Tarrant County – Page 3 – Tarrant County Physician Online

Tarrant County to begin administering COVID-19 vaccine to infants and toddlers

Tarrant County Public Health will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children six months to five years of age at all TCPH clinics, public pop-up clinics, and the Vaxmobile starting on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available to protect this age group. Infants six months through four years of age receiving the Pfizer vaccine series will need to get two doses, three weeks apart, and a third at least two months later. The dosage of Pfizer for infants is one-tenth of the dosage for adults. The Moderna vaccine series for infants six months through five years of age will consist of two doses, four to eight weeks apart, and it will be a quarter of the dosage of Moderna for adults. A third dose of Moderna has been approved for immunocompromised infants in this age group, at least one month after the second dose.

The CDC now recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for children and adolescents six months of age and older. COVID-19 has become one of the top 10 causes of pediatric death, and tens of thousands of children and teens have been hospitalized because of the virus. While children and adolescents are typically at lower risk than adults of becoming severely ill or hospitalized from COVID-19, the effects of the virus are unpredictable. Vaccination is the best way to protect children from COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Before it was authorized for children across age groups, scientists and medical experts reviewed safety and effectiveness data from clinical trials involving thousands of children.

Tarrant County Public Health Clinics:

Northwest Public Health Center
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
3800 Adam Grubb Road
Lake Worth, TX 76135

Bagsby-Williams Health Center
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
3212 Miller Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76119

Southeast Public Health Center
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 6 p.m.
536 W Randol Mill
Arlington TX, 76011

Main Public Health Center
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 6 p.m.
1101 S. Main Street
Fort Worth, TX 76104

Southwest Public Health Center
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
6551 Granbury Road
Fort Worth, TX 76133

Watauga Public Health Center
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
6601 Watauga Road
Watauga, TX 76148

COVID-19 causes respiratory illness with cough, fever and shortness of breath and may lead to bronchitis and severe pneumonia. For more information go to the TCPH coronavirus page or call the Tarrant County Public Health information line, 817-248-6299, Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join Walk with a Doc on April 9th

Join our local chapter of Walk with a Doc this Saturday for a fun morning walking, talking about health, and meeting people in our community.

Here is what you need to know about the event:

• It will take place on April 9th, 2022
• The hour-long event will begin at 8:30am
• Walkers will start at LVTRise – 8201 Calmont Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76116

For more information, call Kate Russell, OMS-II, at 903-316-9392, or email her at KatherineRussell@my.unthsc.edu.

Join Project Access for a Lunch and Learn on April 20

Concerned about those in Tarrant County who go without healthcare or who are forced to get emergency care because they cannot afford necessary medical treatments? Consider joining Project Access Tarrant County’s Lunch and Learn on April 20 from 11:45 to 1pm. At this event, you will have the opportunity to:

Learn how we are making a difference for Tarrant County’s low-income uninsured residents
Hear from our staff, physician volunteers, and patients
See how we provide healthcare services for those in greatest need and how our new initiative will expand services

You can register for this free event here. It is targeted toward those who work in healthcare and everyone who is passionate about helping the underserved of our community.

Project Access Tarrant County, which was founded in 2010, is a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding health care access and improving health outcomes for low-income, uninsured residents of Tarrant County, utilizing the charitable gifts of a network of existing voluntary providers and collaborative partnerships.

To date, Project Access has:

Scheduled 10,500 medical appointments
Enrolled over 2,100 patients
Provided over $18 million value in donated medical care
Performed 810 surgeries and hospital procedures

Their vision is for all Tarrant County residents to have access to a continuum of care, which includes specialty, pharmacy, laboratory, ancillary, and hospital care. Come on April 20 and see how you can partner with Project Access to bring healing and hope to those who most need it.

“I was falling into a hole of depression”

A Project Access Tarrant County patient story

By Allison Howard

“It was stressful knowing I was not going to make ends meet.”

When “Roberto,” a 49-year-old husband and father of two, began experiencing a burning pain in his torso from an inguinal hernia, he knew he needed to do something about it. Throughout the day it would grow in intensity, making it difficult for him to work. Roberto’s hours were cut, and he eventually had to take an entire month off of work.

“I could not do anything,” he says. “I was falling into a hole of depression.”

The family was experiencing tension from the economic burden, and it was impossible to consider surgery with the financial struggles they were facing day to day. Then, he went to Cornerstone Clinic, where he was referred to Project Access.

He was connected to Project Access volunteer and general surgeon Dr. Mohammad Siadati of North Texas Surgical Specialists, who agreed that surgery was necessary. Dr. Siadati performed the much-needed procedure at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless-Bedford, and anesthesia was provided by U.S. Anesthesia Partners.

“I am very thankful for Dr. Siadati, who was very attentive, respectful, and patient,” says Roberto. “I especially appreciated the patience Dr. Siadati showed when it came to the language barrier we had.” He thanks everyone who made his treatment possible, from those working the front desk to his doctor.

Since the surgery, Roberto has been improving steadily, and he was just cleared to return to work. He is optimistic about the future – he doesn’t feel stuck anymore in the cycle of pain and frustration. “It was a blessing, the entire process.”

Join Walk with a Doc on March 12

Join our local chapter of Walk with a Doc on Saturday, March 12, for a fun morning walking, talking about health, and meeting people in our community. You can find information about the spring dates here.

For more information, call Kate Russell, OMS-II, at 903-316-9392, or email her at KatherineRussell@my.unthsc.edu.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/02/22

COVID-19 Positive cases: 558,677

COVID-19 related deaths: 5653

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 539,665

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County updated Wednesday, March 2, 2o22. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 02/15/22

COVID-19 Positive cases: 551,557

COVID-19 related deaths: 5454

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 491,963

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County updated Tuesday, February 15, 2o22. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

COVID-19 trends in Tarrant County and questions about the pandemic’s future

Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja and Allergist/Immunologist Robert Rogers, MD, spoke with Lili Zheng of NBC5 on the state of COVID-19 in Tarrant County and the things that could impact the direction on the pandemic in the coming months:

“I think the real wildcard is, do enough people have immunity to prevent another surge? That’s one. Another would be, are we going to deal with another variant?”
Dr. Robert Rogers

You can watch the video below or read the full story here.

Behavioral Health Resources at JPS

By Allison Howard

JPS has numerous behavioral health clinics that can serve as a valuable tool for physicians struggling to provide patients with access to mental health resources. Through their Outpatient Behavioral Health program, patients can be established with a physician who will be able to address their mental health needs.

To access care, a physician or patient can use the below Outpatient Behavioral Health number to begin the process of enrollment. The Behavioral Health call center is open Monday through Friday 6:30am to 5:00pm; physician callers should press option 3.

Outpatient Behavioral Health: 817-702-3100

Inpatient Behavioral Health: 817-702-3636

Psychiatric Emergency Center: 817-702-1088

Email: psychinfo@jpshealth.org

The Psychiatric Emergency Center, located at JPS Main Campus at Tower 10, is open 24/7. Walk-ins are welcome for anyone in need of an immediate psychiatric evaluation.

Anyone can be referred to JPS. Health insurance is accepted, including many commercial plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. If JPS does not accept a patient’s insurance, they can still be seen on a self-pay basis.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 01/28/22

COVID-19 Positive cases: 517,202

COVID-19 related deaths: 5247

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 401,816

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County updated Friday, January 28, 2o22. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.