Blog entries tagged healthcare

Free H1N1 Vaccinations in Brazoria County

Greg Rivera — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:15:34 +0100

As an encouragement to maintain your health and lifestyle in 2010, counties throughout the Houston area are consistently seeking methods to provide health services with convenience, and whenever possible, no cost to you.

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Team of the Brazoria County Health Department will be continuing to work with cities within the county to offer free H1N1 influenza vaccines to the public. Several free programs have already been scheduled, with the Alvin and Pearland locations being the most convenient for Lakes of Savannah residents.

Pearland: Saturday, January 30th from 10 am to 2 pm at the old Glenda Dawson High School 4717 Bailey Road. 77584

Alvin: Saturday, February 13th from 10 am to 2 pm at Alvin Community College 3110 Mustang Road 77511

Vaccination eligibility requirements and consent forms: http://www.brazoriacountyflu.com/mass vaccination program front page.htm

Kelsey-Seybold to Offer Specialty Care at 2nd Clinic in Pearland

Greg Rivera — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:25:45 +0100

Kelsey-Seybold Clinic plans to open a second Pearland location, doubling its clinical space and expanding its medical staff to offer more quality care with increased convenience.

According to Forbes magazine Pearland is the fastest growing community in the Houston metropolitan area and ranks 34th in the nation for population growth. With an outlook for reaching the community the clinic will expand, as Dr. Spencer Berthelsen, Chairman of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, shared “As Pearland continues to experience fast-paced growth, we are responding to the community’s health care needs by increasing the availability of both primary care doctors and specialists with the opening of a second location.”

The new location – Shadow Creek Ranch – will open in early 2010 at the Pearland Medical Plaza at Shadow Creek Parkway and Texas Highway 288. The 10,000 sq ft facility will be a multi-specialty center that will offer services such as Obstetrics and Gynecology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and Internal Medicine. It will also offer routine diagnostic and ancillary services including x-ray, laboratory and ultrasound services.

The expansion will create 25 new jobs, giving Kelsey-Seybold some 60 employees in Pearland, making it one of the largest employers in the city. Six of the new positions will be for staff doctors, increasing their number of doctors to 12 in the area. But Nicholas Ro, Vice President of Strategic and Legal Affairs shared, “We continue to have plans to grow our own physician base down in Pearland, so we’re not going to stop at 12.”

With six physicians at the Silverlake location practicing family medicine and pediatrics the original Kelsey-Seybold clinic in Pearland will continue to offer primary care services for the whole family. This is part of the goal of Kelsey-Seybold - to offer convenience and complete care to area residents. “Many of our Pearland patients work downtown or in the Texas Medical Center,” Berthelsen said. “We offer convenient locations downtown and at our Main Campus near the Texas Medical Center as well as Pearland. Our patients can choose the location that’s most convenient to them, and still maintain continuous access to their personal health information through our electronic medical records system.” With two great locations to serve you and your family, you can find ‘Your Doctors for Life’ in your home city of Pearland.

For more information or to find a physician please visit: http://www.kelsey-seybold.com/

Source: www.hcnonline.com/pearland_journal

Pearland Secures $777K in Grant Money

Greg Rivera — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:58:30 +0100

The City of Pearland has been awarded $777 thousand dollars in grant money to fund five different programs in five departments, ranging from upgrades to the recycling center to crime prevention education materials. Paulette Englund, the Budget Analyst who oversees the City’s grant function shared her excitement, “The grant process is, by nature, very competitive and even more so in this time of economic ‘belt-tightening,’ so we are very pleased to have been able to apply for and secure these monies for the citizens of Pearland.”

The money was awarded to the following departments and their prospective programs

$12,861 to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance

To fund a Laser software program for simulated weapons training
To purchase crime prevention education materials for parents and children.

$31,673 to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ)

For Bulb-crusher equipment for the Recycling Center, enabling collection of fluorescent bulbs
To purchase recycling bins for placement at parks/public places
To produce recycling educational materials

$42,243 to the Texas Division of Emergency Management

To fund Emergency organizational development and long-term recovery training

$5,000 – to the National Recreation and Park Association

For a KidFish event

$685,900 to the Department of Energy

Funds for the replacement of outdoor lighting with energy efficient lights at three Centennial Park softball fields
To fund the purchase of a turbine to support the development of water-generated energy to power the Alice Street Water Plant

The funding will supply yet more opportunities for Lakes of Savannah families to enjoy the community!

Pearland’s Growth Expected to Bring in a New Hospital and Businesses in the Coming Years

Greg Rivera — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Mayor Tom Reid of Pearland, TX describes his town as “A city of orange cones.” It is constantly growing and being upgraded. This is a positive move for the city as Pearland’s population is expected to expand by 175,000-200,000 residents in the next 25 years. With this rate it is important for the city to meet the growing needs of its residents. Some hopeful projects planned over the next few years are a hospital, and complexes to hold retail and office buildings. These additions could accelerate the growth curve by bringing in jobs and business.

Local developer and CEO of Signature Companies of Houston, Mike Pollak, has developed Pearland business properties for more than 20 years. Pollak buys land to develop, and uses it to bring in business and help the community. He only builds when there is a demand, ensuring that his properties are filled with businesses and do not sit vacant.

Pollak’s current plans for Pearland include two medical/professional office complexes on a pair of 10-acre parcels on Fite as well as a senior living facility on a third property. He has also been awarded zoning for his biggest project, a $100 million hospital complex on 45-acres at the corner of Magnolia and FM1128.

The Magnolia Road project will connect the city from SH 288 on the west to Pearland Parkway and on the east via a four-lane roadway. Phase I was completed last summer, Phase 2 is estimated to be completed in June of 2010, and the final segment from Cullen was approved last week. If all goes according to schedule, the third segment of Magnolia Road will be completed in the Spring of 2011.

Pollak believes Pearland will continue to grow, “This city has grown from a bedroom community to a lifestyle community. You now have all the amenities that you could ask for here.” But he believes that Pearland will continue to grow to the south and the need for medical offices hasn’t been met. Mayor Reid is also excited about the prospect of having another hospital in Pearland, “I think it’s a great idea, that area is not un-served, but it’s probably under served,” he said.

Pearland may be “a city of orange cones” for a while, but the finished project will be well worth it. As Mayor Reid said, “something the citizens of Pearland are hopefully going to love for a long time.”

Source: www.hcnonline.com

Back to School News: New Immunization Requirements for Texas Kids

Daphne Hager — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Texas kids are getting ready to go back to schools, and for many children, preparation includes getting a few more immunizations. This year, big changes have been made in immunization requirements which will impact incoming kindergarten and seventh grade students.
The changes to the requirements were made to bring Texas into line more closely with what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory committee on Immunization Practices recommend. These changes started on August 01 and include:Hepatitis A Vaccine: All students entering kindergarten will be required to have two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine.Measles, Mumps, Rubelle (MMR) Vaccine: All students entering kindergarten will be required to have two doses of the MMR vaccine.Varicella (chickenpox) Vaccine: All students entering kindergarten and 7th grade will be required to have two doses of the Varicella vaccine. However, a written statement from the parent/guardian, school nurse or physician attesting to the child already having had chickenpox may replace the vaccine.Tetanus, Diptheria and acellular pertussis-containing Vaccine (Tdap): All students entering 7th grade will be required to have one dose of Tdap vaccine. Students in the 7th grade are required to have a booster shot of Tdap only if it has been five years since their last dose. Students in grades 8-12 are required to have a booster shot of Tdap if it has been ten years or more since their previous dose of a tetanus-containing vaccine.Meningococcal Vaccine: All students entering 7th grade will be required to have one dose of meningococcal vaccine. For more information on immunization requirements for Texas kids:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/IMMUNIZE/

Pearland Plans for New Senior Living Center

Melissa Burnham — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0100

A local Friendswood company has officially declared the development of a new senior living facility in Pearland. Trinity Terrace will be built on the old Jamison Farm property, and will be completed by the spring of 2010.

TrinityCare Senior Living, Inc., developer of Trinity Oaks, a sister facility in Friendswood, decided to build a second care facility due to the high demand in the area. Trinity Oaks is classified as a Type A facility where residents remain physically and mentally capable of taking care of themselves, but the new Trinity Terrace will be a Type B facility. Residents of Trinity Terrace will be provided with the extra care they cannot maintain for themselves. A dedicated memory center will be established within the facility for those residents who have early dementia issues and Alzheimer’s, said Donald W. Sapaugh, Chairman and Chief Executive of TrinityCare Senior Living, Inc.

Trinity Terrace will be an 87-unit, $10 million facility and will employ about 40 full-time staff members when completed. The 62,000 square feet facility will sit on just over five acres approximately 250 feet from FM 518. The Fort Worth firm of GHLA architects, designers of over 50 senior living facilities, have also designed Trinity Terrace. Sapaugh is in the process of evaluating bids from three area construction firms. He expects the funding to be in place in 90-120 days followed by nine months of construction.

TrinityCare Senior Living develops, owns, and manages quality senior living facilities that focus on enriching the faith of the residents and providing state-of-the-art independent living, assisted living, memory care and adult day care services in a single location. The Company partners with local churches and developers for each facility and offers a wide range of both community and personal services to residents. TrinityCare is a rapidly growing company with three successful facilities currently operating in Texas and Tennessee.

"We've been in Pearland/Friendswood since 1980 and we feel very comfortable that this facility will provide needed services and jobs to the area," Sapaugh said.

Source: Pearland Journal

St. Luke's Opens New Location Minutes from Lakes of Savannah

Greg Rivera — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Located just minutes from SH 288 and the growing Pearland area, Lakes of Savannah residents enjoy a beautifully planned community close to some of the area’s finest medical, retail and recreation centers. Recently, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital opened a new emergency center in Pearland. The new center that includes more than 14,000 square feet of space, St. Luke’s Community Emergency Center–Pearland will provide 24-hour emergency services including X-ray, CT scan and on-site laboratory services. The equipment and facilities are modeled after the main hospital’s emergency department and staffed with emergency physicians, nurses and clinical staff. The primary location for St. Luke’ is in the Texas Medical Center, also convenient to Lakes of Savannah. The newest location represents the fifth campus for St. Luke’s. The Pearland Town Center remains busy, with new development on tract. Along the 288 corridor are new restaurants and stores, including a brand new Kroger store, located along SH 288.