Access To Care

Access to affordable, quality health care is important to physical, social, and mental health. The initiatives in this priority area will address systemic barriers to patient-centered health care. Initiatives in the Access to Care priority area include:

• Conducting an assessment to understand how Access to Care has changed under COVID-19 
• Developing a Community Health Worker hub to unite and train health navigators across San Antonio 
• Establishing Clinician Ambassadors to visit healthcare providers and promote evidence-based public health practices 
• Establishing a medicolegal partnership to prevent and decrease medical debt 

Resources

• Access to Care’s Provider Resource Guide

Data and Technology Infrastructure

Updated technology and infrastructure are essential to ensuring a strong foundational workforce, robust infrastructure and advanced technological services, software, and equipment.  Initiatives in the Technology and Infrastructure priority area include:

• Enhancing technological infrastructure to support infectious disease reporting and investigations 
• Expanding informatics across the department 
• Implementing a unified approach to data analysis and presentation 
• Improving our capacity to conduct next generation genomic sequencing on infectious diseases of high consequence 

Food Insecurity and Nutrition

Food systems are a complex web of activities involving production, processing, transport, and consumption.  A food systems approach identifies, analyzes, and assesses the impact of the systems’ actors, activities, and outcomes to help identify intervention points to addressing food insecurity.  Increasing access to healthy foods can help prevent obesity and diabetes. Initiatives in the Food Systems priority area include:

• Serving as the backbone organization for the San Antonio Food Systems Collaborative 
• Collaborating to produce a State of the Food Systems Report 
• Expanding Viva Health and Por Vida using a Community Health Worker Model 
• Creating a community-based education campaign 
• Expanding our peer-led diabetes prevention initiative 
• Expanding our Healthy Neighborhoods initiative 
• Growing our Healthy Corner Store program 

Health Equity & Social Justice

The initiatives in this priority area are cross-cutting and are intended to strengthen the City's ecosystem by addressing structural racism and other factors such as the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) that impact the health and wellbeing of all. Initiatives in the Health Equity and Social Justice priority area include: 

• Expanding the Metro Health Office of Health Equity  
• Implementing the Equity Action Plan  
• Implementing the actions articulated in the Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis   
• Developing and providing training on antiracist practices and policies for local healthcare systems  
• Establishing the Office of Policy and Civic Engagement (PaCE) 

The first ever health equity symposium was held in San Antonio on September 23, 2022. This in-person event convened City departments, community-based organizations, and community members to discuss the status of health equity in San Antonio. The event featured Dr. Camara Jones and Dr. Amelie Ramirez as the plenary speakers.

• Dr. Camara Jones Opening Plenary Presentation ^(PDF)
• Dr. Amelie Ramirez Luncheon Plenary Presentation ^(PDF)

Health Equity Symposium 2022 Opening and Luncheon Plenary Session Videos

• Opening Video
• Luncheon Video

Mental Health and Community Resilience

Mental health problems constitute a large and increasing part of the burden of disease in our community.  As such, improving the coordination of mental health services by strengthening community assets to ensure emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing for people and communities is essential. Initiatives in the Mental Health priority area include: 

• Establishing an Office of Mental Health within the department 
• Working in coordination with San Antonio Police Department and San Antonio Fire Department to implement a Multidisciplinary Response Team (MDRT) mental health pilot program 
• Expanding access to cognitive behavioral therapy for child survivors of violence 
• Expanding the Project Worth Teen Ambassador Program to incorporate Social-Emotional learning (SEL) 

Violence Prevention

Violence is an urgent public health problem.  From infants to the elderly, it affects people in all stages of life and can lead to a lifetime of physical, emotional, and economic problems.  Metro Health is committed to preventing violence so that everyone can be safe and healthy.  Initiatives in the Violence Prevention priority area include: 

• Significantly expanding our Domestic Violence Prevention program 
• Establishing a citywide Center of Excellence in Trauma Informed Care 
• Expanding our Stand –Up SA program to include the Westside of San Antonio  
• Expanding the service area of the Triple P Parenting Education Program  
• Enhancing Trauma Informed Practices in the Justice System (Year 2)