Texas Health Resources Marks 4-Year Milestone in Double Up Efforts:

For special needs students in the RISE program at William James Middle School in Fort Worth, the Life Lab Learning Garden is a place to grow. Not just the potatoes, carrots, and cilantro teeming from the raised garden beds situated in a school courtyard, but also the sort of personal growth that comes from learning how to bring that food to life.

From pastors and professors to claims adjusters and airline employees, a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program offered by Texas Health Resources is helping North Texans better respond to their neighbors in crisis. The national course, introduced locally in November 2021, is offered monthly and has certified more than 550 individuals as Mental Health First Aiders.

Pickleball is trending up in popularity and down in age. The once obscure sport is gaining popularity among the elementary, middle, and high school set everywhere, including within the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). To take advantage of that trend and encourage physical activity, Fort Worth After School (FWAS), a nationally recognized enrichment program that provides after school activities for FWISD students, held its first pickleball tournament on Saturday, March 23, at R.D. Evans Community Center.

Student groups from six area schools will soon implement their proposals to improve campus well-being as winners of 2024 Wellness Innovation Grants. Now in its fifth year, the Wellness Innovation Grant is sponsored by Texas Health Resources and underwritten by the Fort Worth-based R4 Foundation. Four $5,000 grants and two $2,500 grants – a total of $25,000 – was awarded to elementary, middle, and high schools with the best plans for making healthy choices easier at their campuses.

For the fifth consecutive year, North Texas Healthy Communities (NTHC) and Fort Worth Bike Sharing are partnering to present Free First Fri-YAY, providing free all-day bike rental passes on the first Friday of each month throughout 2024. Residents and visitors can pick up a classic or electric-assist bike at more than 60 Fort Worth Bike Sharing stations and pedal their way around the city.

When it comes to keeping your family healthy, navigating the grocery aisles can be a daunting experience. Knowing how to read labels and choose the most nutritious foods can help chart a course to better well-being.

By Mary Jo Greene

Texas Health Resources was recently honored with the Texas Hospital Association’s 2022 Excellence in Community Service Award the accomplishments of Blue Zones Project, a well-being initiative in Tarrant County implemented by North Texas Healthy Communities (NTHC), the nonprofit outreach arm of Texas Health Resources. The award recognizes hospitals and health care systems that distinguished themselves through contributions to their communities. Brought to Fort Worth in 2014, Blue Zones Project works to make healthy choices easier and more accessible.

From classrooms to living rooms across Fort Worth, students and families tuned in to the Blue Zones Project Virtual Family Summit in November and early December to learn fun and simple ways to get healthy together.