H.R. No. 2545
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Rear Admiral TeCora Ballom of the United States
Public Health Service was sworn in as an assistant U.S. surgeon
general on May 19, 2017; and
WHEREAS, A physician with board certification in both family
and correctional medicine, Rear Admiral Ballom serves as the South
Central regional medical director for the Federal Bureau of
Prisons; the Dallas native will continue in that challenging role,
overseeing medical care for 16 prisons and 30,000 inmates in Texas,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, The nation's assistant surgeons general provide
crucial leadership in responding to natural disasters, epidemics,
and other emergencies; Rear Admiral Ballom has demonstrated
exceptional judgment and ability throughout her career; in 2010,
she took on a temporary assignment to furnish executive expertise
during the transition of Immigration and Health Services into the
Department of Homeland Security; she was subsequently designated
officer in charge for a Commissioned Corps Hospital Assistance
Team, deployed to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
to assist the only hospital on the island of Saipan; and
WHEREAS, In 2014, Rear Admiral Ballom was named Applied
Public Health Physician of the Year by the USPHS; in addition, she
has been inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public
Health and earned the USPHS Outstanding Service Medal; she holds a
bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bishop College, a master's
degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts at
Amherst, and an osteopathic medical diploma from the University of
North Texas Health Science Center; and
WHEREAS, Rear Admiral Ballom has made a positive difference
in countless lives through her deep commitment to the vital mission
of the U.S. Public Health Service, and she has earned the lasting
respect and appreciation of her fellow citizens; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Rear Admiral TeCora Ballom on her
appointment as a U.S. assistant surgeon general and extend to her
sincere best wishes for continued success in her important work;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Rear Admiral Ballom as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives.
Davis of Dallas
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2545 was adopted by the House on May
28, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House