Paso del Norte Health Foundation
About 2.2 million people live in El Paso and Hudspeth Counties of Texas, Doña Ana and Otero Counties of New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico. This urban border community unfortunately suffers from high rates of unemployment. With this unemployment comes poor health care.
In cooperation with Providence Memorial Hospital, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation (PdNHF) focuses on the expanding health education to impoverished people in this border region. Recognizing that behavior and lifestyle significantly influence health, PdNHF developed a creative, pro-active approach to improving the long-term health of the community. PdNHF believes that education, in the long run, is the most cost-effective way to improve community health.
After completing a comprehensive study with the and the Texas Department of State Health Services, PdNHF shaped a grant program. However, PdNHF does not follow the typical philanthropic model. Rather, this nonprofit organization takes an active role in the community by forming working partnerships with people and organizations at a community level. Three levels of grants were identified: major initiative, program, and planning. It was determined that the program and planning grants would phase out over time and give way to major initiatives, which are multi-year, multi-million dollar programs.
In 1996, the first set of addressed issues such as clinic based health education, encouraging exercise and healthier eating habits, water and waste improvements, helping disadvantaged communities improve their health, and reducing teen pregnancy. Today, PdNHF also addresses issues involving air quality, youth, early childhood development, and the aging population.
Currently, the Foundation is focusing on following health goals:
- Encouraging school-age children to exercise and eat healthier diets
- Eliminating tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use among youth people
- Improving access to medical care and mental health services
- Promoting healthy families and social environments with an emphasis on the prevention of child abuse and teenage pregnancy
Jack Chapman is the current Board Chair of Paso del Norte Health Foundation. Myrna Deckert is the President and CEO.