THE JPS SAFETY NET WORKS! POP QUIZ INFORMS AND INSPIRES ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE JPS CITIZENS HEALTHCARE ACADEMY.

THE JPS SAFETY NET WORKS! POP QUIZ INFORMS AND INSPIRES ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE JPS CITIZENS HEALTHCARE ACADEMY.

Link: https://youtu.be/vvTeP0i6lGs?is=C74KXN7cyNri6s-J

Faith and community leaders arrived for the first day of the inaugural JPS Citizens Healthcare Academy expecting a good meal and an opportunity to learn more about the health network serving our community. The meal was waiting—but so was an unexpected pop quiz from Dr. Karen Duncan, President and Chief Executive Officer of JPS Health Network.

The quiz got our attention right away. Most of us could only guess at the answers, and many of us were surprised by what we learned. The questions opened the door to a bigger conversation: What do we know about JPS today, the people it serves, and the work taking place across Tarrant County?

One thing is for certain, the JPS safety net works.

Day one offered an overview from the hospital’s leadership team and a first look behind the scenes at an institution that has changed in important ways. This is a very different JPS from the one many of us remember growing up. The transformation in leadership, service, and community commitment has been remarkable. JPS now serves more than one million patients a year, is Tarrant County’s second-largest employer after Lockheed Martin, and is one of the region’s leading medical training centers.

Those numbers tell part of the story. The Academy also gave faith and community leaders an opportunity to better understand the scope of JPS’s work and the role a strong county health system plays in the lives of our neighbors. For leaders who are often asked where people can turn for care, learning more about the services and direction of JPS matters.

The Citizens Healthcare Academy is an interactive, six-week experience designed to give faith leaders a behind-the-scenes look at JPS Health Network. It reflects JPS’s commitment to building the future of healthcare with our community, not just for our community. By equipping local leaders with knowledge and insight, the Academy can strengthen the connection between JPS and the communities it serves—and support better health outcomes for generations to come.

Under Dr. Duncan’s leadership, JPS is moving toward a future grounded in service and excellence. As the day’s presentations unfolded, faith and community leaders gained a renewed sense of pride in the health network and greater confidence in the work underway.

Before class ended, one faith leader voiced a feeling many of us recognized: growing up in Fort Worth, JPS was not always the first place you wanted to take a sick family member. That memory makes the changes taking place especially meaningful. With a renewed commitment to excellent care and a shared vision to serve Tarrant County’s most vulnerable residents, JPS is working to become a trusted destination for trauma care, mental health services, and a new women’s center serving women at every stage of life.

Many of us may not have aced the pop quiz, but we left with something valuable: a clearer understanding of JPS and renewed hope for the future of the JPS Network. We also left with a stronger foundation for speaking with our congregations and communities about the care and services available through this medical institution.

Thank you to Dr. Duncan and the entire JPS leadership team for welcoming us, sharing your knowledge, and investing in this partnership. Faith leaders left encouraged to continue learning about JPS and to help connect our congregations with quality care.

Day one was filled with excitement, information, and enthusiasm. The work ahead is to keep building trust and bring faith leaders together in support of the mission of Tarrant County’s oldest—and remarkably transformed—hospital system.

If one pop quiz could inspire this much curiosity and enthusiasm, we can’t wait to discover what the rest of the Academy will bring.