With a dedicated staff of more than 450 public health professionals and annual funding resources totaling approximately $62 million, TCPH services truly touch everyone, every day, and everywhere.

 

Divisions

With a dedicated staff of more than 450 public health professionals and annual funding resources totaling approximately $62 million, TCPH services truly touch everyone, every day, and everywhere.

 

Tarrant County Public Health’s Adult Health Services program provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the prevention and control of sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV throughout Tarrant County.

 

Chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension, continually plague many residents. These diseases may be incurable, but most – if not all – are avoidable. Tarrant County Public Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention division aims to help individuals either understand and avoid such diseases, or learn to better manage them.

 

Public Health is the first line of defense in maintaining and improving the public’s health status. The Institute of Medicine says it’s: “Fulfilling society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy.” A productive, economically sound society relies on a safe, healthy population.

 

Environmental Health functions in a regulatory capacity regarding health issues linked to the environment and provides a variety of related services. In addition to conducting food handler classes, permitting food vendors and regularly inspecting public eating establishments, Environmental Health also provides education and information on local environmental issues such as vector-borne diseases, stormwater, air quality and ozone, permits on-site sewage facilities, and inspects and permits public swimming pools.

 

TCPH's Epidemiology and Health Information division plays a major role in safeguarding that health.  This division remains constantly vigilant of, and responds to any health threats. It’s a 24/7/365 job. Some of the disease threats in Tarrant County are relatively new. Other diseases were around before there was a Tarrant County. And other diseases are just a plane ride away.

 

The Health Equity and Community Engagement (HECE) division works to address health equity issues and decrease health disparities in Tarrant County. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), health disparities are "the differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States."

 

The Health Informatics team at TCPH is central to the support and the evolution of the department. It gathers and structures health data in ways useful to decision makers. The team maintains multiple surveillance systems and manages a network that collects data from nearly 60 hospitals in 49 North Texas counties.

 

Tarrant County Public Health’s North Texas Regional Laboratory provides services including diagnostic testing for communicable diseases, drinking water testing, milk & dairy product quality assurance testing, and regular surveillance and confirmatory testing for emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats.

 

Tarrant County Public Health offers important information on how residents, businesses and other groups can best prepare for local emergencies.

 

Tarrant County Public Health’s Tuberculosis Elimination is working in cooperation with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to provide incoming displaced persons from around the world with screenings for general health, nutrition and tuberculosis (TB).

 

Tarrant County Public Health administers the WIC Program for Tarrant County.  WIC is a nutrition program that helps pregnant women, new mothers and young children eat well, learn about nutrition and stay healthy. WIC provides services to pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children under the age of 5.