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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Rear Admiral TeCora Ballom of the United States |
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| 6 | 7 | | Public Health Service was sworn in as an assistant U.S. surgeon |
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| 7 | 8 | | general on May 19, 2017; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A physician with board certification in both family |
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| 9 | 10 | | and correctional medicine, Rear Admiral Ballom serves as the South |
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| 10 | 11 | | Central regional medical director for the Federal Bureau of |
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| 11 | 12 | | Prisons; the Dallas native will continue in that challenging role, |
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| 12 | 13 | | overseeing medical care for 16 prisons and 30,000 inmates in Texas, |
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| 13 | 14 | | Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Louisiana; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, The nation's assistant surgeons general provide |
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| 15 | 16 | | crucial leadership in responding to natural disasters, epidemics, |
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| 16 | 17 | | and other emergencies; Rear Admiral Ballom has demonstrated |
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| 17 | 18 | | exceptional judgment and ability throughout her career; in 2010, |
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| 18 | 19 | | she took on a temporary assignment to furnish executive expertise |
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| 19 | 20 | | during the transition of Immigration and Health Services into the |
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| 20 | 21 | | Department of Homeland Security; she was subsequently designated |
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| 21 | 22 | | officer in charge for a Commissioned Corps Hospital Assistance |
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| 22 | 23 | | Team, deployed to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands |
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| 23 | 24 | | to assist the only hospital on the island of Saipan; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, In 2014, Rear Admiral Ballom was named Applied |
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| 25 | 26 | | Public Health Physician of the Year by the USPHS; in addition, she |
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| 26 | 27 | | has been inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public |
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| 27 | 28 | | Health and earned the USPHS Outstanding Service Medal; she holds a |
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| 28 | 29 | | bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bishop College, a master's |
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| 29 | 30 | | degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts at |
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| 30 | 31 | | Amherst, and an osteopathic medical diploma from the University of |
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| 31 | 32 | | North Texas Health Science Center; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Rear Admiral Ballom has made a positive difference |
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| 33 | 34 | | in countless lives through her deep commitment to the vital mission |
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| 34 | 35 | | of the U.S. Public Health Service, and she has earned the lasting |
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| 35 | 36 | | respect and appreciation of her fellow citizens; now, therefore, be |
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| 36 | 37 | | it |
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| 37 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Rear Admiral TeCora Ballom on her |
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| 39 | 40 | | appointment as a U.S. assistant surgeon general and extend to her |
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| 40 | 41 | | sincere best wishes for continued success in her important work; |
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| 41 | 42 | | and, be it further |
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| 42 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 43 | 44 | | prepared for Rear Admiral Ballom as an expression of high regard by |
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| 44 | 45 | | the Texas House of Representatives. |
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