Western Governors University’s Michael O. Leavitt School of Health (LSH) and the AltaCair Foundation are partnering to host another health equity conference Oct. 17 in McAllen, TX, focused on the role of community-based organizations (CBOs) in the advancement of public health.

After the successful culmination of last year’s conference, which used coopetition (collaboration among stakeholders) to elevate the health landscape of Rio Grande Valley (RGV or the Valley), the partner organizations decided to further the mission of enhancing equity in health and higher education with Accelerator2024.

“We had a successful health equity conference last year focused on bringing together diverse stakeholders for the collaborative advancement of RGV’s healthcare system. But a single conference won’t solve the problems that envelop the region, so we decided to use our learnings from that conference and come up with another workshop-focused event this year to support the nonprofits that tirelessly work to uplift RGV’s health landscape,” said Anmy Mayfield, LSH vice president and dean for WGU’s College of Nursing.

Accelerator2024 is designed using the insights obtained from last year’s conference. The conference will comprise a keynote session, skill-development workshops, and information display booths. Since health is a cumulative measure of medical conditions as well as non-medical and social situations, these series of research-led conferences and local partnerships serve to mobilize the community-based ecosystem for a long-term impact on the health landscape of the region.

“RGV is a wonderful region, but the region is burdened with inequities that control real progress. Amidst challenges, we do see that various CBOs, hospitals, higher education institutions, policymakers, and community leaders consistently try to better their services to serve the region’s underserved population,” said Edwin Estevez, CEO of the AltaCair Foundation. “After our conference last year, we connected with various members of the community and determined that a channelized strategy to help RGV via these stakeholders would be an effective way to connect with the grassroots and propel the change we’re rooting for. Eventually, after several brainstorming sessions with the WGU group, we all came up with the vision for Accelerator2024, a conference focused on public health via support to CBOs and the region’s key stakeholders”.

Located at the southernmost tip of Texas, RGV exemplifies unique challenges that rural communities encounter. Culturally rich and vibrant, the border region is home to nearly 1.4 million people, mostly Hispanic, and has some of the poorest counties in the country: Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron. Issues like poverty and lack of access to healthcare burden the Valley. These factors are the leading cause of health problems, including diabetes, obesity, and cervical cancer. Fifteen years ago, Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon, writer, and public health researcher, highlighted the region’s systemic inequities in his landmark article, The Cost Conundrum. Presently, the region continues to work toward inclusivity and advancements in healthcare, focusing on the community's strength and resilience.

WGU’s strategic partnership with the AltaCair Foundation aims to address RGV’s healthcare disparities and yield scalable solutions that can be replicated for the nationwide optimization of value-based care, healthcare workforce, and health equity. The transformative initiative is already underway, with an invitation for like-minded individuals and organizations to collaborate for the region’s advancement.