Leading the Health of the Community

 Local Public Health Entities are the core organization to assess, strategize, plan, implement and evaluate programs that will improve the health of the population by promoting health, preventing disease and protecting against health threats.

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Leading the Health of the Community

LEADERS In PUBLIC HEALTH 

2021

This past year has been tough, but as the Galveston County Public Health District stated - Public Health Was Tougher!

Local Public Health Entities led the action to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus through population-based public health actions, then pivoted to providing vaccinations to their community! 

Angelina County and Cities Health District (ACCHD)  Leading Health

Starting April 2021, ACCHD Director Sharon Shaw and the awesome staff of ACCHD actively work with the Deep East Texas Partnership to encourage community members to Take Your Shot! This campaign includes stories from persons who have been vaccinated, relating their Why they believe it is important to do so. 

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Lubbock Health Department Leaders

LHD training firemen to conduct contact tracing. - "Scaling the public health workforce to respond to COVID-19 is a major challenge.  In February 2020, the City of Lubbock Health Department, a city of 255 thousand, only had 25 full time public health workers and only 3 staff dedicated to routine surveillance.  This was well short of the projected needs to respond to COVID-19.  To respond, the department needed to quickly grow the workforce first for contact tracing and then for vaccine administration." stated Lubbock Health Department Director Katherine Wells.
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Galvestion County Health District Leaders 

 

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Amarillo Area Public Health District Leaders

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Cameron County Health and Human Services Leaders

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Houston Health Department and Harris County Public Health Leaders

Stephen L. Williams, Director, Houston Health Department, Access the broadcast here

  

Access more information here.

Local health departments provide the essential public health services to detect and prevent communicable and chronic diseases as well as food borne illness. They develop and coordinate emergency preparedness actions that protect communities against emerging threats to health and safety. They provide personal health care services to fill gaps in health care accessibility.

City of Lubbock Health Department

Lubbock, Texas and Citibus Recognized by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Best Practices to Mobilize to Vaccinate Minority Communities

The City of Lubbock Health Department was recently highlighted on the CDC Vaccines and Immunizations Community Feature website for its work with Citibus, a public transportation provider for the city, to improve access to the COVID-19 vaccine within the minority communities.
Though Lubbock had one of the highest vaccination rates early on, vaccinating up to 3000 persons per day in April 2021, vaccinations started to dwindle after spring. Innovative thinking and partnerships created a program to target populations with low vaccination rates, primarily the Black and Latino communities. Throughout the early summer months, the Citibus mobile vaccination clinics vaccinated 25 to 50 people at each event. As COVID-19 rates started to increase across the nation due to the Delta variant, demand increased, jumping to hundreds of people getting vaccinated at many events. As of August 2021, CLHD has used the Citibus at 29 events and administered 1,400 vaccines.

See the full story here https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/features/lubbock-tx.html

Abilene - Taylor County Public Health District

During the height of the pandemic, ATCPHD was busy responding to the emergency in concert with community partners. In December 2020 Senator Dawn Buckingham recognized ATCPHD and the community for their exceptional efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Pictured here at their very first mass vaccination hub in January 2021 are ATCHPHD staff (with Director Annette Lerma in the green shirt) and volunteers from the school of pharmacy, PA school and schools of nursing.

Milam County Health Department

Milam County Health Department was awarded the Cameron Chamber of Commerce Organization of the Year Award at the annual CoC Awards Banquet on May 13, 2021. In addition to the year round public health services available to the community, MCHD has provided exceptional outreach by its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering testing, education and vaccinations.

Amarillo Area Public Health District (AAPHD)

Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson (front row, middle) presented a city proclamation to AAPHD at the City Vaccination Clinic recognizing National Public Health Week. AAPHD Director Casie Stoughton, and TACCHO President, (left of the Mayor) stated "All members of the team have been vaccinated. In the past 5 months the team has been working together in the clinic and the 12 months during COVID response, there have been no COVID-19 spread among the team members. Masks Work! Vaccines Work!" Congratulations AAPHD and Amarillo!!

Cameron County Health and Human Services

Cameron County Public Health celebrated National Public Health Week with a Vaccinator Challenge. Cameron County is challenging other COVID-19 vaccination heroes to show their best dance moves and let everyone know what #VaccineHeroes are made of. To date, 211,194 doses have been administered throughout Cameron County. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr. provided a NPHW recognition of the "vaccination heroes for working and volunteering endlessly for the past four months!"

Esmeralda Guajardo, CCPHHHS Health Administrator, stated "Its been a long year and we have been tested and tried with this pandemic, but we can show everyone that Public Health can have some fun while getting the job done!"

View the team effort, support, and spirit at our vaccination clinic sites on the Cameron County Public Health’s Facebook page @cameroncountyhealth and at Office of Cameron County Judge

Galveston County Public Health District

National Public Health Week Recognition!

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwwEcWDaoqE

Kathy Barroso, Chief Executive Officer of GCHD stated "It has been a tough year, but Public Health was Tougher! Tougher than the Long Hours, Tougher than the Circumstances, Tougher than the Weather, Tougher than the Numbers! And Always Tougher Together! Thank you for showing up, persevering, having fun, and thank you for Protecting Your Community!"

Houston Health Department


Houston Health Department (HHD) employees were asked to provide One word to describe this past year: unpredictable, resourceful, anomalous, rollercoaster, inspiring, evolving, rewarding, resilience, challenging!

Comments from HHD employees regarding the response to COVID-19:

“HHD employees are on the frontlines and interact directly with hundreds of individuals daily to ensure communities have access to free and convenient COVID testing.”

“As an HHD employee and steward of public health, we are often seen as subject matter experts on public health emergencies such as this pandemic. We are here to protect all Houstonians through best public health practices, something we do every day both before and after COVID-19.”

“It is absolutely rewarding to serve the community when needed the most, keeping staff motivated to provide best quality services to the community and contributing to eliminate COVID-19. Challenging is uncertainty.”



 Local Public Health Entities are the Core organization to assess, strategize, plan, implement, and evaluate programs that will improve the health of the population by promoting health, preventing disease and protecting against health threats.