ARLINGTON, Texas — As part of its continued commitment to improve the health of those in the communities it serves, Texas Health Resources is investing another $5 million in grants to local organizations that work collaboratively to creatively tackle the health disparities and socioeconomic hardships impacting North Texans.

The health system has awarded more than $23 million in Texas Health Community Impact grants since 2019. The grants are just one part of the outreach that Texas Health is doing in and on behalf of our communities through an initiative known collectively as Texas Health Community Hope.

Through past grants, Texas Health Community Impact has helped transform communities, such as Wise County’s response to child abuse by helping fund the opening of its own dedicated Children’s Advocacy Center to ensure victims had access to vital mental health follow-up care. The change enabled a coordinated response among various disciplines to aid child abuse investigations and led to a more than 2,000% increase in the number of forensic interviews done by the end of the grant term in 2022. The impact of this grant continues to grow beyond the initial funding provided by Texas Health.

The ripple effect didn’t end in Wise County. Texas Health Community Impact funded Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute to improve the way school districts address mental health for their students and staff, including those for Grand Prairie and Richardson and 39 other school districts. Due to the success of this program, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute has expanded to an additional 38 school districts with plans to reach more.

“We have witnessed the tremendous impact that can be achieved when we work with community organizations to tackle the unique challenges that residents in underserved communities face,” said David Tesmer, chief community and public policy officer for Texas Health. “From providing families free access to nutritious food and transportation to connecting residents to vital resources and support for their mental and physical health, these investments are not only meeting immediate needs but creating ripples of change for generations to come.”

The Texas Health Community Impact grants target the unique needs of residents living in 32 ZIP codes identified as disproportionately experiencing health challenges in Texas Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment, an in-depth analysis done every three years.

“With this assessment, we’re identifying the pressing needs and health issues in underserved and under resourced communities across North Texas so we can focus our efforts on where it’s needed most,” said Barclay Berdan, FACHE, Texas Health Resources CEO. “We then team up with organizations already rooted in these communities to implement innovative programs to address these health disparities and socioeconomic conditions that impact health and well-being. Together, we are building bridges to better health.”

The grants awarded this cycle include:

Collin County

Building Strong Futures ($203,075)

Lead grantee: The Turning Point

Collaborators: Community Lifeline Center and Destiny’s Leaders

Goal: Reduce the impact of childhood traumas and economic hardships for families living in the 75407 ZIP code (Princeton) through food access, resiliency training and health education.

Farmersville Healthcare Initiative ($199,800)

Lead grantee: Farmersville ISD

Collaborators: Carevide and CommonGood Medical

Goal: Target food insecurity and healthcare access for residents of Farmersville (75442) by developing a school garden, adding nutritious, locally sourced foods into school cafeteria menus, contributing food to local food banks and collaborating with clinics such as Carevide and CommonGood Medical for referral and screening programs.

Student and Family Wellness Center of Collin County ($447,618)

Lead grantee: McKinney ISD

Collaborators: The Chicago School, Rustic Way Ranch and Coalition for Behavioral Healthcare in Collin County

Goal: Improve access to mental health services in northeast Collin County ISDs (75069 and 75071) by training school staff to identify and refer at-risk students and by promoting community engagement to enhance student well-being and academic performance.

Dallas/Kaufman Region

The Produce Prescription for Healthy Blood Pressure ($229,630)

Lead grantee: Brother Bill’s Helping Hand

Collaborators: Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture and Feonix – Mobility Rising

Goal: Managing hypertension and decreasing food insecurity through wellness visits, fruit and vegetable bags, nutrition education and daily blood pressure management for residents in West Dallas, South Dallas, Pleasant Grove and Oak Cliff (75211, 75212, 75227 and 75217), using both Spanish and English.

Caregiver Support and Respite Pilot Collaboration ($238,299)

Lead grantee: Senior Connect

Collaborators: First Baptist Church Kaufman Wellness, Bee Happy Day Program and River of Life Church in Kemp

Goal: Mitigate isolation and alleviate stress among caregivers for individuals with dementia and children and adults with special needs living in the rural ZIP codes of Terrell, Elmo, Kaufman, Kemp and Mabank (75160, 75161, 75142, 75143 and 75147).

Nurture and Nourish for the Future ($356,700) Lead grantee: Sharing Life Community Outreach

Collaborator: Foremost Family Health Centers

Goal: Reduce food insecurity and improve health for low-income families across Dallas and Kaufman counties (Dallas County: 75211, 75212, 75217, 75227, 75231 and 75243; Kaufman County: 75160, 75161, 75142 and 75143) by providing clients blood pressure screenings and access to health services and the ability to order healthy foods online through electronic food pantry services.

Equity and Wellbeing: Culturally Tailored Mental Health Services for Hispanic Women in Dallas ($258,119)

Lead grantee: ROSAesROJO

Collaborator: Cannenta Foundation

Goal: Boost health access and literacy by enhancing a wellness app connecting underserved Hispanic women to essential services, mental health resources and counseling sessions that are accessible, affordable and culturally relevant.

Denton/Wise/Parker Region

Veteran Impact ($300,000)

Lead grantee: Denton County MHMR

Collaborator: Military Veteran Peer Network

Goal: Increase access to mental health care, peer support and long-term recovery for veterans living in Lewisville (75057) and Sanger (76266) by hosting peer events, providing mobile counseling services and offering transportation.

Giving Grace ($300,000)

Lead grantee: Giving Grace

Collaborators: Cloud 9 Charities, Ignite U1 and Denton County Transportation Authority

Goal: Expand outreach efforts into Lewisville (75057) and Sanger (76266) by connecting the unhoused to diversion intervention, mental health, recovery support services, community relationships and transportation.

Hands Up for Mental Health ($300,000)

Lead grantee: Safe Harbor Counseling Center

Collaborators: Joyful Ranch Counseling and First United Methodist Church in Springtown

Goal: Reduce mental health issues and associated health risks for residents living in Springtown’s 76082 ZIP code area through access to counseling services and community collaboration.

Southern Region

Erath County

Community Connection Cohorts ($50,000)

Lead grantee: CASA for the Cross Timbers Area

Collaborators: Choices Clinic, Cross Timbers Fine Arts Council, and Kate Jones, Tarleton State University College of Education instructor

Goal: By June 1, develop an innovative plan to address mental health and the social drivers of health for a target population in Dublin, Lingleville, Huckabay, Morgan Mill and Stephenville (76401, 76402 and 76446).

High Risk Domestic Violence Collaborative ($50,000)

Lead grantee: Cross Timbers Family Services

Collaborators: Dublin Police Department, Erath County Attorney’s Office, Erath County District Attorney’s Office, Erath County Emergency Medical Services, Erath County Sheriff’s Office, Stephenville Fire Department, Stephenville Police Department and Tarleton State University Police Department

Goal: By June 1, develop an innovative plan to address mental health and the social drivers of health for a target population in Dublin, Lingleville, Huckabay, Morgan Mill and Stephenville (76401, 76402 and 76446).

Johnson County

Johnson County Wellness Initiative – Nourishing Communities Together ($33,333)

Lead grantee: Harvesting in Mansfield Food Bank

Collaborators: Rio Vista Cares and Keene Church

Goal: By June 1, develop an innovative plan to address mental health and the social drivers of health for a target population in Cleburne, Keene and Rio Vista (76031, 76033, 76059 and 76093).

Virtual Senior Center ($33,333)

Lead grantee: Meals on Wheels of North Central Texas

Collaborators: City of Cleburne Parks and Recreation and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Johnson County

Goal: By June 1, develop an innovative plan to address mental health and the social drivers of health for a target population in Cleburne, Keene and Rio Vista (76031, 76033, 76059 and 76093).

Together We Grow ($33,333)

Lead grantee: REACH Council

Collaborators: CASA of Johnson County, East Cleburne Community Center, Johnson County Juvenile Services and Southwestern Adventist University

Goal: By June 1, develop an innovative plan to address mental health and the social drivers of health for a target population in Cleburne, Keene and Rio Vista (76031, 76033, 76059 and 76093).

In addition, a $95,000 grant has been allocated for Elite Research, LLC, to assess the quality of the Johnson and Erath community collaboratives.

Post planning grants, an additional $500,000 in grants will be awarded in the Southern Region.

Tarrant Region

Wellness on Wheels: Mobile Health and Nutrition for Tarrant County ($434,330)

Lead grantee: HIM Food Bank

Collaborators: Central Storehouse and Under the Bridge Ministries

Goal: Reduce chronic disease risk factors via mobile units that will provide blood pressure and diabetes checks and distribute healthy food to low-income adults in the 76104, 76105, 76119, 76010 and 76011 ZIP codes.

Health + Healing Hubs ($430,000)

Lead grantee: It’s Time Texas (d/b/a Healthier Texas)

Collaborators: University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Christ Temple, Greater True Light Missionary Baptist Church, and New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and the Ministers Justice Coalition

Goal: Recruit parishioners from black and Hispanic churches in the 76104 and 76105 ZIP codes for paid training and full-time employment as certified community health workers to foster a culture of health, peer support, on-site physical activity and nutrition (including meal-prep classes) while engaging the community with campaigns and activities to improve health literacy.

MATRIX: Medical Assessments and Tools for Resources and Inclusive Xperiences ($385,662)

 Lead grantee: Tarrant County Academy of Medicine

Collaborators: Cornerstone Assistance Network (CAN) and Mission Arlington

Goal: Improving health outcomes for low-income, uninsured residents with high blood pressure and/or diabetes in the 76010, 76011, 76104, 76105, 76119 ZIP codes.

The remaining funding will be allocated at the beginning of 2026.