News
El Paso celebrates 15 years of a smoke-free environment
December 14, 2017
Community advocates recently gathered for a luncheon, hosted by A Smoke Free Paso del Norte, to celebrate El Paso’s 15 years of a smoke-free environment. In 2002, El Paso became the first Texas city to adopt a Clean Indoor Air Ordinance.
A Smoke Free Paso del Norte, an initiative of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, spearheaded the movement by engaging partners across national and international borders to advocate for smoke-free ordinances and polices.
David Lakey, M.D., Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for The University of Texas System, was the…
Medical student loan helps two new doctors give back to the community
December 13, 2017
Jennifer Lopez and Iris Tomas didn’t know each other growing up in the El Paso region, but they found a common path to achieve their lifelong dreams thanks to an innovative program sponsored by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.
Lopez grew up in El Paso and graduated from Eastwood High, while Tomas grew up in neighboring Chaparral, N.M. Both aspired to become doctors, and both dreamed that one day they might even practice medicine back home on the border.
The Health Foundation’s Paso del Norte Medical Student Loan program made their dreams come true. Established in partnership…
UTEP School of Pharmacy receives support for their PharmD program
December 12, 2017
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is pleased to announce a $1 million award to The University of Texas (UTEP) at El Paso School of Pharmacy (SOP) to support the growth and accreditation of their Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program.
UTEP’s School of Pharmacy has been an active member and grantee of the Health Foundation’s A Smoke Free Paso del Norte Initiative, providing expertise and support to regional partners and coalitions who work to eliminate tobacco smoking in the region. They have integrated tobacco cessation into their curriculum, developed promotional materials aimed at…
Sheriff's Office - Special Needs Unit receives training to support inmates with mental illness
December 12, 2017
The El Paso County Commissioners Court recently approved a Resolution, read by Commissioner David Stout, in honor of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation for a program grant to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to train Detention Bureau staff in Mental Health First-Aid and make necessary systematic changes to reduce negative bias associated with mental illness.
Over the past three years, with funding from the Health Foundation, more than 400 individuals from the Sheriff’s Office – Special Needs Unit received training on how to see the signs and symptoms of mental illness. The…
Support from the National Park Service for county-wide linear trail in El Paso County
December 12, 2017
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation has been selected to receive support from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program to work with the Foundation’s planning consultants and community stakeholders to develop the trail alignment for a 50-mile county-wide linear trail in El Paso County. The RTCA program team will spend a week in El Paso in mid-January working with stakeholders to advance, in particular, the development of the portion of the proposed trail from Sunland Park to the Chamizal National Park.
According to the National Park…
Funding Opportunity Schedule for 2018
November 17, 2017
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation has released a new schedule for funding opportunities in 2018. Eligible organizations will have an opportunity to submit Letters of Intent (LOI) in the following areas:
Healthy Eating & Active Living – HEAL Initiative
To make healthy eating and active living the easy choice for youth and their families.
LOI: November 2018
Tobacco and Alcohol Prevention – Smoke Free and Shift + Initiative
To eliminate tobacco use and reduce binge drinking particularly among youth.
LOI: August 2018
**Mental Health and Emotional…
Fired Up for Fundraising: 2017 REALIZE Board Summit
November 16, 2017
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation has partnered with United Way of El Paso County and Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico to host the 2017 REALIZE Board Summit on December 6 in El Paso and December 7 in Las Cruces. Designed for nonprofit board members and executive directors, the lively and experiential Summit will feature internationally renowned fundraising consultant Gail Perry on how fundraising works and where board members and staff fit in.
**Wednesday, December 6, 2017
8 a.m. to noon
El Paso Community College – Administrative Services Center
9050 Viscount,…
Out-of-School program in Juarez is keeping kids engaged and safe
November 15, 2017
More than 800 Juárez youth have participated in out-of-school programming offered by Organización Popular Independiente (OPI) over the past three years, and now the Juárez-based organization is looking to engage even more kids with support from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.
The Health Foundation, under its IGNITE Initiative, is providing funding and data to help OPI improve its programming and determine where to focus its growth. IGNITE works to improve a range of health outcomes by engaging disconnected youth across the border region with high-quality programs during…
Report shares information on increasing healthy food access in the Paso del Norte region
November 15, 2017
El Paso is one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas, yet it has fewer supermarkets per capita than most major cities. Access to healthy, affordable food is a critical component of a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, yet many people living in the Paso del Norte region must travel long distances to purchase food or rely on mom-and-pop shops and convenience stores where fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy, affordable food options are limited.
The Paso del Norte Institute for Healthy Living (IHL) at UTEP partnered with The Food Trust, a nationally recognized…
Working with partners to address the mental health needs of the region
November 13, 2017
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation established the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being priority area to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, increase training for mental health providers and explore structural changes in the region’s behavioral health treatment system to improve access and quality of care. The Health Foundation is taking a leadership role in convening community partners and supporting programs and initiatives that make measurable improvements in the health of the region.
Think.Change Initiative The Think.Change Initiative supports programs and…
