Multimillion Dollar Investment in South Texas Proves to be Strong Medicine for Local Healthcare Providers

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Seven organizations from the Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend and Laredo selected as inaugural cohort of Methodist Healthcare Ministries' Sí Texas Project

McAllen, TX – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM), the largest private, faith-based funding source for healthcare services in South Texas, will announce its first cohort of sub-grantees as part of its Sí Texas Project: Social Innovation for a Healthy South Texas. A total of $13 million will be invested in this unprecedented, collaborative effort to improve rates of depression and diabetes in high-poverty communities in the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and the Coastal Bend areas.

In 2014, MHM received a federal grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), to grow the impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the United States. MHM is the first-ever faith-based organization to receive funding from the SIF.

During the news conference, MHM will unveil the seven sub-grantees of the Sí Texas Project and announce the amount of funds each organization will receive. All sub-grantees will be introduced with a brief description of the innovative models they will explore to effectively address chronic illness and behavioral health needs in their communities. A ceremonial check representing the complete monetary investment in South Texas will be presented.

• WHO: Kevin C. Moriarty, president & CEO, Methodist Healthcare Ministries; Rebecca "Becca" Brune, senior vice president of strategic planning & growth, Methodist Healthcare Ministries; Rev. Laura Merrill, district superintendent for the El Valle District of the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church
• WHAT: Presentation of $13 million investment in seven South Texas organizations with ceremonial check presentation
• WHERE: McAllen Convention Center (700 Convention Center Blvd. 78501)
• WHEN: May 5, 2015, 2:30 p.m.

Reserved seating for members of the media. Speakers will be available for interviews immediately after the news conference. To schedule an interview, contact Jessica C. Muñoz at jmunoz1@mhm.org or (210) 776-4525.

About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing medical, dental and health-related human services to low-income families and the uninsured in South Texas. The mission of the organization is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of those least served in the Rio Texas Conference area of The United Methodist Church. The mission also includes MHM's one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.

About The Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service and champions community solutions through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.