The Wood County Economic Development Commission (WCEDC) unanimously approved $50,000 last Wednesday in support of Phase One of an innovative memory care concept project in Quitman. 

The Wood County Central Hospital District matched that grant with $50,000, and the Quitman Economic Development Corporation committed $25,000 which was approved by the Quitman City Council last Thursday. 

In 2021 a visioning group of local civic and business leaders, including Wood County Central Hospital District board members, developed the framework for an innovative healthcare model, called the Center for Memory Health & Education (CMHE).  

The CMHE is designed to meet the rapidly growing needs brought on by the increased incidence of Alzheimer’s. It will do this through a blend of education, training, diagnostics, treatment and care.  

It has the potential, with Wood County as the hub, to bring important economic opportunity and academic and medical prestige to Northeast Texas.

Together, these funds will be used to complete Phase One of the project, which will define the full concept and physical plan.

Phase One will also solidify a consortium of entities that will be key to the success of the project, to include educational and medical institutions, government leaders, representatives of public and private businesses, and charitable foundations.

A unique collaboration between local and regional health care providers, educators and civic leaders, the project will become a national beacon for innovative care and treatment of Alzheimer’s and related dementias – a pressing public health threat locally, nationally and globally.

Phase One will define the concept and physical plan best suited to developing innovative approaches to care giving and to resident engagement.

Quitman Mayor Randy Dunn and hospital board members Annette Simpkins and Orval Lindsey attended to give information and answer questions from the board.

WCEDC Executive Director Christoph Trahan then reported information concerning House Bill 390 which requires annual human trafficking training for lodging establishments in Texas.

“The Texas office of the attorney general is working on its own commercial lodging establishment training, although that training is not yet available,” Trahan said. 

A poster from the state has been sent to be placed at area hotel locations and is a requirement of the new law concerning human trafficking. The poster has information concerning trafficking.

Hotel employees are required to receive annual human trafficking training, and they may not be disciplined, retaliated against and otherwise discriminated against for making a good faith report of suspected human trafficking.

Trahan and County Judge Lucy Hebron drafted a letter to send to all Wood County lodging establishments explaining the bill and sending them the correct signage poster to be placed at each facility. Lodging facilities will have until Dec. 31 to train employees hired before 2022. Employees hired after Jan. 1 must be trained within 90 days of hiring.

Plans for the Bassmaster Elite event at Lake Fork were discussed. Quitman’s Bobby Irwin will be performing along with another nationally well-known act. Trahan has been working with Chris Bevill of the Neon Moon on booking the acts. The tournament will run May 19-22.

The WCEDC executive committee worked with Tom Mullins from Tyler on a strategic master plan for Wood County.

“While the discussions around master planning have thus far been with a 25-year goal in mind, Mr. Mullins and the committee agreed that a 10-year comprehensive strategic plan for Wood County would be the most beneficial initiative,” Trahan explained. “It would give accomplishment goals that can be realized in the short-term while keeping focus on development going into the future.”

According to Trahan, the next step would be the development of a request for proposals for procuring professional consultant services for the facilitation of the master planning process.

“We want the chief stakeholders of the community decision makers like our school superintendents, the local mayors and civic leadership like our Rotaries, Kiwanis and chambers of commerce to be involved,” he added. 

In attendance were WCEDC board members Craig Lindholm, Allene Doggett, Jim Berry, Tom Callan, Lee Smith and Steven Steele. Board members not attending were Tom Keenan, Gwen Winters, Greg Hollen and Mike Simmons.