University Health Vida holds its first collaborative to improve health on the South Side
On the morning of May 15, 130 people representing 43 local nonprofits and other groups gathered on the South Side to learn about public health collaboration opportunities at the new University Health Vida, a multispecialty health center opening later this year and home to University Health’s Institute for Public Health, and the excitement was palpable.
Institute for Public Health leaders provided information about the three ways mission-oriented partners can work together at University Health Vida to extend services to South Side residents:
- Community Commons, a co-working innovation hub
- Community spaces to hold cooking, parenting and other classes
- As referral sources when University Health patients have nonmedical needs like housing, food insecurity and transportation
A Forum To Generate New Ideas
“My mind’s just going right now,” said Renetta Johnson Sensley, AVANCE San Antonio health service manager.
The meeting was an excellent opportunity to integrate University Health’s service with the work of organizations like AVANCE San Antonio, Johnson Sensley said.
That’s exactly the strategy University Health Vida is putting into play, said Dr. Carol Huber, University Health Institute for Public Health vice president.
“We’ve often said it takes a village to raise a child, but what does it take to raise a village?” Huber said. There are significant health disparities and less access to care on the South Side of Bexar County, she said, and “one of the ways to address those disparities is through University Health Vida."
A Plan Coming to Fruition
“Taking action to bring more health access to the South Side is one of my highest priorities, and today another one of my promises to act on this priority is taking root,” said Bexar County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. “This Vida preventative health building will save lives because someone will learn how to advocate for their families and adopt healthier eating and preventative health habits. Our ZIP codes will no longer determine our destiny.”
Good Health Is More Than Medical
Getting a child to a doctor’s appointment is tough without a car — or a stable place to live. Managing blood sugar is nearly impossible when you don’t have reliable access to food. Many factors impact health that no prescription can fix. If University Health can partner with organizations to address these real-life challenges, the care we provide becomes far more effective.
AVANCE’s Johnson Sensley said her organization serves children, but wants to look for ways to support their parents and families as well.
“We take care of the children, but if the mom is not healthy it’s kind of hard for her to take care of the whole family,” she said.
Serving the Family, Serving the Community
This effort to increase access to health and resources makes sense on broader levels as well, University Health President and CEO Ed Banos said.
“Our opportunity here as a group today is to make sure our patients are better off, better for the community and better for the economy,” Banos said.
And it will be important to measure how well such efforts will work, Huber said.
“We’ll monitor the impact and successes through things like readmission rates, high blood pressure management and other data,” she said.
That will create a bridge to better health and significant community impact throughout Bexar County.
“The Community Commons initiative at Vida is just a start,” Huber said. “It’s a place for us to test the public health strategies and services. If the partnerships work well we can expand them to the larger community.”
University Health Vida will open later this year and offer primary, specialty, walk-in and mental health care as well as house the Institute for Public Health. It is on the same campus as University Health Palo Alto Hospital, a 166-bed hospital designed to grow to 286 beds and on schedule to open in early 2027. Learn more about our growth here.
