Our Vision

“To sustain a culture

of excellence that

promotes health,

safety, and well-

being for all Gila

County residents.”

In This Issue

Our Commitment to Community

Health…………………………..….1

Toddler Award .……......………....1

Kindergarten Round-Up..…...…...2

Let the Adventure Begin…….......3

Welcome new Medical Director to GCPHD….……..……………....4

Welcome new RN’s...…………....4

Gila County Health Department Staff (left to right) Ginnie Scales, Stella Gore, and Hortensia Lovin

Welcome Welcome to the fourth issue of Gila County Division of Health & Emergency

Management’s (GCDHEM) newsletter.

Our Commitment to Community Health In 2002, The Arizona Partnership for Immunizations (TAPI) began recogniz-

ing outstanding practices and clinics that has shown leadership and dedica-

tion in the field of immunizations. The honor is the Dr. Daniel T. Cloud Out-

standing Practice Award.

The TODDLER AWARD is presented to those practices and clinics that have

achieved the highest standard in their practice by reaching a 90% coverage

level for 4 DTaP, 3 Polio, 1 MMR, 3 Hib, 3 Hep B, 1 Varicella and 4 PCV for

two year old's. A minimum of 20 active patients is required for nomination.

Upon nomination, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) uses

the data from the Arizona State Immunization Information System (ASIIS) to

validate coverage levels.

We are pleased to announce the Gila County Public Health Department

achieved 100% coverage rates for the toddler award for both Globe and Pay-

son locations.

Issue #4 July | 2018

2

Kindergarten Round-Up

Oh! The Places We Went!

April 4th 2018, that day was kids day, getting

Kinders ready to go off to great places, to go off and

away.

The children already had brains in their heads and

feet in their shoes, but we helped to steer them on

which direction to choose.

They had passports with stamps to help lead the

way, making sure that we filled their heads with

knowledge that day.

Miami and Globe Head Start made a great showing, to ensure these kids

beginnings started out glowing.

Globe Library, Gila County Reading Council and First Things First had

booths and took a lead, because we all know few things are more importanter

than learning to read.

Gila County Sherriff Office and T.O.P.S were

here giving it their best, to ensure that these

Kinders will stay on top of the rest.

U of A Cooperative Extension was present

showing continued education can make you

wealthy, while immunizations, CVRMC and

anti-tobacco helped out to ensure that these

kids stay healthy.

And just when the children’s brains almost burst, and just when the par-

ents thought we were done, WIC came to save the day with a blow -up basket

toss to make sure things stayed fun.

When the kids were done scoring, and done throwing that ball, Anti -

Bullying had a place to make sure you were the winningest winner of all!

PHEP and EM signed parents up for Everbridge and the kids got a prize,

it’s also important in life and in danger to remember to keep the parents

wise!

Modeling Suessy hats, bags busting with smarts, and fac-

es painted with color, we were sure to include every mom,

dad, sister and brother.

We had great fun, we had a wonderful day, helping these

Kinders get on their way!

It's back-to-school season and

many parents help their children

pick out school supplies and

backpacks. While these items

are important, the Gila County

Public Health Department nurs-

ing staff wants to remind you to

put “Back to School Immuniza-

tions” on your checklist! If your

child does not have the required

immunizations, by state law, they

may be excluded from

school until they receive them.

Please contact our offices to

schedule an appointment for

your child or children today:

Globe: (928) 402-8811

Payson: (928) 474-1210

Office hours are Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m.

to 5:00 p.m.

You may also view our shot calen-

dars in our Health Services section

online at www.gilacountyaz.gov.

Photos: Kindergarten Round-Up

3

Our Commitment to Quality Improvement!

In 2013, the concept of

Quality Improvement (QI)

was first introduced at

GCDHEM. The first QI pro-

ject was a combined effort of

the various departments at

the Central Heights complex

to improve the mail run pro-

cess.

During the next few years,

various departments in

GCDHEM has undertaken

many QI projects. With each

QI project we have seen

tremendous improvements

in areas of customer service,

increased productivity and

improved outcomes.

Completed successful QI

projects are below:

2014: GCDHEM - Improved

internal cash handling pro-

cess; implemented new

POS system, developed and

implemented new internal

policies.

2015: Nursing - Improved

vaccine cold monitoring pro-

cess; improved percentages

of staff training to meet es-

tablished goals.

2015 - 2017: Prevention -

Implemented School Health

Liaison Program; Improved

Live Release Rates of ani-

mals.

2017-2018: HIV Program -

Improved HIV client eligibility

process and compliance

outcomes.

Gila County Public Health Department; 5515 S. Apache Ave., Globe, AZ 85501

Let the Adventure Begin!

The Gila County Public Health Department bids farewell to Dr. Michael Durham!

Dr. Durham graduated from Universidad Autonoma De

Guadalajara in 1977 and specialized in family medicine,

serving as a family medicine specialist here in Globe, AZ

for over 40 years.

Dr. Durham served as Medical Director for the Gila County

Public Health Department (GCPHD) for 36 years providing

services such as Well Baby Clinics; providing evaluation of baby develop-

ment, immunizations and routine checkups, and medical consultations for

testing, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.

Dr. Durham also served as the Deputy Medical Examiner in Gila County for

30 years providing investigative support by responding to homicide scenes;

and, completing all paperwork to ensure timely processing of death certifi-

cates.

Legacy is an over-used word these days, but when it comes to what Dr.

Durham has provided during his time with GCPHD, this is one of those occa-

sions when it is justified.

Dr. Michael Bryan accepts position of Medical Director at GCPHD!

We are proud to announce that Dr. Michael Bryan is the new

Medical Director here at GCPHD. He is certified through the

American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is ideally

suited to be our Medical Director.

...continued on page 4

4

“Start early and talk often!”

You will often hear this statement from Gila Coun-ty’s Health Programs Man-

ager, Nancy Rutherford.

Connecting with students to talk about health issues

ranging from tobacco and bullying prevention to self-confidence is at the heart of Gila County’s School Health

Liaison Program (SHLP). SHLP state trained facilita-tors work with administra-

tors to best serve the needs of each individual school, providing prevention clas-ses during the school day.

SHLP has an exhaustive “menu” of public health

classes that can be tailored to any grade level or issues a school might be dealing with at a particular time.

High school students, for example, might receive

smart driving and substance use prevention classes,

while elementary students learn about handwashing

and nutrition.

Dr. Michael Bryan continues...

Dr. Bryan earned an undergraduate degree from Arizona State University with a

Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He was a

part of the Barrett Honors College, and in 2005, he graduated from Albany Medical

College with honors as a Scholar in Medical Ethics and completed continuing educa-

tion courses in medical education from 2010 - 2015.

Dr. Bryan has over 10 years of experience and specializes in taking care of women

throughout their pregnancy. He also examines, diagnoses and treats medical ail-

ments involved with the female reproductive system.

Dr. Bryan recently joined the Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center (CVRMC) team.

Dr. Bryan will provide excellent healthcare and be an important asset to GCPHD,

CVRMC, and our community.

Meet Our New Public Health Nurses!

In May 2018, Michele Middleton, RN and Sean Pol-

lock, RN joined our Heath Services Program team!

Michele will provide nursing services in our Payson

Health Department and Sean will provide nursing

services in our Globe Health Department.

Michele’s Bio: Michele obtained her Bachelors degree

from Arizona State University. Her experience in the

nursing fields includes school nursing, hospital floor nurs-

ing, operating room and recovery.

She has three children, three grandchildren and loves

spending time with her family. She has lived in Payson

for almost two years now and absolutely loves living here. Michele stated

“Payson is such a beautiful place and I'm so grateful to be part of the com-

munity.” She is excited to join the GCDHEM team and looks forward to serv-

ing the community and helping the people in Gila County.

Sean’s Bio: Sean has work experience in Acute Care and

mental health/chemical dependency. Sean started out in

Health Care as an anesthesia tech at Maricopa County

Health System. He studied dietetics at Arizona State Uni-

versity and was a dietetic tech in long-term care. During

this time, he worked closely with nurses and decided that

would be a perfect career choice.

Sean indicated becoming an RN was a second career. He worked in sales/

customer service for 10 years in Chicago, IL., where he was born and

raised. Sean has lived in AZ for over 20 years now and is an avid Suns and

Cardinals fan, unless they are playing Chicago teams! Sean stated, “I am so

happy to join the TEAM at GCDHEM in Globe, everyone has been so wel-

coming and helpful. I look forward to meeting everyone and giving out pain-

less flu shots.”

Gila County Division of Health & Emergency Management

Contact us

Globe: 5515 S. Apache Ave., Ste 100, Globe, AZ 85501 | (928) 402-8811

Payson: 107 W. Frontier Rd., Ste A, Payson, AZ 85501 | (928) 474-7180