STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS FLU INITIATIVES
On Nov. 18, the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, as part of the Texas Public Health Training Center, will host top officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services as they discuss preparations for the flu season in Texas this year.
The meeting will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Room 114 of the Research Building at the UNT Health Science Center. The speakers will discuss current planning efforts in preparing for the flu season as well as ways to help prevent a flu epidemic. Time will be allowed for audience members to ask questions about local, state and national issues regarding this year’s flu season.
Speakers will be John D. Walker, MD, assistant medical director, infectious disease control unit, Texas Department of State Health Services; Tom Betz, MD, MPH, manager, infectious disease surveillance and epidemiology branch, Texas Department of State Health Services; Cynthia Morgan, PhD, RN, nurse consultant, disease prevention and intervention, Texas Department of State Health Services; and Bobby Jones, DVM, MPH, manager, epidemiology and health information division, Tarrant County Public Health Department.
This event will be broadcast to 18 sites across the state via videoconference.
Influenza, commonly known as flu, affects approximately 25 percent of the population in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized each year because of flu. Because of a shortage of flu vaccine, this year flu has the potential to reach epidemic proportions.
For more information about this program, contact Liz Trevino, etrevino@hsc.unt.edu
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Contact: Kay Colley, kacolley@hsc.unt.edu, 817-735-2553, cell 817-980-5090
The University of North Texas Health Science Center is composed of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Health and the School of Health Professions. The center’s Institutes for Discovery conduct leading-edge research on select health issues, including vision, aging, cancer, heart disease, physical medicine, and public health. A 100-member physician group practice, The Physicians & Surgeons Medical Group, manages nearly 200,000 Fort Worth-area patient visits yearly. The institution injects nearly $500 million into Tarrant County and Texas’ economies annually.
If you are with the media and need additional information or would like to arrange an interview, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 817-735-2446.
