National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Tijerina, J.
Strategic partnerships and shared visions can support community-based health and wellness
educational opportunities reaching larger audiences. The Your Health Matters! Wellness
Conference began with a vision of bringing speakers with subject matter expertise on health,
wellness, and nutrition to the citizens of Laredo. The city of Laredo is a South Texas border (to
Mexico) community with a population of 254,000 and 95 % is Hispanic. Initial conference
venues had a capacity of 150, but through a new partnership with a school district, a district
managed facility was secured, and new potential audience members were identified. 19,757
students attend the Laredo Independent School District.

A partnership with their Parent and Family Engagement Department was critical to conference
success by hosting and promoting the conference to parents, providing Spanish translator for
speakers, and incorporating the school district’s television network for live streaming. Parents
were offered health screenings and education on child obesity prevention, stress, diet and brain
health, maintaining core physical fitness, and a healthy mediterranean-themed lunch.
Collaborators with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Healthy South Texas included Texas
A&M Colonias program and Texas A&M Health Science Center for assistance, health
screenings, and medical assistance program; Laredo Job Corp Culinary Program students
assisted with preparing lunch; and Public Access Channel aided with video recording.
Conference surveys, provided in English and Spanish, rated speakers and overall conference,
and allowed for future topic suggestions. In its first-year partnership, 510 parents were reached
in-person and via live stream