Writer: Liz Palmer
4 min read January 2023 — As Greater San Antonio’s healthcare sector continues to craft its own equilibrium post-pandemic and lead the country in innovation and care, local health system leaders are honing in on their visions for the future. In interviews with Invest:, leaders share what their approaches to assessing community needs and accommodating heightened demand will look like in the new year.
George Hernandez, President & CEO, University Health 
Facility upgrades and expansions are top of mind for George Hernandez, president and CEO of University Health. Most recently, he said, the organization’s focus is in maternity and neonatal care, having received national recognition for its quality in 2022. “In 2023, we look forward to expanding our capacity and capabilities to care for complex pregnancies and babies born prematurely as we open a new 300-bed Women’s and Children’s Hospital,” he said. “In this new hospital, our Level IV Maternity and Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) teams will provide the best care for women and children from our community and across South Texas in a facility designed exclusively to meet the needs of patients and families, and to support all of the latest technologies and therapies. We are proud of these teams and our outstanding physician partners in the UT Health San Antonio department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics. As we continue to grow these programs our goal is to ensure families in our community do not need to leave San Antonio to receive the highest level of care.”
Theresa Scepanski, President & CEO, Community First Health Plans, Inc.
Affordability and accessibility is key for Theresa Scepanski, president and CEO of Community First Health Plans, Inc., for both San Antonio proper and outer rural areas. “Expanding and marketing the services we offer to our local community is extremely important and we want to continue to grow that particular line of business in the marketplace,” she said. “We know that many individuals are eligible for marketplace options and we want to be the health plan of choice for our community in Bexar County.”
As a managed healthcare provider, managing relationships with community organizations and addressing social determinants of health are top priorities. “Individuals face different challenges and we’ve targeted four areas,” she said. “First is food insecurity. Healthy foods contribute to maintaining good health. However, we know not everybody has access to healthy food all the time, so food insecurities are one of the areas that we address for our members. Second is transportation. Sometimes you don’t get to the doctor because you lack transportation. Again, transportation to and from your doctor’s visit can be a contributing factor to positive outcomes in your healthcare. Third is housing. Another important factor as we look at individuals and how they can care for themselves. Having access to a safe shelter is equally important. Fourth is health literacy. If you’re discharged from the hospital, for example, understanding what you must do when you leave the hospital to continue to take care of yourself is essential. Understanding your medications and how to take them and when to take them is extremely important.”
To address these factors, the organization partners with the San Antonio Food Bank and has installed 41 pantries in the community. “We sponsored the construction and installation of the pantries and stock the pantry from time to time, making a difference within the neighborhoods. During the winter, we stock them with blankets, gloves and other supplies we know people need. In the fall, we add school supplies for children, and throughout the year, we include toiletries and baby diapers. We’ve been proud of not only the innovative idea to get into this sort of program in support of our food bank, but also in support of those local neighborhoods where we can make a difference in one individual’s life, which makes it all worth it,” she said.
Jonathan Turton, President, Texas Vista Medical Center
President of Texas Vista Medical Center Jonathan Turton’s focus is on workforce development, specifically through collaborating. “We’re working with three different universities to help develop our southside community,” he said. “We can’t just lean on the government to do this. It’s going to take private enterprises plus our government agencies to help create sustainability in addressing the disparities that exist within our community. In celebration of the diversity and inclusion that San Antonio is known for, how do we create the same kind of opportunities for those we serve and those who choose to make this community home? We have reached out to the public hospital district, University Health, and the political entities of our community. We’re also starting a school of nursing with Palo Alto College. These types of collaborations are going to provide us with results.”
Turton is also motivated to incorporate partnerships for the hospital itself. “We have to take care of emergencies but also work with larger systems for more advanced care. I don’t need to focus on having the best and fanciest widgets but I need to have the best people with the best processes and make sure patients get to the right care site. My idea of development is to be focused on the people and processes that create excellence in a community hospital.”
For more information, visit:
https://www.texasvistamedicalcenter.org/
