City-County Cooperation Award Winners for 2008
Parker County and the City of Weatherford
Parker County and the City of Weatherford are being honored for the jointly operated Weatherford/Parker County Animal Shelter. After years of operating an animal shelter on its own, the City of Weatherford was faced with a demand for services that was rapidly outgrowing the facility’s capacity. Due to population growth, Parker County shared that need for expanded shelter services, and the two local governments began jointly operating an animal shelter in 2000. Since then, major innovations have occurred. The shelter began operating a spay-and-neuter program in 2001 and a microchip program in 2004. Several local business and citizen partnerships have resulted in a building improvement fundraising effort that has raised more than $361,000 and the donation of a mobile adoption center. Through the funds raised, a new building was completed in 2007 to increase the shelter’s capacity, and construction on another new building begins this year. Today, the shelter houses 77 dog kennels, 20 cat kennels, a horse barn, an office, and a spay-neuter clinic. The shelter takes in approximately 7,000 dogs and cats a year, and during 2007, approximately 1,800 animals were spayed and neutered through the on-site program. By combining their shelter services, the county and city have been able to expand animal control work and shelter functions, minimize costs, and eliminate duplicate services. The cooperative efforts of Parker County and the City of Weatherford have made a greater positive impact than the jurisdictions could have done individually, and together they will continue to develop new and innovative programs to benefit their citizens and the animals in their care.
Bexar County and the City of San Antonio
Bexar County and the City of San Antonio are being honored for their transition to a consolidated preventive public health care service system. The idea began in 2004 when a citizens’ commission concluded that more efficient, effective, prevention-focused services could be delivered by a partnership between the city and county health services. The commission recommended consolidating the San Antonio Metro Health District and the Bexar County Hospital District. In addition to the recommendation of the citizen’s commission, the increased demand for health services, high rates of preventable disease, rising health care costs, and demands for health system collaboration in emergency response scenarios established a sense of urgency for collaboration between the two local entities. By amending an existing interlocal agreement, the work began in the fall of 2006 and has proven very successful. The consolidated preventive public health care service system obtained joint grants for breast and cervical cancer screenings and implemented shared electronic patient appointment systems. Other services include prenatal care, family planning, well-child screenings, and senior health screenings. The results are faster service for patients, increased efficiency for physicians, an end to the duplication of services, and a savings in taxpayers’ money thanks to the lack of duplication and reduced demand for costly emergency and acute care services. The consolidation of services has formed a critical foundation for continued partnerships and synergy between the county and city. New collaborative efforts including expanded oral health services, integration of radiology systems for tuberculosis treatment, and coordinated physician education are already in development.
