Summer 2018 Legacy Community Health Board of Directors Amanda Goodie-Roberts Chairperson
Alex Jessett Vice-Chairperson Beryl Basham Secretary
Naveen Pinglay Treasurer
Glenna Pierpont
At-Large / Executive Committee
Tony Bravo Beth Bruce George Burch Abigail Caudle, M.D. Victor Cordova, Jr. Richard Davidson Bethsheba Johnson Mariana Chavez Mac Gregor, M.D. Johnson Olatunji Marissa Taler
Legacy Community Health Endowment Board of Directors Tripp Carter Chairperson
Brent N. Whiteley Vice-Chairperson
Bryan Hlavinka Secretary
Mike Holloman Treasurer
Michael Alexander Joshua L. Espinedo Melanie Gray
Board Member Emeritus
Melissa Mithoff
Board Member Emeritus
James A. Reeder, Jr. Board Member Emeritus
Monsour Taghdisi
Board Member Emeritus
Claire Cormier Thielke Board Member Emeritus
OB2Pedi and Take Control of Diabetes:
New Programs Help Patients Make Healthy Choices he Centers for Disease Control says preventing illnesses before they occur keeps health care costs low and helps people live longer, healthier lives. That’s why Legacy has launched two new programs that encourage patients to take an active role in their health care: Take Control of Diabetes and OB2Pedi (Obstetrics to Pediatrics). Legacy providers and medical staff developed the programs to better coordinate care while empowering patients with knowledge to make better choices for their own well-being. Legacy providers and medical staff developed the programs to better coordinate care while empowering patients with knowledge to make better choices for their own well-being. “Diabetes is particularly difficult for our patient population to manage, because they don’t have easy access to resources,” says Legacy’s Director of Family Practice Dr. Patricia Hayes. “It’s harder to eat healthy when you don’t have money to buy healthy, fresh food, or afford insulin or a glucometer to check blood sugar.” Take Control of Diabetes focuses on patients who don’t have their diabetes under control. Participants attend classes to learn how to manage their condition, track blood sugar levels, and begin exercise plans. Legacy pharmacists consult with the patients’ provider about medication changes. A dietician offers guidelines on healthy food choices, and a Legacy endocrinologist is available for more challenging cases (a second bilingual endocrinologist is coming on board later this year). Preliminary results from the program, which launched late last year, are encouraging. Patients report more confidence in managing their diabetes, which, if uncontrolled, can cause traumatic health problems. “I know the terrible outcomes when a patient’s diabetes is out of control, including amputation or blindness,” says Dr. Hayes, who also has diabetes. “Even as a physician it’s hard for me to juggle my medical appointments, so I’m thrilled we can offer this comprehensive program to our patients.” Dr. Hayes hopes to expand the program to people with Type I/Juvenile diabetes, and pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Legacy’s OB2Pedi program for new mothers and their babies begins this summer. Legacy provides all patients a set of booklets to guide pregnant women through their prenatal care, through the baby’s birth, and then into their new role as a mother. The material, packaged in a folder for easy access, is designed to create a seamless
Patient Health Educator Charlie Zarikian with some of the materials for his Diabetes Education Class
handoff between Legacy’s obstetrics (OB) providers to our pediatricians, reassuring new mothers and their partners that they’re part of an interconnected care team. “What we’re doing is a huge step for OB and Pedi in this area,” says Dr. Vian Nguyen, Legacy’s Medical Director of OB/GYN. “Doctors in private practices don’t have the luxury of knowing what happens after Mom leaves the hospital, or if she even follows up with her baby’s pediatrician appointments. This new program removes that mystery.” The first book, “The Journey Begins,” helps women track prenatal visits and understand the changes their bodies will go through during pregnancy. As the baby’s due date gets closer, “Your Labor of Love” helps women create a birth plan, review breastfeeding options, and understand the conflicting emotions many new mothers face in the first few weeks after birth. “The postpartum blues can be a chaotic time,” says Dr. Nguyen, who’s just had her third child. “I’ve had a lot of support, but for me it’s been a difficult time. We want Moms to know they’re not alone, that they can talk about their feelings and ask for help.” And, if the blues become postpartum depression, Legacy’s providers can more readily get Mom into treatment. The third book, “Your New Addition,” directs Mom and Dad to educational classes and reminds them to schedule well-baby visits with their new pediatrician. “Even new families just coming to Legacy with a new baby or an adopted baby can benefit,” says Dr. Tamisha Jones, Legacy’s Medical Director of Pediatrics. “The book has answers about about car seats and vaccine schedules, and information about recognizing warning signs so families know when to call the doctor. These easy-to-navigate guidebooks answer so many questions that new parents often ask.” Giving patients peace of mind and more ways to stay well, OB2Pedi and Take Control of Diabetes are the latest examples of Legacy’s innovative programming that connects our communities to health.
Dr. Tamisha Jones and Dr. Vian Nguyen with the new OB2Pedi booklets
Service and Community are Family Values for Legacy’s Maria Cantu-Ondarza isionary… devoted… courageous… neighborly: we see Legacy’s core values every day in the work of Maria Cantu-Ondarza, our Director of Development - Community Giving. Recognized nationally for her efforts to coordinate health care initiatives in the Hispanic community, Maria forges new relationships to broaden Legacy’s services and programming. “Both of my grandmothers were my role models,” says Maria. One helped establish the first school in her town, while the other was a midwife who spent weekends volunteering her services in poor communities. “I was eight years old when I started going with her, walking five miles each day, carrying her bags of food and medication, to take care of these women,” Maria recalls. Maria trained and worked as a social worker in Monterrey, Mexico, before moving to Houston in 2005 and joining the clinic that would eventually become Legacy Southwest. During the transition, she worked to reduce the time required to bring pregnant women into care. Later, she partnered with March of Dimes to launch prenatal classes for new mothers, with the goal of reducing premature births. Today, Maria manages Legacy’s Little Readers program. Our providers have given away more than 63,000 free books to our pediatric patients, encouraging parents to read aloud with their children to promote early literacy and brain development. “Bringing patients in and helping them get engaged with their own health care builds trust,” says Maria. “And it’s not just the first patient; it’s the family who will come in to care. If you don’t have empathy with the patients and the community, you don’t have the health outcomes we want.” Like her grandmother, Maria’s devotion to the community goes beyond her weekday work. As the president of Houston’s Hispanic Health Care Coalition, Maria chaired the 2017 Latino Health Summit to foster collaboration among the region’s health care professionals. “Our health care providers, social workers, students, and community leaders shared strategies and best practices,” she says. “What we learn in Houston can be shared with other cities across the country to promote better health among the
8th Annual Frank Billingsley Golf Classic
Maria Cantu-Ondarza and Stephania Franco
Hispanic community.” Maria’s efforts to bridge those gaps were acknowledged by the National Hispanic Medical Association, which named her one of 20 outstanding health professionals earlier this year. Locally, she’s been recognized by Comcast as a Houston Hispanic Hero. Now, many years after those weekend walks with her grandmother, Maria is sharing her devotion to the community and mentoring her daughter. Stephania Franco is a lead eligibility specialist at Legacy, connecting families to health and social services. Working with Mom “every day motivates me to do better at my job and as a person,” Stephania says. “I admire her a lot!” We do, as well, and we’re proud to see Maria continuing her family tradition – and Legacy’s mission – to drive healthy change in our communities.
Maede Miller, April Hix, Kim Broderick, and Carol Oddo
April 25
More than 80 golfers participated in this year’s golf tournament, which raised nearly $63,000. Presenting sponsors were the Ebel Family Foundation and Greg Harper and Lisa Foronda Harper. Additional support came from D.E. Harvey, Frank Billingsley and KPRC Channel 2, Northside Lexus, and Talk Birdie to Me.
Jake Wood, Harrison Faickney, Ricky Sparks, and Scott Davis
Chree Boydstun, Greg Bobrow, Greg Ebel, Greg Harper, and Frank Billingsley
July 15, 2018 The 16th Annual Mint Julep Show Mint Julep brings together some of Houston’s top LGBT entertainers for an afternoon of outrageous performances benefiting Legacy’s HIV services. Chloe Rushing, events@legacycommunityhealth.org (832) 730-4433
April 24, 2019 The 9th Annual Frank Billingsley Golf Classic Save the date for our annual golf tournament hosted by KPRC’s Frank Billingsley at the Golf Club of Houston. Tim Martinez, tjmartinez@legacycommunityhealth.org (832) 548-5123
Summer Soiree May 17
Katy and Nick Johnson opened their home for a summer social to raise awareness of the good work Legacy does in the community. Legacy staff, doctors, and providers hosted small group conversations to share their work with attendees.
Collin and Lexie Rose
John Trahan, Scott Sawyer, Tony Bravo, and Richard Werner
Dr. Jennifer Feldman, Kristin Dupeire, and Dr. Tamisha Jones Katy and Nick Johnson
Sandra Smith-Cooper and Dr. Dolores Medina Carbonell
Amanda Lemaire, Caroline Hendrix, Dr. Ann Barnes, and Dr. Sushma Hebbar
Building Healthy Families Reception June 5 Legacy’s Building Healthy Families Campaign co-chairs Tripp Carter, Trini Mendenhall, and Martha Turner hosted a reception at the home of Tommy O’Neill and Brent Whiteley to celebrate the conclusion of our campaign to build a new Southwest clinic. Groundbreaking for the new building is scheduled for this fall.
Kendall Sill, Kari Findley, Lori Swann, and Cathy Easter
Brent Whiteley, Tommy O’Neill, and Brenda Wilson
Tripp Carter, Chree Boydstun, Trini Mendenhall, and Katy Caldwell
2nd Annual Burberry Reception benefitting Legacy June 14
Burberry in the Galleria hosted a summer fashion preview party with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Legacy.
Margaret Alkek Williams and Jim Daniel
Pictured left to right are hosts Steve Locke, Yvonne Cormier, Claire Theilke, Elia Gabbanelli, and Tony Bravo
John Ross Palmer, Gary Hammett, David LaDuke, and Ryan Lindsay
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Legacy Northline Grand Opening April 14 Grateful thanks to the community partners who joined us for the ribbon cutting at Northline. Pictured left to right: Rep. Armando Walle, Legacy CEO Katy Caldwell, Sen. Sylvia Garcia, HCC Northeast’s U.S. Dr. Destry Dokes, U.S. Rep. Gene Green, Greater Northside Chamber of Commerce’s James Montalbano, and former Legacy board member Jim Kovach.
Pictured left to right are Legacy’s Blanca Rangel and Paty Torres, Dr. St. Amand’s husband, Dr. Robert “Bob” S. Meier, Dr. St. Amand, and Legacy’s Lesly Johnson and Stephanie Chanhmisay.
The American Heart Association honored Legacy’s Dr. Pamela St. Amand at the Golden Triangle Go Red for Women on April 5 for her dedication in the fight against heart disease and stroke.
Pictured left to right: OKRA’s Mike Gonzales, Legacy’s Jon Oxley, Ashley Guidry, Debbie Costello, and OKRA’s Mary Ellen Angel.
In May, Legacy was one of four non-profits featured at the OKRA Charity Saloon. Instead of their usual canned food drive, the staff decided to collect books for Little Readers. The drive was so successful that OKRA extended if for another month and brought in more than than 4,000 books donated by OKRA patrons.
Pictured from left to right are Dr. Thomas Noyola and Joe Domino from the SETERF Board, along with Legacy’s Lynne Tyer, Josh Davis, and Lesly Johnson. The Southeast Texas Emergency Relief Fund (SETERF), which focuses
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on disaster relief for cities like Beaumont and Port Arthur, donated $15,000 to help Legacy patients from that region access care and medications in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.