TARRANT COUNTY, TX
Public Health
July 10, 2023
Midsummer in North Texas
Sometimes I wish public health could do something about these unbearable high temperatures other than advise and warn about potential heat injuries.
About the only positive thing we can say about the heat is that it helps keep most people inside and away from biting mosquitoes. The number of positive West Nile Virus mosquito pools is growing, as is typical during summer months. You can track where we're finding those pools on our interactive Tarrant County map. If the mosquitoes are getting too bad in your area, contact your municipality's code enforcement office. If you live in an unincorporated area of Tarrant County, and we find positive mosquito pools there, we will give at least a 24 hour notice before we do any ground spraying.
For parents of school children who are needing vaccinations, we'll be having our annual Back-to-School Immunization event next month. There's a schedule on that page you can check for your convenience. However, if you want to get ahead of the crowd, you can set up appointments for back-to-school shots at any of our clinics. Call our Public Health Call Center at 817-248-6299, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. for details and appointments. And an actual person will answer!
For the past several months, Public Health has been in the process of conducing a Community Health Assessment for Tarrant County. This is a very important part of our work as Public Health. This assessment, which involved gathering data from numerous community meetings to determine how Public Health can better serve the community, will help us find and focus on geographic areas in the county that need our services and expertise most. It also helps us deploy our manpower and resources where needed and when needed. The data gathered from these assessments also helps us plan ahead, hire the staff needed, and take into account the growth of the county.
As part of the process, we involve representatives of community organizations and agencies who are helping protect and serve the community. We also invite interested community members to take part in "listening sessions," to help us further understand community needs and improve our performance.
There is still time if you wish to offer your insights. Check out this survey and take part!
We hope to have the report ready before the end of the July, and will provide links to that report on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram social media pages.
Stay safe and stay cool.
Yours in health,
Veerinder "Vinny" Taneja
Director, Tarrant County Public Health