On April 26, Texas Health Resources will be awarded $100,000 as the newest recipient of the Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service. Texas Health will join the three finalists for the award at the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting held in Washington, D.C.
The award is bestowed upon healthcare systems that commit to their patients’ overall health in numerous praiseworthy programs. Its associated prize further funds these initiatives.
“We are honored to be recognized by the American Hospital Association with the prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize,” said Barclay Berdan, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and CEO of Texas Health Resources. “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 life-long health and well-being for all North Texans.”
Texas Health received recognition for three of its programs: the Blue Zones Project Fort Worth, Community Engagement, and Response to COVID-19.
Texas Health’s Blue Zones Project Fort Worth encourages residents throughout the community to make better choices for their health.
Per a press release about the award, the impact the initiative has had on the Fort Worth neighborhood has exceeded “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.”
Texas Health’s Community Engagement surveys, interviews, and other efforts proved useful in determining and prioritizing the needs of the community. The healthcare system was also recognized for how it responded to COVID-19, including by providing education about vaccinations and administering the vaccine to at-risk groups.
“Every single day, Texas Health Resources, in collaboration with numerous partners, advances the health and well-being of its communities,” said 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.”
The three finalists for the Foster G. McGraw Prize were: Adena Health System in Chillicothe, Ohio, MUSC Health in Charleston, South Carolina, and Mass Memorial Medical Center in Worchester, Massachusetts. Each was chosen for how they contributed to their community’s health and will receive $10,000.
The Foster G. McGaw Prize was founded in 1986 by the Baxter Foundation and the American Hospital Association.
