Staff of Texas Health Resources have reason to celebrate with news Tuesday that the company is the recipient of the 2022 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, which is presented to the health care organization “that has shown exemplary commitment to establishing and facilitating programs that improve the overall health and well-being of its community,” according to a news release.
The prize comes with $100,000 to be used for programs that further these goals.
The Foster G. McGaw Prize is sponsored by the Baxter International Foundation, the American Hospital Association and its nonprofit affiliate Health Research & Educational Trust. The prize was first awarded in 1986.
“We are honored to be recognized by the American Hospital Association with the prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize,” says Barclay Berdan, CEO of Texas Health Resources, in a statement. “At Texas Health, we believe that building healthy communities requires working with partners, responding to health disparities, eliminating root causes of chronic disease and providing tools that instill lifelong health and well-being for all North Texans.”
Texas Health is a faith-based, nonprofit health system that cares for more patients in North Texas than any other provider. The system serves North Texas through Texas Health Physicians Group, hospitals, outpatient facilities, urgent care centers, home health, and preventive and fitness services.
Texas Health’s particularly strong initiatives include:
Blue Zones Project Fort Worth: This community health initiative encourages residents to make healthy choices. Since 2014, Fort Worth has undergone a neighborhood-by-neighborhood transformation, exceeding targets set to engage individuals and organizations and to implement citywide policy changes. The demonstrated impact this initiative had on the community was especially noteworthy, serving as a model for improving the health status of a community.
Community Engagement: Texas Health proactively sought community input in determining local needs. This was accomplished through use of the Community Health Needs Assessment along with focus groups, interviews and surveys to identify where best to focus engagement efforts.
Response to COVID-19: Texas Health’s response to the pandemic prioritized atrisk community members for vaccination through clinics and mobile health units, as well as through culturally- and linguistically-appropriate outreach and education about the virus and vaccines. The organization served as an example for how to redeploy resources, sustain operations and support staff and community members during a public health emergency.
“Every single day Texas Health Resources, in collaboration with numerous partners, advances the health and well-being of its communities,” says Rick Pollack, AHA president and CEO. “Despite unprecedented challenges brought on by COVID-19, Texas Health Resources delivered hope and healing to patients, comforted families and protected communities.”
"We congratulate Texas Health Resources on the impact they have had to advance care and well-being in their communities, along with all of this year’s Foster G. McGaw Prize finalists who are inspiring new ways to deliver healthcare and adapt to meet evolving local needs,” says Verónica Arroyave, executive director of the Baxter International Foundation. “We are proud to help recognize their efforts aligned with our 2030 Corporate Responsibility Commitment to champion our communities and empower patients.”
Other finalists, which will receive $10,000 each, included:
Adena Health System in Chillicothe, Ohio, for its comprehensive approach to community well-being and its specific contribution to economic development through revitalization of the downtown. Adena Health’s effective community outreach to address substance use disorder also provided a model for other organizations. The health system CEO was proactive in reaching out to other hospitals in the region as part of the response to the pandemic.
MUSC Health in Charleston, S.C., for its engagement with state legislators to secure enhanced access to telehealth, particularly in rural areas. This increased use of telehealth also allowed MUSC Health to focus its health equity efforts across South Carolina. MUSC Health’s community engagement efforts also helped ensure access to healthy foods in areas with limited options. The system used targeted messages to communicate with risk populations about the COVID vaccine.
UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass., for its response to COVID-19 and its role supporting the region’s public health infrastructure, especially in regard to the COVID vaccine rollout. The system CEO was active in the community through a “feet on the street” approach to engagement. UMass Memorial also created a worthy model through its “food as medicine” philosophy, which educates about how to establish sustainable food resources.