ARC hosts pet food pantry
The Galveston County Animal Resource Center (ARC) partnered with the Houston Humane Society to host a Pet Pantry event at the Galveston County Health District on Wednesday, May 1. Rock the Rottweiler and Bandit the Heeler were happy when they got their paws on special treats and snuffle mats! Pet parents said they had to travel miles to get essential pet supplies. We are so grateful for this opportunity to help our residents.
Meet the Team Shout Outs
Meet the team! Every week an employee from GCHD is highlighted on all platforms.
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Meet Virginia Lyle! Virginia is the Lab and X-ray manager for Coastal Health & Wellness, a Community Health Center under GCHD. She joined us around five years ago and has been working in a lab setting for over twenty years.
Where are you from?
“Almost heaven, West Virginia.”
What is your favorite part of your job?
“I love being amongst people. Patient care is my passion.”
What is one fun fact about you?
"I supplement my income by playing dominoes and quarter poker when I am not fishing!"
You're granted three wishes. What are they? (And you can't ask for more wishes.)
"I would wish for a healthy future.I would also have to wish the same for my husband as I would want him by my side. My last wish would be a selfish one. I would want a guaranteed long-shot winner of the 2035 Kentucky Derby. I could then invest my retirement funds in the race, and that should be enough to take care of us."
We asked Virginia what is something you would like everyone to know about your job/ department they may not know. She said, "My staff makes our job look easy, but the level of patient care, technique, and processes are complicated and require a great deal of skill. CHW and myself are fortunate to have such a great Team."
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Meet Sharon Stonum! Sharon is the Epidemiology Manager for Galveston County Health District (GCHD). She joined the GCHD team coming up on ten years ago in May. She has been working in her field for fourteen years.
Where are you from?
"Corpus Christi, Texas"
What is your favorite part of your job?
"Working with my Epi team, the public, and educating people about the plethora of diseases on our great planet!"
What is one fun fact about you?
"I enjoy watching all of the Law and Order television shows."
What would be your DJ name?
Stone Cold Mama
We asked Sharon what is something you would like everyone to know about your job/ department they may not know. She said, "Epidemiologists investigate who becomes ill, what illness they have, when they become ill, why they become ill, and how can we mitigate or prevent illness from spreading in a population. The data we uncover helps initiate policies that help keep communities healthy."
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Meet Jerrell L. Haywood! Jerrell is an Animal Care Technician for the Animal Resource Center, an animal shelter under GCHD. He joined the ARC team about a year ago and has worked in animal welfare for a year. He has always loved dogs. Since he has been employed at ARC, he has gained a newfound appreciation for cats. He loves spending time with family and outdoors.
Where are you from?
“West Texas City, but I graduated from La Marque.”
What is your favorite part of your job?
“Cleaning and taking care of the animals.”
What is one fun fact about you?
"I am very good at making things. In high school, I made my mom a paper towel holder, and she still has it today."
Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not? If yes, are you afraid of them?
"No, because I just don't believe in ghosts."
We asked Jerrell what is something you would like everyone to know about your job/ department they may not know. He said "My department takes pride in our animals and having them ready for public interaction. We make sure their cages and sleeping areas are nice and clean, food dishes are full, and water dishes are filled. When families approach the building, we would like the grounds area to be free from trash and debris. We care about the animals and love what we do."
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Meet David Wolff! David is the Fleet and Facilities Manager for Galveston County Health District (GCHD). He joined the GCHD team about one and a half years ago and has been working in his field for over ten years.
Where are you from?
"Milwaukee, Wisconsin"
What is your favorite part of your job?
"Making sure the facilities and fleet are safe for our employees."
What is one fun fact about you?
"I love golf and would play every day if I could."
Would you rather wear a Dracula cape everywhere you go for a month or a pirate eye patch?
"I would wear a Dracula cape."
We asked David what is something you would like everyone to know about your job/ department that they may not know. He said, "The Fleet and Facilities Team works extremely hard to keep all our customers happy and be a productive department. We maintain 49 fleet vehicles and several off-site locations."
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Meet Julian Martinez! Julian is the crematorium specialist/animal care technician for the Animal Resource Center, an animal shelter under GCHD. He joined the ARC team about two years ago and has worked in animal welfare for that time.
Where are you from?
“Texas City”
What is your favorite part of your job?
“Playing with the Animals”
What is one fun fact about you?
"I can make a shrimp lure out of a straw."
What's your favorite meme or viral video?
Any cheese tax video
We asked Julian what is something he wanted everyone to know about his job/ department. He said, "The one thing I would note is the amount of livestock/exotic animals we receive from the public, be it pigs, tortoises, alligators, bearded dragons, sharks, snakes, rabbits, chickens, goats, and the occasional llama."
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GCHD, CHW celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, April 14-20
Happy Medical Laboratory Professionals Week to our incredible lab heroes! We celebrate laboratory professionals who protect our future by skillfully adapting to today’s evolving patient care and public health challenges with resilience, innovation, and expertise. From running tests to analyzing results, you play a vital role in healthcare. Thank you for your dedication and hard work - you make a difference!
GCHD, ARC celebrate Animal Control Appreciation Week, April 14-20
Animal Control Officers happily share Appreciation Week with Dispatchers. We want to thank ACOs everywhere for their hard work. We honor dispatchers everywhere as well and send special thanks to the Animal Resource Center Dispatch team for the important work they do behind the scenes, having all of our backs and being so great at telling us all where to go! We appreciate you! Your tireless efforts make a world of difference, and we couldn't be prouder to stand alongside you in support of animal welfare. Let's show our ACOs and dispatchers some extra love and appreciation this week!
Watch the ACO Appreciation Week reel here.
Watch the Dispatcher Appreciation Week reel here.
 
GCHD recognizes National Infant Immunization Week, April 22-29
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) highlights the importance of protecting infants and young children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Timely vaccination provides early protection from potentially life-threatening diseases. This year, the GCHD Immunizations Clinic provided fee-free vaccines for TVFC-eligible Infants from April 22-29.
GCHD Community Engagement Team hosts Bolivar Resource Fair
On Tuesday, April 23, the Community Engagement Team (CET) from the Galveston County Health District held the annual Bolivar Resource Fair in Crystal Beach, Texas. We partner with the Fraternal Order of Eagles 3719 every year to bring relevant resources to one of the most rural and underserved parts of Galveston County. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Eagles for their hospitality and the 30+ community partners, health district departments, and changemakers in attendance! We couldn't have done this event without your dedication to the community of the Bolivar Peninsula.
Happy Administrative Professionals Day!
Happy Administrative Professionals Day! On April 24, we celebrated the backbone of our offices - our amazing admins. From keeping things running smoothly to always lending a helping hand, we appreciate all you do. Thank you for being rock stars!
Happy National Nurses Week!
Here's to the superheroes in scrubs! We celebrated National Nurses Week May 6-12 with immense gratitude for the incredible care, compassion, and courage our nurses bring to every moment. You're not just healthcare providers; you're guardians of hope, healers of hearts, and beacons of strength. Thank you for everything you do!
 Pictured above, L to R:
Connie Almendarez, RN - Immunizations Program Manager
Sandy Allen, RN - Immunizations Program Nurse
Maria Culangan, RN - RN Care Manager - HIV/STD Clinical Services
Ashley Sciba, RN - Director of CHS
Kelly Kanon, RN - TB Program Manager
Maria Wilde, LVN - Public Health Nurse
Ann Nutt, RN - Public Health Nurse
Gretchen Gray, RN - Manager of CHS
Bethany Hansen, RN - Public Health Nurse
Reta Melby, RN - Public Health Nurse
Katelyn Gray, RN - COVID Nurse Team Lead
 Pictured above, L to R:
Della Brown, RN - Finance Chairperson
Erin Gurski, RN, FNP-C
 Pictured above, L to R:
Debra Howey, RN - Infection Control Nurse
Ami Cotharn, RN
Tiffany Carlson, RN - Nursing Director
Rosemary Gonzales, LVN - Licensed Vocational Nurse I - Bilingual
Shawntai Lyons, LVN - LVN II Lead
Jeanette Moody, LVN - SUD & Medication Refill Nurse LVN
Tamara Wallace, LVN - LVN II Lead
Dana Ayers, LVN - Supervisor
Crystal Huesca, LVN - LVN II Lead - Bilingual
Teresa De Jesus Garcia, RN - CHW RN Care Coordinator
GCHD holds meeting to discuss opioid epidemic
On May 8, GCHD held its first meeting with Galveston County Constables and Commissioner Armstrong to discuss GCHD's role in tackling the opioid epidemic in Galveston County.
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