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EL PASO, Texas – The American Federation of El Paso Teachers said they sent a letter to County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and Mayor Oscar Leeser asking them to remove and replace Dr Hector Ocaranza as the health authority for the city / county of El Paso.
The group of teachers, in a social media post where its president Ross Moore revealed the letter of formal notice, said Ocaranza had lost respect from local educators by recently insisting that they return to theaters. class amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The group questioned Ocaranza’s qualifications for the health authority post given he is not an infectious disease specialist – and also questioned the reliability of some of the Covid-19 data that the doctor shared and used to guide his decision making in order to empower person learning.
“Just as it’s time for a much-needed change in the direction of public health nationwide in the battle against Covid-19, so too in El Paso,” wrote Moore, the AFT leader. “We need the right experience and history, which Dr Ocaranza, pediatrician, does not have. The Covid-19 data does not portray a record of success or transparency on the part of Dr. Ocaranza, nor does it create confidence in him.
A city official released a statement in support of Ocaranza on Wednesday evening, while Judge Samaniego told ABC-7 earlier today that he would follow up on the organization’s objections.
Fire Chief Mario D’Agostino, who heads El Paso’s emergency management operations – which includes part of the city’s Covid response efforts, said the community had been “fortunate” to have Ocaranza at the helm throughout the pandemic.
The chief also dismissed the idea that Ocaranza was not well suited to dealing with infectious disease outbreaks, pointing to his vast experience on previous occasions.
“During his tenure, Dr Ocaranza led our Ebola preparedness team, our tuberculosis (TB) epidemic response team and our H1N1 pandemic response team” D’Agostino said in the statement sent to ABC-7.
In addition, the chief defended the views of the reopening of the Ocaranza school, noting that the Health Authority has met with education officials “on a regular basis and has developed specific guidelines. in school for teachers, students and staff. “
Below is an overview of the full statement released by El Paso’s AFT on social media, outlining his objections to Ocaranza’s actions, followed by D’Agostino’s full response.
Here is the statement of chef Mario D’Agostino …
“Dr. Hector Ocaranza has been our city and county health authority for over 12 years and El Paso is fortunate to see him serve and care for our community.
During his tenure, Dr Ocaranza led our Ebola preparedness team, our tuberculosis (TB) epidemic response team and our H1N1 pandemic response team.
Since the onset of the pandemic, he has been involved in ongoing communication with all school districts to provide advice and support. He met regularly with school principals, nurses and school sports staff and developed school-specific guidelines for teachers, students and staff.
Dr Ocaranza wrote letters of support for the school’s continued funding from the Texas Education Agency and met with the Education Commissioner to speak on behalf of the school.
El Paso is fortunate to have Dr. Ocaranza because he understands the importance of the health of our community as well as the importance of youth mental health and the impact of the pandemic on the future of our children. It is a balance that we must work together to achieve. “
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