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One year ago, many of us had different plans for 2020. In fact, at this time last year, I was sending friends a message that said, “Have a Rocking 2020!” Well, a worldwide pandemic was not what I had in mind. I also had big plans for working with you, attending and hosting community gatherings, and bringing your concerns to City Hall. Of course, 2020 had its own plans.

We may be tempted to define this year by the pandemic. But this year was defined by the strength of our community. From medical professionals on the front line to neighbors who looked after one another, to shoppers who diligently wore their masks, 2020 was a year when the people of San Antonio worked to keep each other safe. The year was tough, but we were tougher.

Thank you for doing your part to slow the spread this year. We will need to continue precautions into 2021. But, with continued cooperation, our next Holiday season will have hugs again. 

To end the year, here are seven highlights from 2020 below. 

Wishing a wonderful holiday to you and your loved ones. May 2021 bring you joy, peace, and good health. Happy New Year!

We started the year off strong, with community coffees at Maverick and Forest Hills Libraries. How strange it seems now that we are sitting so close and not wearing masks! 

Events like these are some of the best parts of the job! Our office looks forward to reviving these in the future.

As the virus spread in San Antonio personal protective equipment was hard to find. The City provided face masks, hand sanitizer, gloves, and no-touch thermometers to small businesses. Our team distributed to District 7 businesses, at this drive through and going door to door. New skill set acquired by the District 7 team: hosting drive through events!

We all learned new phrases this year, like contact tracing, personal protective equipment, and community spread.

With my background in public health, it was especially important for me to see up-close how the City was responding to the pandemic. In July, Metro Health moved contact tracing into the Alamodome.

The past three years, our office has hosted large back to school events to provide school supplies and immunizations to students in District 7. This year, we changed up our tradition by hosting a drive-through event at the field office. 

By working with District 7 schools we identified students in need and invited them to come by. It was a joy to see teachers and counselors light up as they saw their students through car windows! 

We even had a special appearance from NISD Trustee Katie Reed!

After the death of George Floyd, the Dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Michelle Williams, sent a thought-provoking email to the school's alumni. In it, she wrote, "It is a gut-wrenching consequence of what we in the public health community know all too well — and a reality that people of color are confronted with every day: Racism is a public health crisis."

We were fortunate she agreed to an interview on Facebook Live to discuss this idea. Missed it? Watch it here.

In September, Community Labs made national headlines for their new COVID-19 testing operation which could process thousands of tests in a single day. The test is designed for people without symptoms and is freely available at several City-sponsored testing sites. In this visit Mayor Nirenberg and I saw some of the best innovation in San Antonio.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans end up in the hospital with the flu. That’s why it is important to get your flu shot every year!

The District 7 Team worked with a group of medical students at UT Health called Frontera de Salud and the Health Department to host three, drive-through, no-cost flu clinics this year. We immunized over 400 residents! And just like that, our community was just a little bit safer and more prepared for this winter.

See a full listing of resources here.

In recognition of the holidays, the District 7 Office will close until January 6, 2021. If you need assistance during this time, please call 311. If you have an emergency, please call 911.