CITY OF AMARILLO’S FACEBOOK USER AGREEMENT
The City of Amarillo will promote effective communication and maintain a respectful dialogue. In that spirit, the rules set forth for posting comments on Facebook will facilitate a productive and open forum for community discussion. Our moderators use these rules to ensure that posted comments are constructive and suitable for all readers, while respecti
ng a range of opinions and points of view. Posted comments must comply with the following standards:
• Comments must be civil and may not contain slanderous, libelous, malicious, offensive, obscene, pornographic, sexual, threatening, profane or insulting language, symbol, photo, video or sound, or links to such material.
• References to the personality of individuals or personal attacks will not be permitted.
• Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation is not allowed.
• Advertising, solicitations or promotional announcements not related to the City of Amarillo are not permitted.
• Comments must be within the scope of the topic under discussion.
• Beyond one’s name, comments cannot include personally identifiable information, such as an address, phone number, social security number or other sensitive information.
• Comments cannot represent a person other than the one posting the comment, unless one has legal authority to do so.
• Comments containing links to other websites or pages must be relevant to the topic.
• Comments cannot serve electoral campaign purposes, for or against any candidate, party or proposition. Political messages will not be published.
• Participants are responsible for what they post. Comments must not breach any law, confidentiality or copyright.
• Encourage or promote illegal activity;
• Include information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems. Comments by external parties on the City’s page are not official public testimony concerning any project or program. An opinion expressed on the City’s page is posted for discussion only and is not a substitute for a public hearing. The City of Amarillo does not necessarily agree with content posted by Facebook Fans or others. Facebook constitutes no binding representation, agreement or an endorsement on the part of the City of Amarillo. Those who violate Facebook Terms and Conditions will be reported to Facebook and blocked from the City of Amarillo’s page. This agreement is governed by a separate Privacy Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities as set forth by Facebook. Elected officials are cautioned against participation in private chat or a string of posts that involves a quorum of elected officials discussing public business. The Department of Public Health houses different programs to assist the local potter/randall area. These programs include:
- Tuberculosis
The Amarillo Department of Public Health manages both latent and active TB disease in Potter/Randall Counties. TB skin tests are provided for $10 on a walk-in basis. All follow-up testing and treatment, including that required for immigration, are provided at no cost to the patient. The TB program is happy to provide education and training to health-care facilities and providers, employers, pharmacies, homeless shelters, jail staff, and other groups with TB testing requirements.
- Refugee
Each year, approximately 450 refugees are resettled in Amarillo. They come from a myriad of countries, including Myanmar, Somalia, Iraq, DR Congo, and Iran. The Refugee Health Program at the Amarillo Department of Public Health serves as their introduction to the American healthcare system, providing an initial health screening, immunizations, and referrals, and documentation assistance.
- Emergency Preparedness
In Amarillo, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program exists to provide and maintain a high level of public-health response readiness. Responsibilities include both pre-event planning and response to infectious disease outbreaks, bioterrorism threats or attacks, and the medical component of local multi-agency emergency responses. Nationwide, the federal government created PHEP programs in response to the events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax attacks in late September and October of 2001. Initially, Public Health Preparedness focused on bioterrorism; however, bioterrorism programs have matured into “all hazards” response units. PHEP functions range from mass vaccination clinic operations, such as the clinics opened to provide the H1N1 Influenza Vaccine in 2009 and early 2010, surveillance of emerging diseases such as Ebola, assisting with weather related responses and managing the local request and utilization of the Strategic Nation Stockpile and CHEMPACK programs.. Public Health Emergency Preparedness includes collaboration and cooperation with local, regional, state and federal agencies and departments. Through planning and response efforts, PHEP serves a vital purpose in emergency response efforts in Amarillo, as well as Potter and Randall Counties.
- STD/DIS/HIV
STD Clinic:
The STD clinic
1. Completely confidential
2. Open from 8:30-4:30 pm Monday thru Friday excluding holidays
3. No cost for testing or treatment
4. May only be seen once every 30 days
5. Same day appointments only. Patient to call at 7:45 am to schedule appointment.
6. Photo ID required
7. Must be at least 13 years old to be seen by the clinic. No parental consent needed for testing or treatment.
8. Patient must make their own appointment
9. Females cannot be pregnant or on their period at time of appointment
10. We test for:
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
HIV
Bacterial Vaginosis (females only)
Trichomoniasis (females only)
Yeast (females only)
Hep C (Must meet criteria)
Herpes (Must meet criteria)
Ge***al Warts (treated only)
11. If patient already tested and is only needing treatment. Labs are required.
12. No paps or birth control given with the exception of condoms.
-DIS
Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) is the backbone of state and local STD/HIV programs. The DIS attempts to assure all patients who are infected, or have been exposed to an infection are notified and treated. In nearly every community across the nation a DIS can be found working on the front lines of public health using their investigative and interpersonal communication skills to respond to outbreaks and interrupt disease transmission.
-HIV
The objective of the HIV Prevention Program is to work with High Risk Individuals to get them to identify and change those behaviors that are putting them at risk for HIV and other STD’s and identify undiagnosed HIV Positives and link them to medical care.
- Immunizations
The immunizations department offeres vaccination to the randall and potter counties in amarillo who meet the eligibility criteria. Children who visit clinic will be provided vaccine through the Texas Vaccine for Children (TVFC) program. TVFC is a federally funded program, offering vaccinations to children 18 years old and younger who meet at least one of the following criteria:
- medicaid
- no insurance
- American Indian
- Alaskan Native
- Underinsured
* a child who has commercial (private) health insurance, but coverage does not include vaccines
* a child whose insurance does not cover all ACIP recommended vaccines
* a child who insurance caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount. Once that amount is reached the child is categorized as being underinsured
The immunizations department also has an adult program called DSRIP. DSRIP offers all ACIP recommended adult vaccines including pneumonia, flu, and zoster (as supplies last) Qualifications for DSRIP include:
- no insurance
- underinsured (insurance does not cover the vaccine)
- medicaid
Cost is $5 for 1 shot, $10 for 2 or more shots. We will not turn away any patient due to the inability to pay! Our hours are monday-friday 8-4.
- Communicable Disease
The Communicable Disease (CD) Program is responsible for the investigation and analysis of communicable diseases to protect the citizens of Potter and Randall counties. The CD Program is the primary contact for reports of the communicable diseases listed as Texas Notifiable Conditions by the Texas Department of State Health Services. These reports are received from schools, daycares, labs, physician’s offices, hospitals, blood banks and from the Texas NEDSS Base System which is an electronic disease surveillance system. The CD Program collaborates with the City of Amarillo Environmental Health Department to assess and identify any possible food borne illness events. The program also investigates reports on animal bites that come through the City of Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare and the Potter and Randall county Sheriff’s Offices and coordinate post-exposure rabies prophylaxis as necessary. The CD Program also provides Case Management for the Perinatal Hepatitis B program which follows Hepatitis B positive mothers and their new child to assure that the child is properly immunized. The team also performs head lice checks, compiles a weekly flu report for our community during flu season and provides communicable disease educational information to the public and healthcare providers.
