Health District -
Planning for the Future

June 2, 2003

La Marque – The Galveston County Health District is engaged in a strategic planning initiative to identify directions and improvement necessary to meet the changing health needs of the county’s residents. Key Health District staff, and members of both the Galveston County United Board of Health, and the 4 C’s Governing Board met May 16th at Moody Gardens for a first-ever retreat to set priorities within the District. The retreat was part of a series of actions to produce a strategic health improvement plan for the county.

“The health challenges faced in Galveston County are similar to those faced throughout the state and nation. I believe these challenges in Galveston County can best be addressed through coordinated community-wide plans towards which the entire county health system can support and contribute,” said Dr. Mark Guidry, Executive Director for the District. “Strategic health planning will help our community to best address the health challenges of this decade.”

After an intense brainstorming session and a presentation on the history of the Galveston County Health District, retreat attendees developed the following draft health priorities:

• Prevention through public awareness activities targeted towards issues such as obesity, fitness, nutrition, tobacco cessation, childhood immunizations, oral health, disease reporting, etc.;
  
• Identify and eliminate barriers which contribute to health disparities such as cultural/language, inequitable access to health care, transportation, and lack of a coordinated indigent health care system ability to pay;
  
• Improve public health system and business practices in order to recruit and retain competent public health employees to increase access to technologies which will improve efficiency, to improve training programs, to improve internal and external communications to be prepared for public health disasters/emergencies, and to comply with legal responsibilities;
  
• Improve health care financing in order to avoid loss of revenue from Medicaid, to finance medications and indigent health care, and to increase medical reimbursements in the clinic;
  
• Improve management of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, depression, etc.
  
• Address environmental issues involving air, water and food to include aspects of wastewater management, enforcement, bacterial contaminations, animal control violations, toxic substances monitoring, and conservation of natural resources;
  
• Address senior health issues such as isolation, social needs, healthcare, legal, transportation and housing; and
  
• Immunize children and adults to prevent infectious diseases.

Mary Anne Holcomb, Secretary of the Galveston County United Board of Health says, “I am excited and happy to be a part of the planning process to improve how we communicate and work together to provide the best possible goals and objectives to meet the changing needs of Galveston County residents. I would encourage everyone to look at our opportunities and to then provide your own views.”

As Holcomb states Health District officials would like the public to review these draft priorities and share feedback with them. After input has been obtained from all interested community stakeholders, revisions may be made to reflect comments and concerns received. The District will be accepting feedback in a number of different ways throughout the summer, including on-line comment and focus groups conducted within the community. The final product will be a Galveston County Health Plan, to include goals and objectives to address each priority area, and will be submitted to the United Board of Health, and the 4 C’s Governing Board for adoption by fall. “I am excited to be a part of this process and to see members of the boards of health actively participating,” states Thelma Logan, Chairperson of the 4 C’s Governing Board.

Anyone wanting to learn more about the process can view the Strategic Planning Process and the Draft Health Priorities on the District’s web site at http://www.gchd.org . Public feedback and comments can be sent on-line to the District’s Public Health Planner, Brian Rutherford@gchd.org or he may be contacted by phone at (409) 938-2275.

For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
(409) 938-2211
kkoopman@gchd.org