A New Prescription for Community Health

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Advancing Health

Episode: A New Prescription for Community Health

Date: March 25, 2026
Host: Nancy Meyers (AHA)
Guests: Vanita Owens (President, Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center), Andrea Hayes (Manager of Marketing & PR, BSW Health and Wellness Center)

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights the innovative, community-empowered model of care used by the Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center in Dallas. With the Healthier Together conference upcoming in May, the discussion centers on key initiatives, collaborative strategies for addressing social determinants of health, and the measurable impact of their programs on underserved populations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unique Model of Care at Baylor Scott & White (BSW) Health and Wellness Center

• Whole-Person Approach:
  Vanita Owens explains that BSW’s model “brings together clinical care... nutrition and chronic disease education... and physical fitness,” all free for uninsured and underinsured communities.
  Quote:

  “Our model of care is a unique one in that it brings together clinical care through our family health clinic, nutrition and chronic disease education... and physical fitness..." (Vanita Owens, 01:12)

• Empowerment Focus:
  The center’s mission is not only to provide care but to equip individuals to manage their health proactively.
• Team Effort:
  The host emphasizes how advancing health is “a team sport,” setting the stage for a discussion on partnerships.

2. Community Collaboration & Partners

• Village Approach:
  The center collaborates with “over 100 community organizations,” including groups like Bonton Farms, leveraging partner expertise to address the broader determinants of health.
  Quote:

  “It takes a village working together to address the social determinants of health in underserved and uninsured populations.” (Vanita Owens, 02:31)

• Clear Role Definition:
  BSW focuses on health, while community partners cover social, economic, and environmental needs.

3. Measurable Community Impact

• Health Outcomes Data:
  Andrea Hayes shares striking results from a five-year study:
  • 37% reduction in Emergency Department (ED) visits
  • 21% reduction in inpatient admissions
    Quote:

  “We found that we had a 37% reduction in emergency department visits and a 21% reduction in inpatient admissions...” (Andrea Hayes, 03:26)

• Patient-Centered Success Story:
  Hayes recounts a patient’s journey:
  • 64-year-old with high A1C and blood pressure participated in diabetes education, farm stand, and nutrition therapy.
  • After four months: A1C reduced to 6.2%, 10 pounds lost.
  • Care is individualized: “We customize their services, we meet them while they are on their journey...” (Andrea Hayes, 04:23)

4. Conference Preview: Healthier Together Site Visit

• Immersive Experience for Attendees:
  Visitors to the Dallas site will witness “a day in the life” at the center, including:
  • Doctor's visits
  • Chronic disease education
  • Cooking demonstrations
  • Fitness classes
  • Farm stand produce purchasing
    Quote:

  “This will include doctor's appointments, chronic disease education sessions, cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and the purchasing of fresh produce from our farm stand at cost.” (Vanita Owens, 05:26)

• Engagement and Interaction:
  Attendees can participate in activities and interact with staff and community members.

5. Takeaways for the Broader Health Community

• Hands-On, Passion-Fueled Care:
  Attendees are encouraged to absorb the dedication and hands-on approach needed for underserved populations.
  Quote:

  “We are working to improve the health of these communities one person, one family and one community at a time.” (Vanita Owens, 06:44)

• Replicability and Scalability:
  The center’s leaders highlight that their model is scalable for other communities, hoping others will adapt similar approaches.
  Quote:

  “We want to showcase that this can be done in other communities.” (Andrea Hayes, 07:12)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It takes a village working together to address the social determinants of health in underserved and uninsured populations.”
  (Vanita Owens, 02:31)
• “We found that we had a 37% reduction in emergency department visits and a 21% reduction in inpatient admissions...”
  (Andrea Hayes, 03:26)
• “This will include doctor's appointments, chronic disease education sessions, cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and the purchasing of fresh produce from our farm stand at cost.”
  (Vanita Owens, 05:26)
• “We are working to improve the health of these communities one person, one family and one community at a time.”
  (Vanita Owens, 06:44)
• “We want to showcase that this can be done in other communities.”
  (Andrea Hayes, 07:12)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:20 – 01:12: Introduction to BSW Health and Wellness Center and episode theme
• 01:12 – 02:03: Description of the BSW model of care (Vanita Owens)
• 02:31 – 02:58: Collaboration with over 100 community partners
• 03:10 – 04:50: Measurable health impacts and patient success stories (Andrea Hayes)
• 05:26 – 06:01: Preview of site visit activities for conference attendees
• 06:31 – 07:12: Educational takeaways and scalability message
• 07:18 – 07:54: Closing remarks and expressions of gratitude

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Summary

This episode offers an inside look at how Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center is reimagining care for Dallas’ underserved communities through a holistic, partnership-driven, and data-informed approach. The discussion delivers actionable insights on community collaboration, achieving measurable health improvements, and practical ways to foster scalable, patient-centered wellness beyond hospital walls. Attendees at the upcoming Healthier Together conference are promised both an immersive learning experience and inspiration to bring tested, compassionate models of community health back home.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Advancing Health. The American Hospital association will hold its first Healthier Together conference in Dallas, May 12 through 14. And while there, attendees will get to see an amazing local organization in action working to improve health for the city's underserved population.

[B]

Hi everyone. Welcome to the American Hospital Association's Advancing Health podcast. I'm Nancy Meyers, vice president of leadership and system innovation here at AHA and and I'm joined today by two great colleagues, Vanita Owens, who's president of Baylor Scott and White's Health and Wellness center, and Andrea Hayes, who's manager of marketing and public relations for that organization. This May, the center is going to be hosting attendees of the Healthier Together conference in Dallas, Texas for a community immersion experience. So we're going to be talking in today's podcast about the Center's key initiatives and discuss the impact of their programming across their community. Vanita, I'd like to start with you. Tell us about how the Baylor, Scott and White model of care stands apart in supporting and empowering the community that you serve.

[C]

Hello, Nancy, and thank you for having me. The Baylor, Scott and White Health and Wellness center model of care stands apart as a unique model of care by providing tools for individuals who are empowered to take care and charge of their health and their health outcomes. Our model of care is a unique one in that it brings together clinical care through our family health clinic, nutrition and chronic disease education, which is provided by registered dietitians and community health workers, and physical fitness, which these classes are taught by trained professionals. We feel that bringing these three elements together work to make an individual well, and these services are provided free of charge to an uninsured and underinsured population.

[B]

I love that, you know, taking that whole person approach through the way that you've organized care and services at the center. And truly advancing people's health is a team sport. Right? So I know that you collaborate with community organizations in the greater Dallas region like Bonton Farms in your work. Can you tell us a little bit about that collaboration and others like it that really are making an impact for your patients and your community?

[C]

Absolutely. We collaborate with over 100 community organizations. We focus on health and we allow our community partners to focus on their areas of expertise. It takes a village working together to address the social determinants of health in underserved and uninsured populations. Our goal is to support this community in their journey to becoming well.

[B]

Great. Andrea, I want to get you in on this conversation. Can you share a meaningful change that you've seen in the community as a result of the services that you offer through the cent.

[D]

Absolutely. Thank you for having me here today and thank you for bringing this conference to the city of Dallas. A couple stories I'd like to talk about, just stories about our members, and one overarching story that I'd like to tell is about our models, reduction in ED utilization and inpatient admissions. So we did a five year study based on all of our programs and services that we do. And, and we found that we had a 37% reduction in emergency department visits and a 21% reduction in inpatient admissions at the hospital. And so what we're doing on the community level is helping to keep our members well and not actually, you know, into the hospital emergency room, but getting care where they need it on the community level. One of the stories about a patient who was 64 years old with elevated A1C and elevated blood pressure. And so we integrated them into our programs. One is our diabetes self management education program. And then also along with our farm stand and medical nutrition therapy, and then in four months, their A1C was reduced to 6.2% and then they also lost 10 pounds. So that's an amazing testament to the programs that we have here and how it's improving the health of our community for each individual patient. And we customize their services, we meet them while they are on their journey and help them along the way and we give them the tools to be well, that's great.

[B]

And I really like how you're using both that quantitative data around health outcomes and healthcare utilization, but you're also keeping it real by talking to folks about what's important to them and really bringing their goals and successes into the outcomes that you're attracting Benita back to you. So we are excited that we will be bringing the Healthier Together conference to Dallas in just a couple of months. From this conversation that we're taping, what can conference attendees expect to see and experience when they come to see the center?

[C]

Well, we're excited about having the conference attendees also. And what they can expect is to observe a day in the life of a Baylor, Scott and White Health and Wellness center community member. This will include doctor's appointments, chronic disease education sessions, cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and the purchasing of fresh produce from our farm stand at cost. Conference attendees will be able to participate in some of these activities and interact with the community members and our staff.

[B]

One of the things that we are really focused on as we bring this conference to Dallas and we'll be bringing it to other cities in the years to come is making sure that everybody who attends walks away with learnings that they can take back to their own organizations and to their own communities and patient populations. What are attendees going to be able to take back to their own place of work after attending a site visit at the center?

[C]

Well, we hope attendees will feel the passion and commitment that we feel on a daily basis. This is a very hands on model, very hands on approach, and caring for the underserved population requires that. So we're hoping that they will take away that we are working to improve the health of these communities one person, one family and one community at a time.

[D]

We're just excited to be able to feature what we do and let people see what's going on in our community and it's just amazing to actually see our model in action and we want them to take that back and certainly we know that it's scalable and so we want to showcase that this can be done in other communities.

[B]

Thank you for that. I want to, as we come to the end of our time here, thank you both again, first and foremost for sharing your expertise with us. Most importantly for the work that you're doing every single day to really improve the health of the people who've entrusted their care to Baylor, Scott and White. I'm really looking forward to seeing you in Dallas. To those of you who are listening in, please check out our conference website and make plans to join us in person as well. And thanks to all for the work that all of you are doing every day in your communities. Be well.

[C]

Thank you.

[D]

Thank you.

[A]

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