was truly a blessing."

In the spirit of Christmas, clients from Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.'s knitting class donated more than 60 hats to residents at Haven for Hope, a private non-profit aimed at transforming the lives of men, women and children faced with homelessness in the San Antonio/Bexar County area. 

"We see health in terms of mind, body and spirit. In addition to the primary health care services offered at our Wesley Health & Wellness Center, we provide the community with a place to learn and grow through exercise classes and support groups. Our knitting classes are particularly popular for community members to make friends, and share struggles and successes while learning to knit and quilt," said Oanh Maroney-Omitade, vice president of community health programs at Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

The hats were hand-knit by nearly 30 class participants at Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Wesley Health & Wellness Center as a part of their recreation and enrichment program. This is the second year the donation has taken place. Each hat took about two hours to make and various sizes were made for men, women and children. The holiday donation will be distributed to Haven for Hope residents with the most critical need.

Significant health differences for Blacks and Hispanics in Texas lead to higher health care spending, lost work productivity and a dramatic number of years lost to premature death. That's just a few of the findings of a new study examining the economic burden associated with health disparities across the state. Episcopal Health Foundation and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. sponsored the report.

The report found people of color in Texas are less likely to say they're in good health, more likely to be uninsured, and have higher rates of diabetes and obesity. The report found these and other poor health outcomes cost families, employers, insurers and governments an estimated $1.7 billion in excess medical spending for hospital care, doctor services and prescription drugs. Researchers estimate health disparities cost Texans $2.9 billion in lost work productivity, primarily because of costs associated with more annual hours off work due to poorer health. The report also found poor health outcomes lead to a dramatic number of years lost to premature death – nearly 400,000 lost life years in Texas today, split evenly between Blacks and Hispanics. This loss of life represents an economic impact of nearly $20 billion, the report found.

Read the complete "Economic Impacts of Health Disparities in Texas" report

"The average Hispanic or Black child in Texas is much more likely to be born into a reinforcing cycle of poorer health, lower educational attainment and fewer job opportunities," said Elena Marks, president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation which co-sponsored the report. "These preventable differences not only unnecessarily lead to more illness and disability for many Texans, but the entire state is paying a massive economic cost. And if nothing changes, those costs will rise dramatically."

The report found that the economic impact of health and socioeconomic differences are expected to increase as Texas' population grows and people of color become of larger share. Two-thirds of the 7 million children in Texas today are children of color, and half are Hispanic.

"Disparities in health status are already higher in Texas than in many states, and it's an issue that will increase in importance given the changing composition of the Texas population," said Ani Turner, co-author of the report and co-director of Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending.

Turner and other researchers estimate by 2050, the economic costs of health disparities in Texas are expected to increase by more than 80 percent to $3 billion in excess medical spending, $5.5 billion in lost productivity and 690,000 lost life years at a value of $35 billion.

"We can't sit by and allow the cycle of health differences to continue," said Kevin C. Moriarty, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. "Given the enormous economic burden of these health differences in Texas, we have to make the health of ALL communities and access to care for ALL a priority in our state."

Moriarty and Marks said expanding Medicaid would ensure that uninsured, low-income Texans would gain access to needed health insurance to access care, and ultimately have better health outcomes. The two philanthropic leaders believe the report should help guide elected officials, communities, and congregations in developing policy and budget priorities to reduce the human toll and rising costs of health disparities in Texas. The report was co-authored by Ani Turner and Erica Munoz-Rumsey of Altarum Institute, Thomas LaVeist of George Washington University, and Darrell Gaskin of Johns Hopkins University.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries has collaborated with Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology with operational headquarters in Minnesota, to demonstrate the Medtronic Turning Point program to Methodist Healthcare Ministries' medical patients.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries' patient base consists of individuals at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level who do not have access to health insurance. By design, the initial cohort of participants was selected by Methodist Healthcare Ministries' clinicians based on the challenges patients faced in reaching their diabetic management goals. An overall increased therapy demand and a shortage of providers required a more effective solution to address the growing need for high quality, lower cost diabetes care. The Medtronic Turning Point program offered a unique and unprecedented solution to meet these demands. The Medtronic Turning Point program utilizes a patient-facing mobile application serving as medication reminder and adviser in accordance with doctor instructions, in addition to tracking physical activity and nutrition. A remote health coach employed by Medtronic supervises the data and interacts with the patient. The program can report back to the patient's primary care physician at Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

Although the program is ongoing, positive results and feedback from both patient and physician have been realized, including a high patient retention rate and a noticeable reduction in HbA1C levels. As a cutting-edge solution to a long-standing and ever-increasing health care issue, Medtronic Turning Point program patient stories were displayed at the IBM World of Watson 2016, IBM's signature data and analytics conference, held Oct. 24-27 in Las Vegas.

"The Methodist Healthcare Ministries and Medtronic partnership through the Medtronic Turning Point program have been so valuable in testing a new approach to the long-standing issue of diabetes. Patients have reported the mobile app makes them feel like they have an added member of their health care team. The hands-on technology helps patients feel more connected and in charge of their diabetes management and goals. Our primary care physicians are kept well-informed of their patients' progress as part of their total health care plan. It's a win-win," explains Jennifer Knoulton, director of nursing and regional wellness programs at Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

Learn more about the patients participating in Turning Point:

Part 1 of 3: A chef takes a fresh approach to diabetes
Part 2 of 3: Interrupting the cycle of diabetes
Part 3 of 3: 'Leveling up' to combat diabetes

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

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

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

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

Since being founded in 1995, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has been dedicated to creating access to health care for uninsured and low-income families through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. The mission of Methodist Healthcare Ministries is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of those least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System – the largest healthcare system in South Texas. This creates a unique avenue to ensure the Methodist Healthcare System continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed, and it provides revenue to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its programs.

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

For more information about Methodist Healthcare Ministries, visit mhmbridgeofblessings.org. 

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

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

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

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

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

###

About NAHQ
NAHQ defines the standard of excellence for the healthcare quality profession and equips professionals and organizations to meet these standards. NAHQ offers the only accredited certification in healthcare quality—the CPHQ—and more than 9,000 professionals across the continuum of healthcare hold this designation. NAHQ also provides extensive educational programming, including the HQ Principles program for those new to the field; preparation programs for CPHQ certification; and the industry-elevating HQ Essentials for advanced and master practitioners in healthcare quality. To learn more, visit www.nahq.org.

About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for uninsured and low-income families through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. The mission of Methodist Healthcare Ministries is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of those least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System – the largest healthcare system in South Texas. This creates a unique avenue to ensure the Methodist Healthcare System continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed, and it provides revenue to Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its programs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Award to implement Advancing Health in South Texas Engagement Series

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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