Students from two University of North Texas System institutions are working alongside Texas Health Resources (THR) to collectively implement community health projects.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s (UNTHSC) College of Public Health is one of those partners working with THR’s Community Health Improvement Department.
The department works with community leaders, local organizations and North Texas educational institutions to identify and understand health disparities and the social and environmental conditions affecting health. The focus is on using data-driven initiatives to improve the health of local communities.
In a strategic approach toward advancing health equity, THR, UNTHSC, UNT and other local university leaders met in 2021 to envision the mission and purpose, and what could be achieved together through a Texas Health University Consortium.
“We are all doing really good work. Universities are training students and providing our pipeline for public health and health professionals, and this is a great opportunity for those students to maximize their skills and learning experiences by serving the community prior to entering the workforce,” said Laurie C. Long, PhD, community site supervisor and program director of strategic initiatives for THR’s Community Health Improvement.
The department, led by Catherine Oliveros, DrPH, views communities through a health equity lens to innovate and facilitate care for the whole person, meeting people where they live, work, play and worship across North Texas. THR has been named as a U.S. Health and Human Services Healthy People 2030 Champion for the work being done to achieve the nation’s Healthy People 2030 vision.
“It takes a village to address community health issues and move beyond the traditional hospital environment,” Long said. “The top health concerns for our local communities are chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and respiratory conditions, health care access, literacy and navigation, and mental health.”
Developing community-based student internship opportunities was one of the first consortium projects. Currently, most placements are for public health students, who work with THR subject matter experts in Faith Community Nursing and Community Health Ministries, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Community Impact, Wellness for Life Mobile Health and other community outreach efforts. The student experience varies from semester to semester to meet the needs of the community and current initiatives. UNTHSC’s internship placements often allow students to move from design ideation to implementation and data analytics.
“UNTHSC’s Master of Public Health interns have been able to take on a high level of engagement,” Long said. “It’s so valuable that they are with us for a full year instead of a semester. UNTHSC has a strong process for matching students’ interests, backgrounds and goals with the needs of the partnering institution.”
In fall 2023, THR accepted seven students to work on a community readiness assessment across 12 counties. Five undergraduate students from UNT in Denton were paired with two graduate students, one from UNTHSC and one from Baylor University.
UNTHSC student Yun Tran, who graduated with the MPH Public Health Leadership online degree in fall 2024, said that working with undergraduate students brings fresh perspectives to the planning process.
Tran and her partner helped plan, implement, analyze and report on the results of the community readiness survey, working with THR’s Community Health Improvement team throughout the process.
This assessment is important in gaining funding for different initiatives. THR typically provides $5 million to community projects each year. With matching funds, the organization was able to give back $8 million to North Texas communities in 2023.
“Partnerships like this are a big win for THR, the students, participating universities and, most importantly, the community,” Long said.
Like THR, UNTHSC continues taking big steps moving forward.
“As part of our efforts to place the community at the center of all we do, we’ve established the Community Corps, which is currently enrolling members who wish to partner with us on our education, research and service activities,” said Dr. Emily Spence, CPH associate dean of community engagement and health equity.