Lifestyle

   Boys & Girls Club of Bay City and Matagorda County recently put smiles on kids’ faces due to the generous outreach of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston.   
   Thirty local club members and their families received gifts thanks to the Houston organization’s annual Santa Project. 
   This marks the 12th year BGC of Greater Houston has held its Santa Project, a holiday gift program aimed at giving parents an extra boost at holiday time. 
   The success of the Santa Project is due to lead sponsor Kroger and media partner CW39, plus the generosity of individuals and companies in the five county area served by BGC of Greater Houston.  
   Lowes donated 199 lighted artificial trees for families while Kroger supplied gift cards to ensure a special holiday meal.  

   Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program (MEHOP) will begin the new year welcoming Tho Nguyen, MSN, APRN, FNP-C as the newest addition to their Family Medical Practice in Bay City.  
   Tho will begin seeing patients Jan. 4. 
   Prior to receiving her Masters of Science degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Cizik School of Nursing, Tho was a registered nurse (RN) with Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy.  
   “When I first read about MEHOP, I was excited about how they help serve the community,” said Tho.  
   “I highly value the aspect of serving all populations with and without insurance as I believe everyone has a right to proper and compassionate health care.”  
   MEHOP is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves patients regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.  

   Less than a week into the new year, the rate of COVID-19 infections and the number of people hospitalized in Texas for COVID-19 are at record levels, while the 7-day average for new cases and deaths are spiking — but only about a third of the vaccine doses allocated for Texans have been given out, according to state numbers. 
   As Texas health care providers predict that the state’s COVID-19 numbers will get even worse, questions continue to swirl about the state’s vaccine distribution for the 1.9 million Texans who were eligible for the first phase and the millions more who fall into the second tier of eligibility. 
   The seven-day average positivity rate for confirmed coronavirus tests has exceeded 20%, doubling levels that Gov. Greg Abbott called a “red flag” early in the pandemic. And the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 on Monday stood at 15,976, up 1,610 from a week ago and exceeding the previous highs reported last summer. 

   Commissioners’ court unanimously approved $10,000 Coronavirus relief memorandums for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palacios and Bay City during its meeting, Monday, Dec. 28.
    “These funds will provide relief due to COVID to both Boys and Girls Clubs in our county,” said County Auditor Kristen Kubecka.
   “This is the same amount that the court approved for all five of our school districts for $10,000. It covers anything from personal protection to cleaning supplies and other similar costs.”
   “I think it’s a great thing to approve and do for our youth,” said County Judge Nate McDonald.
   “They do so much for our children by providing them recreation, snacks, tutoring and more.”
   Kubecka added that the clubs did accommodate essential workers since the beginning of the pandemic.

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   As 2020 draws to a close this New Year’s Eve, many local businesses will be closed Thursday Dec. 31 and Friday, Jan. 1.
   County offices will be closed Friday and return to regular business hours on Monday, Jan. 4.
   The United States Post Office and banks will be closed on New Year’s Day.
   The City of Bay City will be closed for New Year’s Eve and Day then return to remote work on Jan. 4.
   WCA trash will not have garbage pickup Friday, Jan. 1.
   Residents with once a week service will be running a day behind; all accounts will be caught up by Saturday.
   “Service times will likely be later than usual with the additional holiday volume and wait times at our landfills,” said the WCA Waste website.
   “If we are not able to complete our make-up service due to these factors, service will continue the next day.”
   Bay City ISD students are scheduled to return to regular hours Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Front-line health care workers at Matagorda Regional Medical Center (MRMC) received the first COVID-19 vaccines last week.
   Public vaccines are not expected to arrive in Matagorda County until February, at the earlier, and may not arrive until April, advises MRMC.
   The hospital doesn’t receive advance notice on vaccine availability.
   New confirmed COVID-19 cases in Matagorda County are trending at the levels reported in August, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
   DSHS reports that Matagorda County had 223 confirmed cases in 14 days ending Tuesday, Dec. 28, for an average of 6.07 cases per 1,000.
   Matagorda County had a spike in new confirmed cases on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, when 51 new confirmed cases were reported.
   In recent new confirmed cases in the county: Dec. 28, 16; Dec. 27, 14; Dec. 26, 3; Dec. 25, 7; Dec. 24, 51; Dec. 23, 8; and Dec. 22, 13.

   WCJC offers variety of funding avenues for students to attend college
   Wharton County Junior College has created the WCJC – Fund Your Future initiative to help students cope with the costs of education. 
   Anyone needing financial resources to attend WCJC should visit the college’s website and access the WCJC – Fund Your Future link. 
   A page has been created to help students find more information on scholarships, financial aid, tuition installments and much more.
   “Our highest goal here at the college is to provide our students with all of the resources they need to be successful,” said WCJC President Betty McCrohan. “WCJC offers a wide array of assistance that makes college more affordable for all of our students. Don’t let finances hold you back from attending. We want to help you in any way possible.” 
   WCJC’s Fund Your Future resources include the following: