Regional Environmental Scan and SWOT Analysis: Insights from 74 South Texas Counties

Partnering with Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM), we are assessing external factors influencing community health to inform MHM’s future investments, practices, and strategic planning. MHM is a private, faith-based nonprofit that broadens the definition of healthcare by providing clinical services, community wellness programs, and grant-making support across a 74-county region in South Texas. This project—running from December 2024 to April 2026—analyzes external conditions alongside MHM’s programming and services to identify barriers and facilitators to health and wellbeing across the region. Findings will help MHM identify new opportunities and prioritize strategies aligned with its focus on health equity.

Primary activities:

• Conducting an environmental scan of MHM’s 74-county service area by identifying and analyzing macro-level factors that shape health outcomes in South Texas to inform strategic planning and future investment priorities.

• Assessing MHM’s internal programs and organizational practices through a review of structures, programs, and operations, and through interviews with MHM teams and community stakeholders to understand alignment with priority community conditions and the organization’s health equity framework.

• Facilitating a SWOT analysis with MHM stakeholders by synthesizing findings from the environmental scan and organizational assessment to identify strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats that support future planning.

• Synthesizing findings from the environmental scan, organizational assessment, and stakeholder engagement into strategic recommendations, planning resources, and presentations that support MHM leadership and Board in setting priorities, guiding future investments, and advancing health equity across South Texas.