2023 ANNUAL REPORT
A LETTER FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR and CEO
Susan Melendez - Board Chair
Tracy Yellen - CEO
Dear Friends:
The Paso del Norte region is home to the most well-respected bootmakers in the world. Handcrafted, durable, and resilient, cowboy boots are symbolic of our special region – and the work of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation (Health Foundation) and our community partners to promote health and prevent disease in our binational, tri-state region.
Since our inception in 1995, the Health Foundation has invested more than $249.9 million in grants and charitable expenses in partnership with hundreds of grantees and community stakeholders to make a significant community impact. We ended 2023 with $282.2 million in assets, up from $130 million in 1995. We were thrilled to honor past board chairs this year – celebrating 28 years of leadership and service.
IN 2023, THE HEALTH FOUNDATION INVESTED $12.8 MILLION IN SUPPORTING 111 GRANTEES IN THREE PRIORITY AREAS:
Healthy Living
Disease Prevention and Management
Health Leadership
Funding awarded in 2023 included support for leadership projects made possible thanks to the generous $15 million gift from MacKenzie Scott in 2022.
To our board members, staff, community partners, and grantees who make us unique and strong – just like our cowboy boots – thank you for working with us to make an impact.
We invite you to learn more about our impact in 2023 through our strategic grantmaking, collaboration, and communications at pdnhf.org.
Respectfully,
Susan Melendez
Chair, Board of Directors
Tracy J. Yellen
Chief Executive Officer
Grant Information and HIGHLIGHTS
Healthy living
To support efforts that promote positive behaviors to prevent disease, including healthy eating, physical activity, smoking/vaping prevention, and positive opportunities for youth.
In 2023, the Health Foundation invested $4.17 million to support 46 grants under the Healthy Living priority area.
HEALTHY LIVING – ORGANIZATION GRANT LIST
Healthy Eating
To make healthy eating a priority in our community through health education, policy, and promotion.
Border Partners
Border Partners launched a new grant effort to promote healthier futures for school children across Palomas, Mexico. This initiative empowers healthy eating habits by creating a healthy school environment, which includes more than 700 school children, their teachers, parents, families, and school cooks in nutrition and gardening classes and growing their food at an on-site greenhouse in their community.
Border Partners is a nonprofit organization uniting people from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border by sharing resources, ideas, and experiences to improve the lives of people living in poverty along the border.
La Semilla Food Center
La Semilla Food Center is committed to building strong relationships and creating empowering spaces for youth and families to grow and cook good food, make positive changes, and foster connections among food, health, and local economies. Their programming provides gardening, nutrition, and cooking training to more than 1,500 students, teachers, and families in El Paso, Texas, and Doña Ana County, New Mexico, each year, thanks to support from the Health Foundation.
Monte Vista Elementary School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is one of 40 schools served by La Semilla in 2023 with funding support from the Health Foundation. Students of all grades put on their gardening gloves, shoveled, raked, and used a wheelbarrow to fill beds with soil, create irrigation pods, and plant herbs, flowers, and trees. They also took turns on a bike blender, making watermelon smoothies and healthy refreshments for all as a reward for their hard work.
Healthy Kids
To improve health outcomes by engaging disconnected youth ages 5-17 in high-quality programs during out-of-school hours and supporting opportunity youth ages 16-24 who are not in school and not working.
The Boost Network
Evidence indicates that youth who are involved in out-of-school programs are less likely to use drugs or alcohol or be involved in criminal activity. Well-designed youth activities increase the protective factors needed to lead healthy and productive lives.
The BOOST Network kicked off its second annual Kids Night Out by hosting 1,500 children and youth in Out-of-School Time (OST) programs in El Paso at UTEP’s Sun Bowl Stadium for a fun night of football and 1,500 children from Cd. Juárez for the FC Juárez Bravos vs. Pachuca soccer match at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juárez. The kids received a unique experience and created fond memories.
Funded by the Health Foundation in partnership with the United Way of El Paso County, the BOOST Network is a hub for all out-of-school time providers that work together to identify, explore, and create opportunities that increase the quality and effectiveness of afterschool programs for youth and families in the communities of west Texas, southern New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Centro de Asesoría y Promoción Juvenil A.C. (CASA)
Activities children and youth engage in outside of school hours are critical to their overall development, underscoring the need for quality afterschool programs in every community.
Centro de Asesoría y Promoción Juvenil A.C. (CASA), in partnership with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, implemented out-of-school time programs and activities at five youth centers and outreach activities in schools and communities across Ciudad Juárez.
These programs have become safe spaces for participants to learn to be healthy, discover their potential, and transform their lives.
In the last two years, the program has successfully linked young people between 16 and 24 years of age who are neither in school nor working, offering a skills development program for employment and job training.
La Nube
Children’s museums are places where children learn through play and exploration in environments designed just for them. To support positive environments for healthy kids, the Health Foundation made a leadership commitment to La Nube to fund Blue Sky Lab, health programming, and outreach and engagement of disconnected youth. Slated to open in 2024, La Nube will be home to facilitated programming, activities, and workshops with an emphasis on science, technology, health, and the arts.
Physical Activity
To make physical activity the easy choice for the residents of our region through the promotion of exercise, outdoor activity, trail and park development, and use.
Paso del Norte Trail
The Paso del Norte Trail is a community-driven, collaborative effort to develop a 68-mile hike/bike trail across El Paso County designed to promote active transportation, preserve the history and culture of our region, highlight the Rio Grande River, support economic development and ecotourism, provide educational and volunteer opportunities, and make healthy living the easy choice for our bi-national community.
The Paso del Norte Trail continued its progress towards completion in 2023 with $26 million awarded by U.S. DOT and the Texas Transportation Commission to develop new trail segments in Socorro and Fabens, bringing total trail miles funded for design and construction to 28 miles. Since 2019, trail partners, including the City of El Paso, City of Socorro, County of El Paso, Texas Department of Transportation, and Paso del Norte Health Foundation, have provided/secured over $45.9 million for the trail design and construction. Twenty trail miles are completed and in active use by the community.
Smoke/Vape-Free
Paso del Norte
To support coalition and media efforts to prevent and reduce the use of vaping devices through education and outreach to parents, teachers, and youth.
Smoke-Free Paso del Norte
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the region. While smoking rates have decreased over the years, the region has seen an alarming rate of vaping among youth and young adults. To help create awareness around the dangers of vaping, A Smoke-Free Paso del Norte, a Health Foundation initiative, developed new online resources and tools to help parents and school administrators learn the truth about smoking and vapes. Smokefreepdn.org includes videos that teach how to spot a vape, how parents can talk with their kids, and the consequences of getting caught with liquid THC. Trainers also provided educational presentations in schools across the region.
To learn more visit, www.smokefreepdn.org.
DISEASE PREVENTION and MANAGEMENT
To support and improve efforts to prevent and manage diabetes and mental illness across the region.
In 2023, the Health Foundation invested $3.02 million to support 42 grants under the Disease Prevention & Management priority area.
DISEASE PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT – ORGANIZATION GRANT LIST
Diabetes
To develop, lead, and fund organizational and systems improvements, evidence-based programs, and awareness activities for diabetes prevention, early detection, and management.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to heart disease, chronic kidney disease, nerve damage, and problems with feet, oral health, vision, hearing, and mental health. There is a well-documented connection between diabetes and oral health. A dentist is often the first healthcare provider to suspect if a patient has diabetes because dental visits can be more frequent than physician visits.
With funding from the Health Foundation, the Texas Tech Hunt School of Dental Medicine is providing patients who visit the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic for a routine dental exam the opportunity to test their A1C, a diabetes screening tool. Patients determined to be at risk for diabetes can then work with a community health worker (promotora) to help navigate the next steps, including referrals to primary care physicians, endocrinologists, and diabetes education programs. The screening and navigation program is one of the few led by a dental school in the United States.
University of Texas at El Paso
In partnership with the Health Foundation, the University of Texas at El Paso developed a Diabetes Awareness Training Program for senior Public Health students to deliver across the community. The program consists of three education sessions with topics including what diabetes is, signs and symptoms, and guidelines for healthy eating and physical activity. The program leverages the “Diabetes, Now What?” website and online risk test. The outreach program will be used by graduating seniors during their internship.
Expanding Diabetes Education and Prevention
With funding from MacKenzie Scott, the Health Foundation made a nearly $3 million commitment to help the El Paso Center for Diabetes improve operations, expand services, and increase the number of patients served in a new, updated facility on Montana coming in 2024.
The Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation partnered with the El Paso Center for Diabetes to create several new resources to help individuals learn more about the signs and symptoms of diabetes. New video campaigns and related information materials were developed to help the community identify the signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as frequent urination, blurry vision, and increased fatigue. Those who might be at risk of diabetes were encouraged to take a free online risk test located at epdiabetes.org/risk-test and be connected to diabetes resources.
Mental Health
and Emotional Well-being
To develop, lead, and invest in partnerships, organizations, programs, and communications to promote emotional well-being, reduce stigma and negative bias, and improve access, ease of navigation, and continuity of care for mental and behavioral health services.
Project Vida
Border communities face several unique challenges when it comes to mental health, including high levels of stress, limited access to mental health services, language and cultural barriers, and exposure to trauma and violence. The Community-Based Psychiatry Residency Program at Project Vida Health Center focuses on providing specialized training in community psychiatry, cultural competency, and social determinants of health.
With grant support from the Health Foundation, Project Vida was able to secure accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to provide a Community-Based Psychiatry Residency Program for medical students. This new residency program offers the opportunity to train the next generation of psychiatrists to help treat underserved communities in the El Paso region.
Mobile Crisis Response Team in Otero County
The Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) in Otero County was recognized as a model for the state of New Mexico in mental health and substance use systems and response to crisis. With funding from the Health Foundation, the MCRT has become an essential component of the Alamogordo Police Department in reducing unnecessary criminal justice system involvement among people with a mental illness or substance use disorder. This support has also allowed the City of Alamogordo to show the benefits of the MCRT and leverage resources to sustain the program.
HEALTH LEADERSHIP
To support leadership development for executives, boards of directors, and nonprofit organizations, leverage resources through partnerships, invest in strategic initiatives and catalytic projects, and respond to immediate needs to benefit the region’s health.
In 2023, the Health Foundation invested $3.20 million to support 23 grants under the Health Leadership priority area.
HEALTH LEADERSHIP – ORGANIZATION GRANT LIST
Realize Leadership
To inspire already effective leaders to become transformational leaders for the benefit of the region’s health and to train nonprofit board members on essential board member skills and knowledge so they can be a greater asset to the organizations and people they serve.
REALIZE is dedicated in honor of founding Health Foundation board member Robert H. Hoy, Jr. for his legacy of community leadership.
REALIZE Executive
With strengthened leadership in place, regional organizations and individuals are better positioned to promote health and prevent disease. Thirty-eight leaders graduated from the REALIZE Executive program in 2023 as part of two cohorts in El Paso and Cd. Juárez - to become transformational leaders for our region’s health. The eight-month leadership development program includes a customized 360 performance evaluation, executive coaching around personalized leadership goals, two off-site leadership development experiences, six day-long learning sessions, and more. With these two cohorts of REALIZE graduates, the Health Foundation has trained 140 REALIZE leaders in the region.
REALIZE Board
REALIZE Board is a partnership between the Health Foundation and United Way of El Paso County to offer nonprofit board members various training opportunities to ensure they are fully prepared to undertake their critical responsibilities. The REALIZE Board “Lunch & Learn” sessions prepare individuals for board services. In 2023, the Lunch & Learn sessions had 436 participants, representing more than 70 organizations.
Strategic Initiatives
To catalyze positive change for health by investing in catalytic projects.
Migrant Surge and Support
Due to the influx of migrants and refugees in the El Paso community during the cold winter months of 2023, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and Paso del Norte Community Foundation collected more than 4,300 coats and articles of warm clothing at sites throughout El Paso and distributed them to migrant shelters.
The Foundations further provided grants to nonprofit organizations and shelters working on the frontlines of the humanitarian crisis.
GRANTS and FINANCES
The Health Foundation ended the year with $282.2 million in assets, up from $130 million in 1995 keeping administrative expenses less than 1 percent of foundation assets and bringing total grantmaking since inception to nearly $249.9 million.
$130 M
INITIAL ASSETS IN 1995
<1%
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
$249.9 M
GRANTMAKING SINCE INCEPTION
$282.2 M
TOTAL ASSETS AS OF 12/31/2023
2023 Grantmaking/Impact
The Health Foundation invested $12.8 million in grants and charitable expenses through 111 grants across three priority areas to expand the opportunity for individuals to live healthy lives.
$12.8
MILLION
111 ORGANIZATIONS
Comparative Assets
2023 Board of Directors
Susan Melendez
Board Chair
Community Advocate
Annette Cordova-Hoy, M.D.
Vice Chair
Retired MD, Community Advocate
Sereka Barlow
YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region
Joseph Bocanegra
NexGenHyperbaric, LLC
Charles de Wetter
Community Advocate
Carlos Fernandez
Merrill Lynch
Ruben Guerra
Guerra Investment Advisors
John Hummer
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Linda Lawson
The Hospitals of Providence – Transmountain
Amy Marcus
Community Advocate
Marcela Navarrete
El Paso Water
Maria 'Luby' Prodanovic-Nutis, M.D.
Sun City Kidz Clinic
Adrian Rodriguez
Xcel Energy - Texas & New Mexico
Mission
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation leads, leverages, and invests in initiatives, programs, and policies that promote health and prevent disease in the Paso del Norte region.
Vision
To ensure that the people in our binational, tri-state region have the knowledge, resources, support, and environment to live happy, healthy, and productive lives.
PdNHF Staff
Tracy J. Yellen
Chief Executive Officer
Faviola Calvo
Accountant II
Diana Camacho
Accountant II
Sandra Day
Associate Program Officer
Juanita Galaviz
Program Administrator
Audrey Garcia
Program Officer
Marcela Garcia
Vice President of Finance and Operations
Rosemary Hernandez
Director of Accounting
Michael Kelly
Vice President of Programs
Julia Lucero
Content Creator Associate
Ida Ortegon
Director of Communications
Claudia Perez
Program Administrator
Jana Renner
Senior Program Officer
Daniela Salazar
Operations Support Assistant
Diana Seabrooks
HR Administrator/Executive Assistant
Ashley Vargas
Accounting Support Assistant
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