Wichita County health district outlines 2024 recovery, 2025 priorities including dementia support and animal-services focus

Amy Bagan, director of the Wichita County Public Health District, told the Wichita County Commissioners Court on Feb. 7 that the department is moving from COVID-era expansion toward stabilizing services and preparing for reduced grant funding in 2025.

"Our people make it happen," Bagan said, noting the department had about 106 staff in summer that rose to about 111 and that roughly half of the department's annual budget comes from grants. She told commissioners the department's current annual budget is about $9,810,000 and that roughly 50 percent of that is grant-funded.

Bagan summarized accomplishments from 2024 and laid out priorities for 2025. The district has grown from two grants when she began to 21 grants currently; among them is a new Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) grant that provides $150,000 a year and supports services across an 11-county region. The ADRD funding pays for a program manager and a part-time health educator to build caregiver support, provide training to medical professionals and start local caregiver groups.

Bagan described program activities launched under the ADRD grant, including "dementia live" demonstrations and outreach to hospices and facilities. The district is assembling a resource database to help caregivers locate services, transportation and low-cost supports, and has purchased wristband-style tracking devices that register with the Alzheimer's Association to help locate wandering patients.

Public-health surveillance and clinical services are additional priorities. Bagan said HIV and syphilis cases have risen locally; she told the court the department had about nine HIV cases so far in the year and more syphilis cases than in prior years. The district conducts field testing, distributes condoms and performs disease-intervention partner investigations.

Bagan also reported operational details: WIC recorded about 40,000 encounters in 2024; environmental health staff completed about 3,800 inspections; infectious-disease investigators handled about 88 investigations; and animal services processed more than 3,000 animals in a year. She said the euthanasia rate at animal services has fallen from about 70 percent to about 30 percent.

Staffing and facilities were recurring themes. Bagan said the department's laboratory is a two-person operation that is CLIA- and TCEQ-certified and that recruiting certified lab staff remains difficult. She described turnover trends: 28 staff left in 2022, 23 in 2023 and 14 in 2024. The department is reorganizing some divisions and started a grants committee and staff cross-training to prepare for grant reductions.

Bagan highlighted several community and prevention initiatives. The department hired a bike-friendly Wichita Falls coordinator from among its health educators to run CycleSmart safety classes, work with schools and businesses, and promote a trail app that shows trail amenities. The health district also revived its health fair, expanded social-media outreach including short videos and reels, and plans to offer CPR training for county staff, such as bus drivers.

Animal services is a pressure point: Bagan said she requested a city-funded position last year to address rising cruelty cases, dumped animals and two recent maulings. She said enforcement and citation activity have increased and that county and city ordinances and state law guide how the department responds.

Bagan closed by stressing transparency and public education: the department posts outcome data online, is revising ordinances where appropriate, and is seeking better ways to increase public attendance at wellness classes that currently see low participation. She asked for continued county support and noted several planned 2025 projects, including improved GIS mapping for mosquito activity and outreach events such as a planned mobile well-water testing day in coordination with the county extension office.

Commissioners thanked Bagan and several asked follow-up questions about public communication and partnership opportunities; no formal motions or votes on department actions were recorded during the update.