News and Updates from NET Health

The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes NET Health as its 2021 - 2022 Large Business of the Year!

"On behalf of our amazing employees, my team of department directors, and our Board of Directors, we are humbled and honored to receive this award," says George Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of NET Health. "When Public Health does its job well, people are protected, and transmission of disease is controlled.”

Every resident and every visitor to Tyler is impacted by the daily health services provided by NET Health, supporting the City of Tyler and Smith County as a healthier community by providing the following services:

Center for Healthy Living – NET Health worked with the City of Tyler to turn an old fire-station at the corner of Walton Road and Highway 155 South (Frankston Highway), into the Center for Healthy Living, a National Model Practice Award from the National Association of County and City Health Officials and an accredited facility within the CDC's listing of recognized National Diabetes Prevention Programs.

Community Outreach – Programs include services for families of children with special health care needs, promotion of health education at early childcare centers, active participation with the Fit City Tyler coalition, free basic health screenings, and assisting uninsured women to receive free cancer prevention services.

Environmental Health Services – NET Health is responsible for assuring safe foods are being provided by area restaurant and food establishments, as well as inspecting public swimming pools and spas.

Regional Laboratory – The NET Health Regional Laboratory is one of only seven certified milk laboratories in Texas and is also a Regional Testing Lab for municipal water to ensure safety of the public water supply for the City of Tyler and other municipalities. Our Regional Laboratory also provides lab testing to Doctor’s offices and Public Health Clinics throughout East Texas for Sexually Transmitted Diseases in our Community.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program – The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program is a nutrition program available for pregnant women, new mothers, anxious fathers, and children up to age 5 that are seen at NET Health’s 21 WIC Clinics to insure healthy pregnancies, healthy babies, and healthy children.

Vital Statistics – Our Vital Statistics Department has recognized recently with the DSHS Five-Star Exemplary Award for their efficient processes in providing birth records and death records. We serve as the City Registrar for the City of Tyler and of providing certified records of births and deaths for the State of Texas.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Disease Surveillance – Partners with multiple local and regional agencies to ensure readiness for any community emergency. In addition to receiving local and regional reports of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, this department prepares emergency response plans for a natural disaster or for a man-made catastrophe, such as a bioterrorism event.

Immunizations and Tuberculosis Control – The Immunization Program promotes routine immunization, ensures access to low-cost immunization services, maintains an immunization registry, and assesses immunization coverage levels in clinics, schools, and child care facilities. Tuberculosis (TB) Control works with TB patients and monitors potential cases.

Updated COVID-19 Boosters

The Moderna bivalent booster is available for ages 18 and older, and the Pfizer bivalent booster is available for ages 12 and older.

The original vaccines are still used for primary vaccine doses, but the bivalent booster is available for anyone two months after receiving their final primary dose or their most recent booster dose.

All COVID vaccinations are free. No appointment is necessary.

7-Day Rolling Rate of Community Spread of COVID-19

The NET Health 7-Day Rolling Rate calculates the average number of all COVID-positive cases from the previous seven days.  That answer is then divided by the population of the county, then multiplied by 100,000, and that final number is the 7-Day Rolling Rate.

Each week, the 7-Day Rolling Rates for each county will be updated on this page and within the 'Educate Your Communities' page of NETHealthCOVID19.org. 

This infographic should not be used as the only base of information for businesses, neighborhoods, school districts, worksites, or cities to consider future decisions. 

It is a resource for everyone to use but other sources of information still need to be referenced for your local decision making processes.

Vaccinations Available at Our NET Health Immunizations Clinic

Vaccines are available for kids of all ages to stay up-to-date on scheduled vaccines, so that parents can plan ahead to decide when to bring their K-12th grade children, and so that graduating seniors can obtain their meningitis vaccines before going to college.

Located at 815 North Broadway Avenue in Tyler, the NET Health Immunizations Clinic performs temperature checks of all our employees and all customers, to make sure everyone practices safe social distancing guidelines. Parents are strongly urged to please call us first to verify the status of your health insurance coverage.  

When a family arrives, please call our main phone number before coming to our front entrance, so we can greet you and perform our safety check at the front entrance.

The NET Health Immunizations Clinic is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  On Wednesdays, we close at 6:00pm.  

Contact us at (903) 510 - 5604, or you can email us at "[email protected]".

Co-Recipients of the 2022 "Doc" Ballard Award

The Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) is pleased to announce the co-recipients of the 2022 W. T. “Doc” Ballard Award for Excellence in Public Health, Meteorologist Mark Scirto, Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks, and Tyler Fire Chief David Coble.

Mark Scirto is the Chief Meteorologist for KLTV 7. Mark graduated in 1982 from the University of St. Thomas in Houston with a degree in Meteorology and joined KLTV in January 1987.  Mark remained as the original Daybreak Meteorologist for four years before moving to KPLC-TV Channel 7 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he worked as Chief Meteorologist for three years. In 1994, he re-joined KLTV and has been nominated for a Dallas Press Club Katie Award, an honor no other meteorologist in our area has ever received. Mark has held the Seals of Approval from the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society since 1989. 

Jay Brooks was appointed as the Smith County Fire Marshal in 2014 and then again in 2019. He also serves as the Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator and chairman of the Local Emergency Management Committee.  In 1998, Marshal Brooks served Smith County as a volunteer recovery diver and firefighter/EMT-B. He became a peace officer and joined the Smith County Fire Marshal's Office in 2008 as a volunteer deputy and is a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator and a Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator by the National Association of Fire Investigators. 

Chief David Coble started career in 1984 with the Fort Worth Fire Department reaching the rank of Executive Assistant Fire Chief. He served as interim Fort Worth Fire Chief before retiring in 2016, then being selected for the position of Tyler Fire Chief on September 28, 2016.  In addition to his fire service duties, Chief Coble serves the community through Leadership Tyler, the Salvation Army, the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, and as the City of Tyler’s Liaison to Veteran Groups in Smith County. 

Click here to read the full media release and to view photos from the 2022 "Doc" Ballard Award Ceremony.

"Public health affects everyone everyday, regardless of where you live, regardless of your income, regardless of your family size."

What would our community look like if you did not have a public health department?

Click below to view the informative video listed on NET Health's YouTube channel.