Dr. John Carlo has committed himself to the underserved. Whether leading the public health response for the region to assist with the fallout of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or leading the quickly growing Prism Health North Texas (PHNTX) today, he has consistently worked for improved care and a quality medical home for all people, regardless of their status in society or ability to pay.
In his 10 years of leadership, he has grown PHNTX from one clinic seeing 700 patients to eight locations caring for more than 15,000 patients. Founded as AIDS Arms Network in 1986 and focusing on patients with HIV, Prism Health has grown to become the largest community-based AIDS service organization in North Texas.
PHNTX now provides pharmacy and primary care services as well and will soon celebrate its South Dallas clinic becoming a Federally Qualified Health Center. These centers are designed to address health inequities across the country by providing comprehensive care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
Below, Carlo shares his favorite places to get away, what he wants to see change in the healthcare industry and Dallas business community, and how he views his professional legacy.
Education: U.T. Southwestern Medical Center (MD), Tulane University (MS, BS)
Birthplace: “Boston, MA, but left for Texas after six months.”
Best advice: “When I was a surgery resident at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, I was given the advice to practice the rule of three. While on call, if you get three calls from nursing staff for the same patient — even for different reasons — you need to stop and make sure you aren’t missing something. In healthcare, we don’t have a lot of time to think through all the complexities in patient care at once, but dots won’t connect unless you stop and allow them to do so.”
Destination of Choice: “We love making the journey out to far West Texas, especially Marfa and Big Bend National Park. Despite being remote and out there, there is always something new we experience when making the trip. There’s just something about the desert air and color of the scenery that offers a complete recharge.”
I collect: “So, I am from Generation X, and at some point during the COVID lockdown, I cleaned out one of my closets and found that most of my childhood Star Wars figures were missing their original weapons or perhaps even an arm or leg. I am almost finished finding all their long-lost parts and pieces.”
Toughest Challenge: “What’s on my schedule for tomorrow? Leading a community health organization means tackling daily challenges, from funding to regulations, people, contracts, and funding. Yes, I did say funding twice! How did we manage to grow from a single health center seeing 700 patients into eight locations seeing over 15,000 patients in just over 10 years? It took a lot of planning, creativity, and perseverance.”
Industry Change: “Healthcare needs to be more affordable and accessible for everyone. It is possible! We need to align cost with outcomes and have market-based incentives align with better health rather than how much is spent. If we better utilize available technologies, practice prevention, avoid wasteful spending, and empower patients and their doctors to be in control of their care, it is more than possible!”
First Ride: “I had a gold 1981 Datsun 280 ZX complete with T-tops. I would happily still have it if it didn’t rust to the ground. It was such a fun car to drive, but sadly, the metal-on-metal body design almost assured that it would start rusting as soon as it left the assembly line.”
A Better DFW: “I would love to see more partnerships with healthcare providers like our organization directly with businesses rather than working through the go-betweens of health insurance, brokers, and numerous other middlemen. Everyone should have good primary care and a good medical home. Businesses partnering directly with community health centers and primary care offices could enable better access to such medical homes with lower costs and less bureaucratic headaches.”
Key Strategies: “Leadership is a long-distance run rather than a sprint. Patience, staying focused, being visionary, and remaining authentic are my core values. But I also like to have fun. I believe hard work can be enjoyed with a good sense of humor. You have to remain positive.”
My Legacy: “Nearly 20 years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit the City of New Orleans with such dramatic force that it affected everyone here in the South and reshaped almost every aspect of how large catastrophic events are managed in this country. Here in Dallas, I was part of the public health response team leadership, which successfully supported thousands of evacuees and mobilized the health service response. Many of our core response teams remained, and we went on to respond to more hurricane evaluations, the influenza pandemic of 2009, West Nile Virus outbreaks, Ebola in 2014, Monkey Pox, and, of course, the COVID pandemic. I believe the Dallas public health and medical response framework we created, which has been tested so many times over these past two decades, made our community safer and more resilient against these modern public health threats we are seeing and undoubtedly will see into the future.”
Future Forecast: “I am so excited that Prism Health North Texas is poised to open more access to high-quality, affordable primary care in Dallas thanks to an incredible amount of investment and work by our community supporters. Our roots are strongly embedded here, starting with our founding through the Communities Foundation during the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1986. As treatment has advanced, so have we. Our services have grown, adapted, and evolved to now be a medical home for anyone who can benefit from patient-centered affordable healthcare.”
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