OAKBEND MEDICAL CENTER WOUND CARE UNIT REACHES 10-YEAR MILESTONE

OakBend Medical Center celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Wound Care Center in February. Hospital employees and guests commemorated the anniversary with hors d’oeuvres, cake and cookies.

Jeff Council, president of OakBend’s Board of Directors, welcomed guests and spoke about the importance of the Wound Care Department. He thanked all of the staff and doctors who have worked diligently to make it a success.

Kenchen Schaefer, director of Wound Care, spent time describing the different aspects of wound care and the department’s services, and thanked everyone for being a part of the celebration.

Council concluded the program with an announcement that the Wound Care Center is being renamed “The Dan and Terry Martinez Wound Care Center” in recognition of a generous gift to the hospital’s Vision 2020 campaign.

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WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY TEACHER HONORED BY STATE BLACK EDUCATORS GROUP

Williams Elementary School’s Crystel Ware is the 2018 Texas Alliance of Black School Educators (TABSE) Educator of the Year.

Ware’s notification letter from TABSE said, “The Educator of the Year is bestowed upon teachers whose innovative teaching techniques have led to an increase in student achievement through demonstrating unparalleled commitment and innovation toward enhancing the quality of instruction in the classroom.”

The honor comes approximately one year after Ware earned the title of Educator of the Year from the Houston Area Association of Black School Educators.

She was recognized Feb. 25 at TABSE’s annual conference at the Hyatt Regency in Houston. Ware is the math and science facilitator at Williams Elementary School.

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FBISD TRUSTEE GRAYLE JAMES PARTICIPATES IN LEADERSHIP TASB PROGRAM

Grayle James, Fort Bend ISD Trustee, recently joined 29 other Texas school board members at the third of five sessions of the Leadership TASB Class of 2018. Selected by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the group is participating in a yearlong education leadership study program. These trustees represent school districts of all sizes, with student populations ranging from 158 to 98,688, and reflect a similar range of property wealth.

Participants who complete all required elements of the study program will graduate this year by earning Master Trustee status. This is the highest designation recognized by TASB.

Meeting in Galveston, the board members began their session by touring Texas City and Galveston ISDs. Featured speakers were Will Richardson, well-known author, educator, and reform leader, and Amy Lynch, a nationally recognized expert on generational differences.

Other Leadership TASB sessions are scheduled for El Paso in April and Fort Worth in June. Each session has a unique theme that builds on the previous session and features nationally recognized experts in the fields of leadership development and education. Teams also work throughout the year on extended learning assignments between meetings. Created in 1993, Leadership TASB has more than 800 graduates to date.

TASB is a voluntary, nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve more than 5.3 million public school students.

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DANA MERSIOVSKY JOINS CHILD ADVOCATES OF FORT BEND

Dana Mersiovsky has joined Child Advocates of Fort Bend as Development Officer. Mersiovsky, a Fort Bend County native, comes to CAFB with a wealth of experience in donor relations, marketing, business development and events. Prior to joining Child Advocates of Fort Bend, she served as the Director of Donor/Community Relations and Special Events for CHRISTUS Foundation for HealthCare in Houston.

An active community member, Mersiovsky serves on the Events & Functions Committee for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and as a committee member for the Fort Bend County Fair. In addition, she is a member of the East End Chamber of Commerce, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Association of Healthcare Philanthropy.

Mersiovsky and her husband live in Richmond. They have two daughters.

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FORT BEND COUNTY OFFICIALS HONORED

Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert and Allen Owen, mayor of Missouri City, were among those honored in March as Public Officials of the Year.

The annual event is a project of the University of Houston’s Master of Public Administration program, which prepares public managers, public policy analysts and public officials to address public policy issues.

Also honored were Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Paul A. Hofmann, city manager in Bellaire.

The four were recognized at a luncheon at the Hilton – University of Houston.

This is the seventh year for the event. James Thurmond, director of the Master of Public Administration program, said nominees can be elected or appointed officials and are selected based on criteria including outstanding performance in a challenging work situation, a commitment to ethics and ethical decision-making, and placing the welfare of the citizenry above personal, professional and political motives.

The screening committee includes 11 MPA alumni and one current MPA students.

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OAKBEND MEDICAL GROUP WELCOMES DR. FRED L. SPECK

OakBend Medical Group has announced the addition of Dr. Fred L. Speck, III.

Speck was born in John Sealy Hospital in Galveston. His family then moved to Kerrville, where he was raised on a small farm. While a student at Texas A&M University, he coached both the collegiate and local 4-H agriculture judging teams to championships before graduating with a major in biomedical sciences and a minor in history.

In 2002, Dr. Speck trained to become a paramedic and earned a degree in emergency medical sciences. He attended medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch, then stayed on at UTMB to complete his residency in orthopedic surgery. After residency, he joined the UTMB staff specializing in general adult orthope­dics, and directing the resident simulation lab. He remains actively involved with resident and medical student education and research at UTMB. He has presented research at multiple national meetings including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and Eggers.

“I am excited about the opportunity to join the team at OakBend Medical Group, and I look forward to providing Fort Bend County with individualized and comprehensive orthopedic care,” said Speck.

Speck’s office is located at 22001 Southwest Freeway, Suite 210, Richmond. To meet the new doctor or make an appointment, call 281-633-4940.

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FORT BEND CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY CENTER RECEIVES $20,000 DONATION FROM FLUOR

As a profession in constant demand, engineering embraces curiosity, tinkering and imagination. It offers the world imaginative and innovative solutions to any task at hand. Crank It Up – National Engineers Week at the Fort Bend Children’s Discovery center, located at 198 Kempner St., Sugar Land – recently celebrated those independent minds and ideas. Thanks to the generosity of Fluor’s $20,000 donation, creative activities such as rotocopters, catapult airplanes and paper quilling were made possible and entertained more than 2,000 visitors during the STEM-based events. Also, Fluor volunteers were on hand to help inquisitive children build a geodesic dome.

Additionally, Fluor’s sponsorship has made possible a new Sensory Friendly Hour at the Discovery Center. On Feb. 24, the exclusive event for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and sensory processing differences allowed guests to have a fun, enjoyable interactive learning experience with light and sound reductions, extra visual safety signage and a less crowded environment. The Discovery Center plans to offer more exclusive sensory friendly hours this year.

Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. General museum admission costs $12 per person and $11 for seniors 65+ and for active duty military personnel. Child­ren under one and museum members receive free admission. Visit childrensdiscoveryfb.org or call 832-742-2800 for more information.

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RICHMOND’S SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANT CELEBRATES FULL OPERATION

Richmond’s Surface Water Treatment Plant, located at 5600 Riverwood Drive, celebrated its official opening with a Central Fort Bend Chamber ribbon cutting to the enthusiasm of approximately 100 guests. The plant became operational on March 15 and is capable of treating up to two million gallons of water a day.

This day has been in the planning stages for more than 10 years after the Fort Bend Subsidence District (created by the Texas Legislature in 1989) mandated in 2008 all permittees must reduce groundwater usage by 30 percent and additionally 60 percent by 2025. After vetting a couple of options the City of Richmond decided to build its own Surface Water Treatment Plant supplementing the groundwater supply for future growth. The city broke ground on the plant in September 2014.

The plant’s capacity to treat two million gallons of water per day will help meet the expected groundwater reduction requirement in coming years for the City’s Groundwater Reduction Plan Partners (GRP). Richmond will continue to explore alternative groundwater reduction methods as they update their Water/ Wastewater Master Plan and prepare for the surging population growth in this portion of Fort Bend County.

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FORT BEND ISD CELEBRATES NATIONAL SOCIAL WORK MONTH

Fort Bend ISD honored District social workers during National Social Work Month. Sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers, Social Work Month recognizes the contributions of social workers in all areas, including education. The week of March 4-10 honored school social workers for the integral role they have in education and the positive impact they make in the lives of students.

FBISD currently has a team of 16 social workers. The team collaborates with campus staff and community resource groups to extend services to students and families dealing with homelessness, school absenteeism and other challenges. The school social workers also provide individual/group counseling, crisis intervention and mentoring services, referrals and access to community resources and support to McKinney Vento families.

“We chose this profession so that we could help children and their families be the best they can be,” said Priti Avantsa, FBISD’s Lead Social Worker. “Our team feels blessed to come to work each day knowing that we have the opportunity to make a positive difference in children’s lives.”