Newsroom Archive

Growing up in Mexico, JPS Health Network RN Tania Ayala saw her family members suffer unnecessarily because they didn’t have quality healthcare options available to them.

She was inspired when she moved to Fort Worth at 13 years old and saw the care members of her family were suddenly able to receive, ranging from routine check-ups to women’s healthcare and diabetes treatment. Ayala decided she wanted to help make a difference in her adopted community, so she went to nursing school.

In 1965, when Fort Worth area cardiologist Dr. Robert Capper made rounds at JPS Health Network to check on his patients, he brought his 10-year-old son, David, along for the ride.

“There were seven siblings, so I think dad brought me along to give mom a break more than anything else,” said the younger Capper. “But I watched the way he took care of people and gave his time to the community. That really inspired me.”

While doctors learn in medical school how to repair broken bodies, often times they don’t learn everything they need to know about the importance of compassion for patients and their families.

That’s unfortunate because many doctors will tell you that delivering bad news to a patient or the patient’s loved ones is by far the toughest part of their job, said JPS Health Network Medical Director of Trauma Services Dr. Rajesh Gandhi.

The word cancer strikes so much fear into people that often their initial reaction after a diagnosis is to concede defeat.

The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation on Tuesday donated $52,000 to JPS Health Network to be used for research about how to recognize and treat depression in effort to prevent suicide.

Health network leaders gratefully accepted the donation and announced it will be matched by a $100,000 grant from the JPS Foundation.

“This is truly an opportunity to make a difference in the community and across Tarrant County,” Zelia Baugh, Executive Vice President and Behavior Health Administrator at JPS, said of the donation. “It will help to save lives.”

Rhythm is very important when it comes to the work of the heart. If the beat is off by even a little bit, it can cause of variety of problems for a patient including everything from a temporary loss of consciousness to a higher risk of death due to a heart attack or stroke.

Planning ahead is an important consideration when it comes to patient safety.

That’s especially true in the JPS Health Network Pharmacy Services Department where a group of team members is dedicated to making sure all the supplies doctors and nurses require to take care of patients are on hand when they’re needed.

Shift change hand-offs are two of the most important times of the day for both JPS Health Network caregivers and their patients.

The hand-offs, which occur at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. as nurses’ 12-hour shifts conclude for some and begin for others, are not only critical for keeping team members informed about the health needs of the people they’re caring for. They’re also an excellent opportunity to bring patients into the conversation about their care.

In the Clinical Decision Unit at JPS Health Network, things happen fast. Still, there is no room for short cuts when it comes to patient safety.

Trisha Swift, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, said attention to detail and professional efficiency make the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) a model of best practices when it comes to safely delivering medication. The unit was named a JPS Bright Spot for 2018.

A pair of physicians who work at JPS Health Network have been named 2019 Healthcare Heroes by the Fort Worth Business Press.