Monday night’s (November 20) College Station city council meeting also included a summary of last week’s meeting of the Brazos County health board.
Bob Yancy, who is one of two College Station representatives, said the health board accepted a $150,000 dollar grant from Texas A&M. Yancy said the first ever funding from A&M will go towards vaccinations for those 18 and under.
Yancy also said the health board approved amending the budget to reallocate leftover COVID funds to the workforce development grant in the amount of $300,000 dollars in new funding from the state.
The health board also hired a new medical director, who is in charge of clinic operations. Dr. Ben Elizondo is a gastroenterologist from San Antonio. He will oversee three clinics, physicals serving students involved in sports and those applying for immigration and department of transportation licenses, and four other health district programs.
The medical director position became vacant with the resignation of health authority Seth Sullivan, who had held both positions. Dr. Sullivan remains health authority and since June 2023 has been the chief medical officer for Baylor Scott and White Health’s College Station region.
Click below for comments from Bob Yancy during the November 22, 2023 College Station city council meeting.
Additional information courtesy of the Brazos County Health District about the duties of their medical director and the Brazos County health authority:
Texas Health and Safety Chapter 121: Local Public Health Reorganization Act establishes the duties and responsibilities for the Health Authority (Dr. Seth Sullivan) Dr. Sullivan will continue to function as the Brazos County Health Authority and will partner with Dr. Elizondo to ensure Brazos County is providing the best public health services to its residents.
A health authority is a state officer when performing duties prescribed by state law. A health authority shall perform each duty that is necessary to implement and enforce a law to protect the public health; or prescribed by the board.
The duties of a health authority include:
(1) establishing, maintaining, and enforcing quarantine in the health authority’s jurisdiction;
(2) aiding the board in relation to local quarantine, inspection, disease prevention and suppression, birth and death statistics, and general sanitation in the health authority’s jurisdiction;
(3) reporting the presence of contagious, infectious, and dangerous epidemic diseases in the health authority’s jurisdiction to the board in the manner and at the times prescribed by the Brazos County Board of Health.
(4) reporting to the Brazos County Board of Health on any subject on which it is proper for the board to direct that a report be made; and
(5) aiding the Brazos County Board of Health in the enforcement of the following in the health authority’s jurisdiction: (A) proper rules, requirements, and ordinances; (B) sanitation laws; (C) quarantine rules; and (D) vital statistics collections.
Duties of Brazos County Health District Medical Director Dr. Ben Elizondo, who was awarded a contract on November 16, 2023 by the Brazos County Board of Health:
Oversees/manages all BCHD clinical operations:
1. TB Prevention and Control Program
2. STI Clinic
3. HIV and HIV Prep Clinics
4. Immunization Clinic
5. Prenatal Hep B Program
6. Hep C Treatment program
7. Women/Men Health Programs
8. Immigration Physicals
9. Sports Physicals
10. Department of Transportation Physicals
Additionally, Dr. Ben Elizondo will be overseeing the family nurse practitioner and all clinic operations will be performed under his National Provider Identifier (NPI) number, Standing Delegation Orders (SDOs) will be signed by the Medical Director.
The BCHD is excited about Dr. Elizondo joining the BCHD team and honored to have Dr. Sullivan remain as the county’s Health Authority.