EHF believes that there are some health challenges that serve as warning signs that things need to change when it comes to systems and conditions in Texas. While these challenges can be serious, they are not inevitable. They can be prevented, but not by the health care system alone. The root causes of these health challenges run deeper, shaped by the environments in which people live, work, play and pray, and highlight the need for broad changes so that everyone has a fair shot at good health.
EHF is betting that by using our integrated approach to confront and address three Priorities for Change—food & nutrition security, maternal health, and diabetes prevention—we can make the biggest impact in reducing preventable differences in health outcomes based on income, race/ethnicity, or where a person lives.
To address these issues, EHF will go beyond the doctor’s office, collaborating with community organizations, health systems, and governments to tackle root causes and advance innovative solutions. You will continue to see EHF data projects, learning collaboratives, and other future work focused on these Priorities for Change.
While these priorities are important elements in our Strategic Framework, they are just one part of the picture. They do not represent the full scope of EHF’s work and they are not the only things we fund.
Food and Nutrition Security
Good nutrition is essential for good health. More than four million Texans experience food insecurity, which often sets off a chain reaction of additional health challenges. Limited access to nutritious food is linked to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Under-resourced communities, older adults, families with lower incomes, and rural areas face the greatest barriers to accessing affordable, healthy food.
Maternal Health
Mothers should not die from pregnancy. Up to 90 percent of maternal deaths are preventable. Non-medical factors like limited access to nutritious foods and recreational activities impact rates of chronic medical conditions that negatively affect pregnancy outcomes. Fostering healthy communities, promoting early relational health, increasing access to health services, and social supports that are culturally responsive leads to healthy pregnancies and healthy mothers in the postpartum period, which in turn lays the foundation for her and her child’s long-term physical and mental health.
Diabetes Prevention
Nine in 10 cases of diabetes are preventable. In Texas, diabetes rates are higher than the national average, with Latino and Black Texans facing even higher risk. Diabetes increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease, and is influenced by factors like access to nutritious food and opportunities for physical activity. Treatment for diabetes adds up to $8 billion annually in Texas Medicaid costs alone.
Explore EHF's Impact Drivers
Impact Drivers are how Episcopal Health Foundation drives change to address the non-medical factors that shape health in Texas.
They focus where we fund, invest, learn, and partner.
Explore these drivers to see what each one means, why it matters, and how EHF and our partners are putting them into action with real examples across Texas.
