A collective 609 nights of camping, 182 merit badges and countless memorable moments are just some of the takeaways for seven scouts in BSA Troop 848 who recently achieved their Eagle ranking.
Alexander Beel, Austin Blazine, Brayden Fredrickson, Mark Keller, Alexander King, Simon Lamarche and Nathan Samuell celebrated their Eagle Court of Honor in January with family, friends and fellow scouters. All seven were elected by their troop to the BSA honor society Order of the Arrow.
For their Eagle Project, four of the scouts chose local churches as beneficiaries. Keller constructed eight circular flower beds and relocated a 7-foot cement cross. Lamarche created a path of gravel and stone and planted a memorial tree. Fredrickson refurbished a youth group sand volleyball court. Blazine freshened up playground landscaping and parking lot islands to eliminate tripping hazards.
At the Environmental Institute of Houston, King constructed two planting tables, a hopper and a retractable shade system. Samuell built two specialized growing tables for native plant species.
Beel returned to Armand Bayou Nature Center, a place he’s enjoyed since age 5, to make a trail wheelchair accessible.
Learn more at www.bsatroop848.org.
Houston nonprofit supports Galveston jail diversion effort
Justice Forward has expanded its service network to include two Galveston County programs promoting rehabilitation and therapy-based solutions rather than incarceration.
The Houston-based nonprofit in March launched a program to fund counseling, recovery, housing, transportation, tuition assistance and more for individuals participating in the county’s specialty courts. HOPE Drug Court is a supervised treatment program for nonviolent, repeat drug offenders with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. The county’s mental health court connects eligible defendants with community-based treatment and supervision.
“We have seen the inarguable impact that collaboration between courts and community resources can have on the health and happiness of the individuals we serve,” said Devon Anderson, CEO and president of Justice Forward. “We are looking forward to extending our support to the Galveston County specialty courts as they redefine the traditional justice system — reducing recidivism, improving public safety and transforming lives in the process.”
For information, visit www.justiceforwardtx.org.
UHCL alum, new hospital CEO reflects on relationships with professors
Simone Boulet envisioned her life as a care provider — either a veterinarian or medical doctor. But with her acceptance into University of Houston-Clear Lake’s joint Master of Healthcare Administration/Master of Business Administration program, that plan changed.
“I love health care, the science behind it, and I had the skills in marketing, patient advocacy and project management,” she said. “I wanted to see how I could merge all these things that I love into one strategic path, and found that healthcare administration was just perfect.”
Boulet completed her MHA/MBA at UHCL in 2017 and recently was named CEO of Kindred Hospital of Tampa Bay in Florida. She said the professors she met along the way still check in with her.
“It’s what every student should have,” she said. “I didn’t have that relationship with professors anywhere else. Any student would love to have professors like them and receive those benefits from what they have to offer.”
She said she often thinks about advice her UHCL professors gave her. “They said to find a way into healthcare in the system you want, and just find a place to grow and start navigating,” she said. “That’s what worked for me. When people ask me what I did, I tell them to just find a way in.”
Learn more at https://bityl.co/BS46.
Hospital appoints nursing head
HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast, 4000 Spencer Highway, recently named Gurvir Saini chief nursing officer, effective April 18.
Saini has served as assistant CNO at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake since April 2020. She graduated from the HCA Healthcare Advanced Leadership program in 2021 and will complete the hospital group’s executive development program later this year. For information, visit HCAhoustonhealthcare.com/southeast.
Area credit union earns national recognition
A member feedback platform recently recognized Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union as a 2022 Best of the Best award winner.
MemberXP presents the awards each year to credit unions that provide exceptional service as reported by their own members. Learn more at www.gcefcu.org.
Deer Park council examines census data
The percentage of Deer Park residents with a high school degree or higher hovered at about 88.5 precent between 2014 and 2019, according to a recent review of 2020 census data by the Deer Park Community Advisory Council.
The DPCAC Program Planning Committee undertook the review after a 2019 University of Texas Medical Branch study noted a correlation between cancer rates and residents’ proximity to refineries. Committee members also wondered if the census data would confirm or counter stereotypes about Deer Park and other ship channel communities.
Facilitator Diane Sheridan presented census data on population, age, race and ethnicity, education, health insurance coverage, median household income and poverty level for Deer Park and 18 area cities within 10 or 30 miles of the city during a Feb. 28 DPCAC meeting. Slides are available at www.deerparkcac.org .