When Gerrie Whitaker first began as president and CEO of North Texas Area Community Health Centers in 2017, it was clear to her that the community perceived the nonprofit to be a “poor people’s clinic.”
“When I first came here, I found out that NTACHC was the best kept secret in Tarrant County,” Whitaker said. “When I came here, there was no website. We didn’t have outreach workers.”
North Texas Area Community Health Centers has seen consistent growth in patient intake since the organization first began 20 years ago. In 2023, the nonprofit saw over 13,200 patients, compared to 4,412 in 2006.
Over the years, the nonprofit has expanded — but not just in size. The organization began promoting its services to the local medical community and introduced unique patient programs to provide a holistic style of care.
Through these efforts, North Texas Area Community Health Centers began shifting perception. Wraparound services at the nonprofit have been awarded by national organizations. Medical institutions, which had predominantly referred uninsured patients, began sending patients based on the community health centers’ services, Whitaker said.
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“We worked really hard to let people know that we take a back seat to no one in terms of quality,” she added.
A successful program instituted by the nonprofit is Living Your Best Life. The program is currently in its fifth year and helps patients manage their blood pressure and diabetes.
Living Your Best Life stands out from other blood pressure and diabetes programs because of its immediate and comprehensive approach, said Dr. Patricia Rodriguez, chief medical officer for the North Texas Area Community Health Centers.
The nonprofit has rolled out remote patient monitoring through wireless blood pressure monitors, allowing medical staff to swiftly respond when certain treatments aren’t working.
“We’re not waiting every three months to make changes,” Rodriguez said. “We’re doing it a lot more rapidly so that we can improve those health outcomes in a much more nimble and fast way.”
NTACHC has more than 350 people on remote patient monitoring. Over 1,170 patients have benefited from the program since its inception. Patients are not charged for the Bluetooth monitors, Rodriguez said, with private foundations and donors funding the service.
This method of treatment has garnered accolades. Living Your Best Life has received accreditation from the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists. The National Hypertension Control Program, which was launched earlier this year by the CDC Foundation, is using the community health nonprofit’s model to show how best to implement remote patient monitoring.
Another successful venture has been Joyful Beginnings, which began in January 2024. The program provides pregnancy and postpartum education for expectant and new mothers, closing the knowledge gap that has led to poor maternal health in Tarrant County, said Ashley Hatten, a nurse educator at the nonprofit.
“We want to give the power to the patients to be able to advocate for themselves when they are coming to the doctor here and when they’re going to the hospital to deliver,” Hatten said.
Why community health centers matter
Along with the services expansion comes an elevated expectation of patient treatment success. The nonprofit has three of the four federally qualified health centers in Tarrant County, which means the organization is expected to prove their work has “moved the needle” in terms of patient prognoses, Whitaker said.
North Texas Area Community Health Centers differs from private practices because of the broad care offered. On top of seeing a primary physician, a patient can enroll in one of the health education programs, visit the nonprofit’s eye care center and fill prescriptions at the pharmacy.
And the holistic style of care isn’t exclusive to the physical services.
“Not just treating the patients, but supporting them through diagnosis, seeing them through the whole referral process, calling them up after they’ve been referred to the ER,” Rodriguez said. “I challenge you to find any of that in a regular private practice. We go above and beyond for the patients in such a unique way.”
Gerrie Whitaker, president and CEO of North Texas Area Community Health Centers, speaks to guests during the grand opening of the Arlington Community Health Center at its new location on Oct. 7, 2024. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)
Despite the nonprofit’s recent growth, Whitaker still feels like NTACHC is the county’s best kept secret.
Alongside plans of adding two new facilities in the area within the next four years, North Texas Area Community Health Centers is continuing to spread its mission of being patient centered, Whitaker said.
“Access to care is more than a building,” she said. “Access to care is to come into a place that you trust. And so what we strive to provide is real access to care.”
Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org.
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