Dr. Ann Barnes
EHF's President and CEO
Our continued thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by recent storms and flooding across East Texas, greater Houston, Temple, and many other communities across the state.
As the clean-up and recovery continues, we’re again reminded how non-medical factors have a direct impact on our health.
From unsafe housing to having access to fresh food to living without electricity and air conditioning, non-medical factors before, during, and after storms determine our overall health and well-being. That’s why EHF continues to push the health system and health policies at all levels to be focused on improving hashtagHealthNotJustHealthCare.
We also know that Texans who face the most barriers to good health before a storm are also the ones who usually face the most battles in the aftermath.
That’s why we focus on non-medical drivers of healthy like creating and maintaining safe places to exercise, increasing access to healthy foods, and removing barriers to health care access so that families can have better chances to become healthy and resilient before a storm hits.
EHF has a long-term commitment to invest in and promote equity in organizations, communities, and initiatives to accelerate a bold vision that all Texans have a just opportunity to live their healthiest lives — before and after whatever comes our way.
