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Frequent 911 Calls Reduced While Patient Care Improves

Oped by Commissioner Cook

  • 19 marzo 2020
  • Author: Doris Sanchez
  • Number of views: 3284
  • 0 Comments

Note: The CHP does not take referrals from the public.

To address the frequent 911 calls by people who did not require emergency care, Williamson County created Community Health Paramedicine.

CHP’s mission was to reduce non-emergency ambulance usage and hospital admissions by working with those who were calling 911 too often, and sometimes daily.

Paramedics with CHP are trained to evaluate the situation before directing frequent EMS callers to more appropriate resources.

They also periodically check on patients to ensure they are using their medicines properly.

Many CHP clients have mental health needs in addition to physical problems and long prescription lists.  It is a team effort with CHP, the Williamson County Mobile Outreach Team and various community partners. 

For example, an elderly man was calling EMS frequently and began calling daily after being discharged from an emergency room last year. He was experiencing memory problems and mental health issues.

He lived alone in a rural part of Williamson County, with little family support. His memory loss was contributing to his anxiety about living alone. He was unable to recall he recently had visited the emergency room and been declared medically stable.

CHP coordinated with the elderly patient, his family, neighbors, caregivers, Meals on Wheels, and the Williamson County and Cities Health District to connect him to services.

Based on a patient’s needs, CHP staff provide medication education, evaluate the home environment for fall risks and prevention, offer nutrition education for specific health conditions, and advocate for the patient with mental health and health care providers.

 “We have three employees in the program who together have many years of experience which contributes to the success of the program. They are able to connect with patients and put them at ease to get to the root cause of their issues,” said Williamson County EMS Director Mike Knipstein.

You count, so be counted

Oped by Commissioner Cook

  • 20 febrero 2020
  • Author: Doris Sanchez
  • Number of views: 3668
  • 0 Comments

Atatending the Williamson County Complete Count Committee Kick-off on Feb. 5, 2020, were (from left) Commissioner Cook, Hutto Mayor Doug Gaul, Taylor Mayor Brandt Rydell, Cedar Park Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale, Bartlett Mayor Landry Pack, Jarrell Mayor Larry Bush, Granger Mayor Trevor Cheatheam, Round Rock City Council Member Will Peckham, Florence Mayor Mary Condon, and County Judge Bill Gravell.

This is the first time ever that we can respond to the census online.

The U.S. Constitution requires the U.S. Census Bureau to count every resident living in the country every 10 years. Between March 12 and July 31, 95% of U.S. households will receive an invitation in the mail to complete the 2020 Census.

Depending on how likely your area is to respond electronically, you’ll receive either an invitation to respond online or by phone, or an invitation with a paper questionnaire.

Households not responding will be mailed reminders. Then between May and August, census takers will visit households that have not yet self-responded.

A sample questionnaire can be found at http://tinyurl.com/yxlmq2dh .

Commissioner Cook Encourages Families Who Have Adult Family Members With Mental Health Conditions To Take Free Course

Course Presented by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Central Texas

  • 24 enero 2020
  • Author: Doris Sanchez
  • Number of views: 3535
  • 0 Comments

Family To Family

A free 8-week course designed to help family members understand and support their adult loved one living with a mental health condition and maintain their own well-being. You will learn about treatment options, crisis management, communication methods, and more.

Starts Monday, February 20, 2020

6:30pm—9:00pm

Bluebonnet Trails Community Services

1009 N. Georgetown St., Round Rock

More details and register at:

https://namicentraltx.org/families/

Commissioner Cook's Message To Everyone Who Sent Letters On Pollution Cleanup Efforts In Texas

  • 16 enero 2020
  • Author: Doris Sanchez
  • Number of views: 3617
  • 0 Comments

Your requests to pass a Resolution to raise the benchmarks on our current standards to at least those of Mississippi and Louisiana are appreciated.

However, with your collective voices, you should contact your local state legislators and members of Congress. These are your leaders who have the power to pass bills that would raise our current standards for reducing pollution and cleaning the environment.

Some of your concerns regarding discharges into the San Gabriel River and Brushy Creek should also be addressed at the city level, because they are the owners of these water treatment plants.

In addition, Texas counties have limited authority to pass ordinances and have nearly no land use authority.

This past legislative session, laws were passed to further limit the ability of counties, and to some extent cities, to enact programs that benefit the citizenry.

I thank all Wilco residents who took the time to write with their concerns and encourage you to keep urging our Texas delegations at the state and national levels to increase our pollution prevention standards and fund more cleanup programs.

Click on Read More for contact information for your national, state and local leaders.

Courts and Public Well-Served by Wilco District Clerk

Oped by Commissioner Cook

  • 16 enero 2020
  • Author: Doris Sanchez
  • Number of views: 3652
  • 0 Comments

District Clerk Lisa David holds up a historical court file that has not yet been preserved and Commissioner Cook is holding a preserved record of the Ku Klux Klan Trials prosecuted by then District Attorney Dan Moody from 1923-24, who later became Texas’ youngest Governor. When Williamson County District Clerk Bonnie Wolbrueck announced she would retire in 2006, Lisa David ran for that office to ensure the transition would be positive and cause little disruption to the courts.

Hired in 1981 to work in the district clerk’s office, David later served as deputy district clerk and assistant chief deputy. She said, “I could hit the ground running and already knew what to expect in this position.”

David was elected Wilco’s next district clerk on Nov. 7, 2006.

Every Texas county has a district clerk who serves as the official record keeper and custodian of all its district courts’ pleadings. In counties with populations fewer than 8,000, the county clerk can also serve as the district clerk.

Although district courts are state offices, they form an integral part of county government. District courts hear felony criminal cases, divorce cases, land title disputes and election contests, as well as civil matters in which at least $200 is disputed or claimed in damages.

Additionally, David is responsible for family filings in the county courts-at-law, which have family law jurisdictions. Family law includes cases of divorce, child custody, child support and adoption, among others.

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