A Patient's Success
At just 48, Sean, a husband and father, suffered a massive heart attack caused by complete blockage in his left artery. Doctors at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, a Comprehensive Heart Attack Center, determined ECMO was the best course of action for Sean. ECMO acts as an artificial heart and lung, taking over the functions of these organs until they can recover. The ECMO program at Texas Health Dallas treats the sickest patients in the community. In 2024, 74 patients required ECMO – among the highest ECMO volumes in Dallas/Fort Worth.
Ultimately, Sean walked out of the hospital on his own. His wife, Kristen, said, “Despite the harrowing ordeal, it was a good experience during a horrible time.”
Career Pathways
The Career Pathways program helps high school graduates enter the medical field in entry-level roles, allowing them to “earn while they learn.” Chancellor Drake took advantage of the program to become a pharmacy technician. “Having a job lined up really helped me focus on learning and preparing for the exam without worrying about finding work until after I passed,” he said.
Nursing Fund
Allied Health and Nursing Scholarships provided educational opportunities for 302 people with more than $753,393 awarded in 2024.
Kassie, a nurse at Texas Health Southwest, used the Karen Cramer Nursing Fund, available to nurses at that hospital, to attend the Neuroscience Heart and Stroke Conference last year. Kassie learned about new research and evidence-based practices that have made her a stronger nurse and mentor in the Neurology Progressive Care Unit (PCU). “I am able to share best practices with my colleagues and better answer patients’ questions to help them understand their diagnosis and feel confident they are receiving the best care possible,” she said.
Learning Gardens
Through 2024, Texas Health supported 49 school learning gardens in six school districts, impacting 24,000 students.
“The garden is wonderful! The students and teachers love being in the garden, planting, and watching seeds grow. I was working with a second grader who was very upset about something. I went to the classroom and asked her to take a break with me. I asked her if she had seen the new garden and the worm farm. She immediately regulated her emotions and started telling me all about the worms and how her grandmother grows flowers. It was amazing!” -- Kim Edwards, Sigler Elementary School, Plano ISD
Literacy Programs
The Texas Health literacy program has distributed more than 40,500 books in 41 schools in 10 school districts, benefitting more than 20,500 students!
Cecilia Whitman, librarian at Forest Lane Academy in the Richardson ISD, said, “Many of our families are unable to send their children with funds to attend the book fair. It breaks my heart to see the little faces walking by and looking in longingly, knowing that they will never be able to come in and shop.”
Now thanks to the Texas Health literacy program, disappointment has turned into elation. “The excitement was contagious, and I lost count of the number of hugs and thanks we received from both students and teachers,” Whitman said. She added that, for many students, it was their first time going to a book fair.
Wellness for Life® Mobile Health Program
The Wellness for Life® Mobile Health program provided 3,157 mammograms to women in 2024. Verna, 58, was one of those women. It had been more than 25 years since she had a mammogram or pap smear. But Verna was able to get a complete well woman exam at a mobile screening event. “I’m so grateful that I can get this done; you know how long it’s been when you don’t have health insurance? It’s hard. It’s hard,” she said.
Patterson Sim Lab at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton
Thanks to the Patterson Family, the Simulation Lab at Texas Health Denton has helped community organizations including Krum Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Denton Fire Department, and Sacred Cross EMS train for real-life medical emergencies. In 2024, the Sim Lab completed 58 full-scale simulations, three critical care skills fairs with 156 in attendance, two trauma drills, and more than 10 tours for Texas Health staff and community members.