This year, JPS Health Network was honored with two major awards at the 2025 D CEO Excellence in Healthcare Awards for its dedication to improving the well-being of our community. One for innovation in addiction care and one for a groundbreaking collaboration bringing full-service healthcare to one of Fort Worth’s most underserved neighborhoods.
The first honor celebrates the JPS Bridge Clinic, named the winner for Achievement in Provider Innovation. Launched in 2021, the Bridge Clinic is a reimagining of how to care for patients with opioid use disorder, meeting people in their hardest moments, and guiding them toward long-term healing. With real-time screening, same-day buprenorphine treatment, and immediate connection to a multidisciplinary team, the program fills a gap that had left patients vulnerable. Peer navigators, case managers, and behavioral health experts work side-by-side, supported by customized tools built directly into the patient’s electronic health record.
Since opening, the clinic has helped more than 1,200 patients, increased long-term treatment engagement by 25 percentage points, and reduced hospital admissions. In 2025, more than 200 people received help, many for the first time. The program has become a national example of how healthcare systems can change lives through access, teamwork, and compassion. This work was recognized with the 2025 Gage Award for Operational Excellence from America’s Essential Hospitals, an honor given to only five organizations nationwide.
The second honor recognizes a partnership that is reshaping healthcare access in West Fort Worth. The Cook Children’s/JPS Neighborhood Clinic at Las Vegas Trail earned the award for Outstanding Healthcare Collaboration. In a community long considered a healthcare desert, JPS and Cook Children’s united to build a 40,000-square-foot health hub that serves the whole family under one roof.
Together, the two systems have created a place where families now have access to pediatric and adult primary care, women’s health, behavioral health services, a nutrition-focused teaching kitchen, job training in partnership with TCC and Workforce Solutions, and even a Fort Worth Police storefront designed to strengthen community relationships. In the first few weeks, the center served 700 patients, highlighting the need for and trust in the clinic.
Bright colors, butterfly murals, and sunny rooms reflect the clinic’s message that a new start is happening in the Las Vegas Trail community. Through programs like “30 Days of Wellness,” back-to-school vaccinations, and partnerships with LVTRise, the center is becoming an important resource for families who have been waiting for easy access to care.
These two recognitions reflect the heart of JPS. They honor a team that sees challenges and responds with compassion, innovation, and community partnership. They show what’s possible when people believe that every patient deserves a chance to thrive. And most importantly, they remind us that the work happening inside JPS every day is changing lives across Tarrant County.
Congratulations TeamJPS! 💙