PASO DEL NORTE HEALTH FOUNDATION

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation partnered with the City of El Paso and El Paso Water in 2018 to design and build a 3.4-mile multi-use hike and bike trail from Ascarate Park to Riverside Park on the historic Playa Drain.

The new trail is designed to make active living the easy choice for residents in the region and as an alternative to driving for near-by residents. The trail has several amenities such as seating and shade structures, water fountains, sunscreen stations, bicycle repair stations, exercise stations, artwork and more. Playa Drain Map with Amenities

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation contributed $2.5 million for the design and construction of the trail project. The City of El Paso contributed $300,000 from the Quality of Life Bond for trail amenities like benches and shade structures and will maintain the trail in perpetuity. El Paso Water purchased the Playa Drain for storm water management and is allowing for its public use as a recreational trail.

The goal of A Smoke Free Paso del Norte is to eliminate tobacco smoking in the region. The initiative’s coordinated and comprehensive approach includes preventing the initiation of smoking among youth, promoting quitting among adults and young people, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, and eliminating tobacco-related disparities among population groups. Tobacco smoking is associated with a range of diseases that affect every organ of the body and is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Program partners work on a range of prevention strategies including advocating for smoke- and tobacco-free organizational and municipal policies, monitoring the sales of tobacco products to minors, and educating youth about the risks of smoking.

The goals the Shift+ initiative are to reduce underage drinking and binge drinking in all ages. Binge drinking is the most common form of excessive drinking and is defined as 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women in one occasion. Youth and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequence of binge drinking, including sexual assaults, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and diseases, and unintentional injuries. Currently, partners in El Paso, Southern New Mexico, and Juárez are working within their communities to address environmental risk factors that contribute to underage and binge drinking through advocacy and policy change.

The major goal of the Think.Change initiative is to reduce stigma associated with mental illness. Through this initiative, the Health Foundation will use a Collective Impact framework and research-informed constructs to reduce stigma. As an emerging initiative, community partners (i.e. Brain Trust, El Paso Community Behavioral Health Consortium and other regional partner groups). will work together to identify appropriate indicators to measure change toward the initiative’s goals and objectives.

The goal of the IGNITE Initiative is to improve a range of health outcomes by engaging disconnected youth in the Paso del Norte region in high quality programs during out of school hours. The Foundation refers to “disconnected youth” as people between the ages of 5 – 17 who are not involved in out-of-school activities or not working. Evidence indicates that youth who are involved in out of school programs are less likely to use drugs, alcohol, or be involved in criminal activity. Well-designed youth activities increase protective factors needed for youth to lead healthy and productive lives. Currently, program partnerships have been established throughout the region and policy efforts are underway.

Interactive Mapping Tools: illustrate out of school programs through a point in time data set from fall 2016. The U.S. map includes youth population ages 7-18 by census track in the New Mexico and Texas counties of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s service region. The Mexico map includes youth population ages 6-17 by census track in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Links below:

The goal of the REALIZE experience is to inspire already effective leaders to become transformational leaders for the benefit of the region’s health. Customized for the Paso del Norte region and built on nine leadership attributes, REALIZE offers a cohort of twenty executives, the opportunity for individualized leadership growth over fifteen months.

With strengthened leadership in place, regional organizations and individuals are better positioned to promote health and prevent disease. Key REALIZE interventions include a customized 360 and other leadership assessments, executive coaching around personalized leadership goals, two transformational off-site experiences, at least six one-day cohort connect learning sessions, networking opportunities, assessments to measure individual growth, and more.

The REALIZE experience is funded and operated by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.