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Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 939
La Marque, TX 77568
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The Executive
Report |
Phone: 409-938-2401
Fax: 409-938-2243
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The Executive Report is a monthly summary of key activities and
significant happenings in the Health District overall. This summary of
activities and/or happenings may involve: one of many different
public health
programs, the
Galveston Area
Ambulance Authority (GAAA), the
4C's
federally-funded community health clinics (CHC's), and/or
collaborate efforts among community health partners.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact:
Pisa Lewis , Executive Assistant,
at 409 938-2401, by email:plewis@gchd.org;
or Kurt Koopmann, Public Information Officer,
at 409-938-2211,
by email:kkoopman@gchd.org.
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| October 30,
2003 |
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Archives |
Flu Prevention Enhanced in the Health
District
Draft District Health Plan Completed
Ozone Health Alert
Biowatch Air Monitoring Activities
Strategic National Stockpile
Typhoid Investigation
Shigellosis Outbreak
4C’s Clinic Updates
Open Houses
Transition Plan for Vacant Providers
Vacancies and Recruitment
New Staff
Nursing Manager
Salary Adjustments
Current 4C's Clinic Trends
Other Clinic Activities
The TB Clinic
Operational Updates
Family and Medical Leave Policy
Conversion of state paid positions
Upcoming Events
Environmental and
Consumer Health Updates
Pre-packaged ice cream products
San Leon/Bacliff taskforce
Bayou Vista Animal Services Program
| Flu
Prevention Enhanced in the Health District |
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The Health District
designated October as “Influenza Prevention
Month” in Galveston County. Public awareness
of prevention activities centered around three
main events offering flu and pneumonia vaccines
in addition to other activities, as outlined in
the news release on
September
24. The threes types of events included: (1)
“Senior Health Corps Fests”
conducted at six locations in throughout Galveston
County. In addition to flu shots, senior citizens
were provided with free health screenings and
educational materials regarding the new “Passport
to Good Health” program; (2) 4C’s
Clinic Open Houses held at both clinic locations
October 8, which offered clinic tours, vaccines,
health screenings, and more; and (3) eight Traditional
Sites throughout the county staffed by the
District’s Community Health Nursing department.
Over 5000 flu shots were administered during these
events. Additionally, 500 flu shots were provided
to the homeless and indigent population via a
donation from Henry Schien Distributor and collaboration
with UTMB. More citizens have been protected with
flu shots earlier this year than last, and the
health district expects to exceed the number of
vaccines administered during the 2002 flu season.
For more information contact Kurt Koopmann
, Public Information Officer at kkoopman@gchd.org,
at 409.938.2211 or Shirley Carr, RN, Director
of Community Health nursing at scarr@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2457. |
| Draft
District Health Plan Completed |
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After
five months of extensive strategic health planning
and receiving feedback from a broad range of community
stakeholders, district staff completed a Draft
Strategic Health Plan outlining goals and activities
planned for the next seven years (2010). The plan
will be submitted to both health Boards at their
meetings this month for a final review, and will
be considered for adoption at the Boards’
November meeting. Many, many community members
and health district employees have worked diligently
and cooperatively to make the outcome of the planning
process a reality. Once the health boards adopt
the plan, the health district will begin an extensive
implementation process throughout the organization
to include a system of measuring and monitoring
its progress towards the established goals. For
more information, contact Brian Rutherford, Health
Planner, at brutherford@gchd.org
or 409.938.2275 |
| Ozone Health
Alert |
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The Galveston County
area was issued a "Red" Ozone health
alert for October 21, 2003 due to elevated ozone
levels monitored in the county. The "Red"
alert considers the air to be unhealthy for everyone.
Ozone is a colorless, odorless gas and is a key
component of smog and is regulated under the Federal
Clean Air Act. Ozone can irritate the respiratory
system, reduce lung function, aggravate asthma,
and inflame and damage the lining of the lungs.
Current Ozone Health Alerts for Galveston County
are available on-line at http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/cgi-bins/monops/warning_status
or, individuals can register at to receive the
ozone health alerts immediately by email. In addition,
the Galveston County Health District Pollution
Control Division is currently working with the
Galveston County Daily News to publish a daily
air quality report informing the general public
on the quality
of air in Galveston County. For more information,
contact Ronnie Schultz, Director of Pollution
Control, at rschultz@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2314. |
Biowatch
Air Monitoring Activities |
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Since March of
this year, the Health District has been participating
with TDH, other local health departments, and
the FBI, in a program called BioWatch.
In this program, special air sensors in secret
locations monitor the air for biological agents
that might be used in a bioterrorist attack. Filters
from these sensors are removed daily and taken
to a lab for testing. On October 5th and 6th,
sensors located in the City of Houston detected
a small amount of material consistent with Francisella
tularensis, a bacteria that can cause Tularemia.
None of the sensors in Galveston County were positive
for the bacteria and there were no human cases
of the illness in Galveston or Harris counties.
Environmental soil samples and rodents taken from
the area also tested negative for the disease.
As a precaution however, a health alert went out
to area infection control practitioners and school
nurses to watch out for increased levels of respiratory
illness, other symptoms of the disease, and who
to report to. There is no evidence to suggest
that the detection of this bacterium is due to
an intentional release, and there is no evidence
that this incidental laboratory finding accounts
for an increase public risk of disease. About
200 human cases of tularemia are reported in the
U.S. each year. For more information, contact
Brian Rutherford, Health Planner, at brutherford@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2275. |
| Strategic
National Stockpile
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The occurrence
of a large-scale natural disaster, industrial
incident, or act of terrorism, might require the
need for large quantities of pharmaceuticals and
medical supplies. The federal government has established
the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
for this purpose. The SNS is a supply of antibiotics,
antitoxins, life support medications and other
supplies that can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.
within 12 hours of the decision to deploy. The
SNS is shipped in either a jumbo jet or in 8 tractor-trailers.
In order to be prepared to accept the SNS should
it be needed in Galveston County, we will first
need to identify a primary and secondary warehouse
site to receive, stage and store the supplies.
The facility will need to be air-conditioned and
have 12,000 square feet of space available. It
will need to have trailer-receiving docks or we
will need forklifts available to offload the supplies.
The space should also have adequate lighting and
be easily secured. If you know of a facility
that might be suitable for this purpose, please
contact Brian Rutherford, Galveston County Health
District Planner, at brutherford@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2275. |
| Typhoid
Investigation |
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The Texas Department
of Health (TDH) has been investigating six recent
cases of typhoid fever in Texas. While none of
the cases occurred in Galveston County residents,
they were linked to the consumption of raw oysters
from one Galveston County oyster wholesaler, one
boat, and one specific part of Galveston Bay.
TDH recalled additional implicated oysters, and
the Health District’s Environmental &
Consumer Health and Epidemiology departments have
assisted TDH in tracing oysters served by 3 local
restaurants, in interviewing 28 employees of the
oyster distributor, and in collecting blood, stool,
and urine specimens from these employees for laboratory
testing. The investigation is still in progress.
For more information, contact Chuck Chambers,
MPH, Epidemiologist, at cchambers@gchd.org,
or 409.765.2514. |
| Shigellosis
Outbreak |
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The Health District
has also been investigating an outbreak of the
bacterial infection shigellosis in October. During
the time period of September 14 through October
14, 2003 at least 11 diarrhea cases have been
linked to a Santa Fe elementary school. Environmental
& Consumer Health personnel inspected the
school's kitchen facilities, and the Epidemiology
Department has communicated with families of most
cases and provided written prevention information
for distribution to parents of all students. As
of 10/27/03 the outbreak seemed under control.
For more information, contact Chuck Chambers,
MPH, Epidemiologist, at cchambers@gchd.org,
or 409.765.2514. |
| 4C’s
Clinic Updates
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Open Houses
- In an effort to reach out to Galveston
County residents, the 4C's conducted an Open House
on the morning of October 8, 2003, in both clinic
sites. 2033 letters were sent out to existing
4C's seniors to invite them to the Open House.
Throughout the morning, the Texas City clinic
had 113 guests, while Galveston had 88. There
were 112 blood pressure screenings, 92 blood sugar
screenings, along with administration of approximately
140 flu shots between the two clinic sites. In
addition, there were 5 seniors who signed up for
the Senior Health Corps. Feedback from visitors
was generally positive with many stating this
was their first opportunity to visit the 4C's
and indicating they would like to come back. In
addition, that afternoon, the 4C's opened up both
clinics to see mostly walk-in patients, and 92
were seen that afternoon between both clinic sites.
The total cost for the Open House was $1346.05,
excluding vaccine costs. For more information,
contact Susan Studebaker, Director of Clinical
Services, sstudebaker@gchd.org,
or call 409.949.3406
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Transition Plan
for Vacant Providers: The recruitment of new
providers has begun with the conducting of midlevel
and physician interviews. In addition to recruiting
new providers, existing resources are being used
to ensure as many patients as possible can be
seen by both clinic sites. Susan Studebaker, Dr.
Shah and Dr. Guidry, are assisting providers in
direct clinical duties as well as back-up supervision
& paperwork. For more information, contact
Umair Shah, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, ushah@gchd.org,
or 409.949.3406.
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Vacancies &
Recruitment: Since September 2003, the 4C's
Clinics have accepted the resignations of six
full time employees and four part time employees.
An RN Clinic Nurse Manager position has been filled.
Three LVNs (including 1 Health Educator/LVN) positions
are posted and applications are continuing to
be accepted, we have received 8 applications to
date and have started interviewing. Two provider
positions have been posted and to-date one of
the positions has been accepted by a Physician
Assistant. A complete staffing & recruitment
report will be provided to the 4C’s Governing
Board. For more information, contact Kathrine
Hall, Human Resources Director, at khall@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2230.
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New Staff:
Dr. Beverly M. Foster will join us as Dental
Director of the 4C's Dental Clinic. Dr.Foster
is a graduate of Georgetown University School
of Dentistry and has over 10 years experience
as a licensed dentist. Dr. Foster is a Texas City
Native and will be returning home in January 2004.
Thank you, Dr. Milton Howard, for assisting in
the interview and selection process. Terri L.
Huey, RN, joined us on October 21, 2003 as the
new 4C's Clinic Nursing Manager. Terri
is an extremely well-qualified R.N. who comes
to the 4C's with over 20 years' of experience
in direct patient care and has worked in both
private and public health settings. Terri's clinical
nursing responsibilities have included directing
patient care, nurse triage, and health education/promotion.
She has also held supervisory positions and is
quite familiar with the inner-workings of ambulatory
primary care settings. Best of all, Terri is a
resident of Texas City and is familiar with the
community in which we reside! Terri can be reached
at 409.949.3420 or by email at thuey@gchd.org.
For more information, contact Kathrine Hall,
Human Resources Director, at khall@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2230. |
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SalaryAdjustments:
Human Resources and Executive Management have
reviewed the salary ranges for 4C's clinic nurses.
Using salary savings from the provider budget,
salaries have been adjusted for current clinic
nurses, and a new salary scale has been implemented
for incoming clinic nurses. These new ranges are
based on a salary analysis completed on similar
organizations, and additional responsibilities
added to the clinic nurse job descriptions. For
more information, contact Kathrine Hall, Human
Resources Director, at khall@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2230.
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Current 4C's
Clinic Trends: With the continued tracking
of clinic productivity, data shows that provider
productivity was 8.1 seen per clinic half-day
for the month of September, compared to 7.6 in
August. Appointment capacity has showed continued
fluctuation with Texas City at 68% and Galveston
at 61%, respectively. The total number of patient
encounters decreased slightly from the previous
month (2875 compared to 3044); however the no-show
rates for scheduled patients and the proportion
of walk-in patients remained about the same as
in August (30% and 27%, respectively). Two daily
reports are now being generated: one which delineates
provider appointments and availability for clinic
time the next clinic day, and another which tabulates
the previous day's provider productivity in terms
of number of patients seen. These trends will
continue to be monitored and will be reported
on a regular basis. For more information, contact
Susan Studebaker, Director of Clinical Services,
sstudebaker@gchd.org,
or 409.949.3406. |
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Other Clinic
Activities: Cashier and registration flows
are being evaluated to decrease the time it takes
for a patient to be examined by a nurse and/or
provider. Implementation of a plan to utilize
better communication devices and the addition
of a greeter for patients upon entry to the clinics
are being considered. Communication with staff
is continuing on a regular basis with weekly meetings
with various departmental areas as well as an
upcoming town hall meeting for employees to discuss
clinic issues and concerns. In addition to the
implementation of the program for senior health
improvement awards, there has been implementation
of a bonus program for providers who exceed expectations
in assisting the 4C's in patient healthcare needs
in this period of transition while we are recruiting
new providers. Current steps are in place to seek
opportunities for providing a November/ December
rotation for a preventive medicine resident. For
more information, contact Susan Studebaker, Director
of Clinical Services, sstudebaker@gchd.org,
or 409.949.3406, or Umair Shah, MD, MPH, Chief
Medical Officer, ushah@gchd.org,
or 409.949.3406
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The TB Clinic
provided significant medical evaluations to two
patients with active or suspected tuberculosis.
One patient was referred for hospitalization due
to liver complications, and another patient was
hospitalized for a left upper lobe infiltrate.
For more information, contact Umair Shah, MD,
MPH, Chief Medical Officer, ushah@gchd.org,
or 409.949.3406. |
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Operational Updates
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The Executive Team
and District Management Team have approved the
following policy in the last month: Family
and Medical Leave, which sets expectations
for employees, supervisors and Human Resources
for absences related to the Family Medical Leave
Act. As adopted by both health Boards, Human Resource
policies will be approved by the Executive Director
and brought to the Board on an annual basis. For
additional information, please contact Kathrine
Hall, Human Resources Director, at
khall@gchd.org
or 409. 938.2230. |
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The Health District
participated in a conference call conducted by
the Office of Public Health Practice on October
14, 2003 for those local health departments affected
by the conversion of state paid positions.
As of September 1, 2004 state paid positions assigned
to the local health departments are being converted
to Health District payroll positions. The Health
District will continue to be reimbursed for the
base salary of any state paid employees; however,
fringe benefits will not be included in the reimbursement.
The State is offering an incentive to those employees
who are eligible to retire, and exercise that
option before September 2004. However, if the
employee accepts the incentive, funding for the
program will be reduced by 35%. Reviews will be
completed on all state paid positions prior to
September 2004 to assess options, business needs
and fiscal restraints. For additional information,
please contact Kathrine Hall, Human Resources
Director, at khall@gchd.org
or 409. 938.2230. |
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The Health District is planning several employee
events in the upcoming months: (1) an employee
Fall Decorating Contest on Friday, October
31, 2003; (2) Two Townhall meetings for
employees on November 12th in Texas City and November
13th in La Marque; (3) an employee Thanksgiving
luncheon on November 19th 11:30 a.m. to 1:30
p.m. and (4) a “Kemah Holiday Jamm”
on Saturday, December 20th, 7:30 pm, at the Kemah
Community Center thanks to the assistance of board
member, Mary Anne Holcomb! Board members, employees,
family, and friends are invited to attend. For
additional information, please contact Kathrine
Hall, Human Resources Director, at
khall@gchd.org
or 409. 938.2230.
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Environmental and Consumer Health Updates
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In early October,
the Environmental and Consumer Health staff was
made aware of a FDA and Texas Department of Health
interpretation that affected the definition of
potentially hazardous foods as it applies to food
service establishments and how they are permitted
in the State of Texas. The interpretation, which
originated at the FDA, basically says that pre-packaged
ice cream products are not to be considered
potentially hazardous food because they are in
a form that does not support the growth of pathogens.
On the local program level, this means that we
will no longer permit those operations that handle
only pre-packaged frozen ice cream product for
sale to the public. Approximately ten such operations
are currently permitted. They have already been
notified that we will no longer permit their operations.
Financially, the food service program will loose
some $2000.00 in permit fees annually. For more
information, contact Marty Entringer, Director
of Environmental and Consumer Health at mentringer@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2458.
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Residents of the
San Leon/Bacliff area, concerned about
neighborhood drug and crime, recently formed a
taskforce, consisting of members from the State
Fire Marshall’s Office, Galveston County
Sheriff’s Office, Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission and the Galveston County Health District.
The taskforce is inspecting areas of the community
and identifying violations in order to bring about
corrections through voluntary compliance, administrative
action and judicial action in the local court
system. The inspection process began on October
20 and will continue until problem areas have
been investigated. For more information, contact
Marty Entringer, Director of Environmental and
Consumer Health at mentringer@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2458. |
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Bayou Vista is considering
whether or not to renew its contract with the District’s
Animal Services Program. The District is
providing additional information to city officials
in order to help them make an informed decision.
A renewed contract with Bayou Vista will amount
to approximately $5,500.00 for specified contractual
services. Should the contract be renewed, a report
of services provided to the city residents will
be issued to the Mayor on a monthly basis. For more
information, contact Marty Entringer, Director of
Environmental and Consumer Health at mentringer@gchd.org,
or 409.938.2458. |
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