Patients at the Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute at Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center in southern Dallas hail from a community where residents are three times as likely to die from diabetes-related complications as in Dallas County overall. That fact inspired Joel Allison, president and CEO at 11-hospital Baylor Health Care System, to champion creation of the $15 million facility that opened in 2010, adopting the institute as a major strategy and advocating for funding in Washington as well as the state capital of Austin.

The facility promotes Type 2 diabetes management through access to clinical services, recreation facilities, diabetes and health education, cooking class and counseling, an annual Fun Walk/5K run and a weekly farm stand that sells fresh produce at reduced cost.

The efforts have already shown results: According to a 2012 survey of members, 48% had achieved the optimal blood glucose level of less than 7%, up 4.6% from a year earlier; 43.7% reached blood pressure control, up 5.8% in a year; and cholesterol and body mass index numbers also had improved. A separate review conducted in 2011 showed a 40% decrease in emergency room visits among DHWI members.

“(Diabetes) was a huge health need and quality-of-life need in many of our communities,” says Allison, one of the 10 finalists for Modern Healthcare's 2013 Community Leadership Award. “As leaders in healthcare, we have the responsibility to give back. I've been very much supported by my team and a wonderful board of trustees that has the same philosophy.”

On another front, Allison, 65, has worked with Baylor's hospital presidents to create the Faith in Action initiative. This have provided medical missions and disaster relief to communities in more than 31 countries as well as serving more than 70 free healthcare clinics in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The idea originally stemmed from the Haiti earthquake in 2010, and Baylor personnel have since provided their skills, equipment and supplies in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and the Joplin, Mo., tornado, both in 2011. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, the program provided the services of 43 medical professionals and $130,000 in medical supplies worldwide.

“People within Baylor, so many come here with a sense of calling, with a servant's heart, and this is a way they can volunteer and really make a difference in the lives of others,” Allison says. “It becomes a real responsibility of leaders to give back, to set an example and to encourage others to follow that example.”

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Ed Finkel is a freelance writer in Evanston, Ill. Reach him at edfinkel@earthlink.net