The National Association of Counties (NACo) recognized Denton County with two 2022 Achievement Awards this year in two categories – Health and Human Services.
It was an honor to receive both achievement awards during the annual NACo convention last month, where officials from across the country met to learn the latest information available for county governments.
As I gathered with peers across the U.S., it became evident how fortunate we are in Denton County to have employees dedicated to providing the best public services possible.
Both of these awards are for projects we implemented to help residents in a time of great need across our nation.
To respond to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, Denton County made the strategic decision to pursue a statewide designation as a vaccine “hub”– by designing and operating one of the largest drive-through, mass-vaccination clinics in the United States.
Denton County Public Health (DCPH) and Denton County Emergency Management (EM), leveraged a volunteer/staff community response approach, necessitating hundreds of volunteers, and local/state/federal responders from various agencies and organizations. Firefighters, EMTs, police and even staff from our communities volunteered along with individuals from across the region, including a number from our local Rotary Clubs.
Equally important, Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) provided a massive footprint and operational space for 16 drive-through lanes. The TMS traffic plan consisted of four stations per lane, including registration, screening, vaccination, and observation area. Individuals remained in their vehicles for their safety as they passed through each station.
To ensure equity for COVID-19 vaccines, DCPH became a Large Hub Provider focusing on heavy volume for community vaccination efforts. We also worked with SPAN and DCTA to provide free transportation to and from TMS for the vaccinations.
On March 30, 2021, the Texas Motor Speedway location set the first national record of administering 12,927 COVID-19 vaccines, followed by a record-breaking of 17,003 vaccines administered on April 29, 2021. At one point, the maximum throughput was over 1,900 vaccines in one hour.
Proudly, Denton County and collaborating partners were able to administer over 371,776 total vaccinations at the TMS location.
Key to the volunteer component was the Medical Reserve Corps, in which many signed up. The Denton County Medical Reserve Corps is a group of highly trained medical and non-medical residents dedicated to supporting the county during public health emergencies or national disasters. I highly encourage individuals to register for our Medical Reserve Corps at mrc.dentoncounty.gov as it can be a very rewarding experience.
Also in response to the pandemic, Denton County Commissioners Court created an innovative food box program to address a need identified through communications with area governmental entities and non-profit organizations.
Feeding Denton County became a way to provide nutritional food to families while utilizing produce from local growers in 25-lb. boxes delivered weekly to food pantries throughout Denton County. The purpose is to supplement an existing deficit at area food banks of fresh fruits and vegetables at a time when demand at area food pantries continues to exceed 300 percent above pre-COVID needs.
The Feeding Denton County program, with the assistance of Denton Creek Farm, produced more than 178,500 boxes from Aug. 21, 2020, through March 19, 2022. The program continues today with 2,500 to 3,000 boxes sent each week to an estimated 15 food pantries to address the deficit of fresh produce available in the local food bank system.
Both of these now award-winning programs were designed specifically to address public needs in a time of crisis. Every day, our more than 1,800 employees collectively work to serve the needs of an ever-expanding public and to create more efficiencies while doing so. We are also fortunate to have many organizations and volunteers ready and willing to help us achieve our goals.
I am proud and honored to work with each of these individuals and groups. And I’m especially proud to be a part of Denton County, where everyone works together for the benefit of all.
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If you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is [email protected], and my office number is 940-349-2820. For more information, register for my newsletter at www.Dentoncounty.gov/countyjudgenewslettersignup
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