This ‘n Data

TEXAS HEALTH HEART & VASCULAR HOSPITAL ARLINGTON EARNS HIGHEST RATING

Texas Health Arlington Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington earned the prestigious platinum level and was one of eight Texas Health facilities to earn this year’s American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry Chest Pain – MI Registry Performance Achievement Award.

The national award annually recognizes hospitals that provide a high standard of care for patients suffering a heart attack, which is when a blood clot in a coronary artery blocks blood flow to the heart.

The award also confirms that the recognized facility has reached an aggressive goal of treating patients as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

JON FAGG TO TAKE THE HELM AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT UTA

The University of Texas at Arlington has selected Jon Fagg as its next director of athletics. Fagg, deputy athletics director at the University of Arkansas, will join UTA on Aug. 1, one month after the University joins the Western Athletic Conference.

At Arkansas, Fagg assisted the vice chancellor and director of athletics in the daily administration of the department and provided direct oversight of its NCAA compliance program; academic support; student-athlete development; and name, image and likeness units. He also oversaw other administrative units, including mental health and performance, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and major gift development. He most recently served as the sports administrator for the football and swimming and diving programs and had oversight of the women’s soccer and men’s basketball programs.

“Jon will provide strategic leadership for our intercollegiate athletics department and collaborate across campus and the community to promote the academic and athletic achievements of our student-athletes,” UTA President Jennifer Cowley says. “I am confident his experience will prove to be an asset as we move into the Western Athletic Conference and work to advance the success of our 15 NCAA Division I athletic programs.”

During his tenure in Fayetteville, Fagg was an instrumental team member of the University’s capital campaign, Campaign Arkansas, which raised approximately $220 million for the department of athletics through annual and philanthropic giving to enhance the Arkansas studentathlete experience. Since the conclusion of the campaign in the summer of 2020, the Razorbacks have claimed an impressive 18 Southeastern Conference Championships – 10 in 2020-21 and eight more in 2021-22. RAISE YOUR HAND if you waved at Grand Marshal (and former Mayor) Tom Vandergriff as he drove by during the 1986 Arlington Fourth of July parade. Keep that hand up if you’ve attended all 50 parades.

Arlington By the numbers

372

The number of home runs Juan Gonzalez hit as a Texas Ranger (he’s the club’s all-time leader).

Source: mlb.com/rangers

22,000+

The number of street lights on city roadways that are maintained by the Public Works Department.

Source: arlingtontx.gov

12

The number of University of Texas at Arlington baseball players who made it to the big leagues.

Source: baseball-almanac.com

8

The number of Whataburger restaurants that call Arlington home (Mansfield has two, and Grand Prairie has five).

Source: google.com

2026 World cup matches will be played in Arlington

Though the official announcement noted another city, make no mistake: The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to Arlington, where, for the first time ever, games involving players of the world’s most-watched sporting event will be played at AT&T Stadium. A total of 16 cities/ regions were selected to be host sites in partnership, and Arlington won a spot in partnership with the Dallas Cowboys, FC Dallas, the City of Arlington and the Dallas Sports Commission.

The specific rounds for each site will be announced at a later date.

With Arlington securing a spot as one of the 10/11 U.S. cities to host a match, the event is expected to reign in nearly $400 million in revenue while creating as many as 3,000 new jobs. It has been since 1994 that World Cup Soccer has been played in North Texas, when the Cotton Bowl was used as the venue.

Photo: City of Arlington

CITY CHOOSES TROY V. WILLIAMS FOR NEWLY CREATED ROLE OF CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER

After a national search, the City of Arlington has selected Troy V. Williams for the newly created chief equity officer role to oversee planning, development and administration of the City’s diversity, equity and inclusion engagement initiatives.

The creation of a chief equity officer position was among the recommendations of the citizen-led Unity Council. In February 2021, the Unity Council presented a 132-page racial equity plan to the Arlington City Council that focused on addressing economic disparities, education and workforce training, housing, health and wellness and policing and criminal justice.

Williams completed a 20-year career with the Department of Justice. He most recently served as the chief diversity officer for Baltimore County, Maryland.

#atpetofthemonth

Meet Bentley, Winston and Sonny. They are all rescues from different places at different times. They were all quite the mess when we took them in. They all became fast friends and now are inseparable. They howl beautifully at sirens, a doggy choir. They spend their day chasing our cats and the many squirrels that try to snack in the feeders. They have a great life and have added so much to our lives ... we wouldn’t trade them for the world.

– Sherri Lucas

MMMC PIONEERS USE OF ULTRASOUND DURING CARPAL TUNNEL SURGERY

Doctors at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center recently performed the first carpal tunnel release using ultrasound guidance in Tarrant County. During the procedure, the surgeon uses ultrasound, the same technology used to view babies in the womb, to see inside the patient’s wrist. Using a single incision, the surgeon can cut the carpal ligament and relieve pressure inside the wrist — all while the patient is awake.

The first patient to undergo the procedure at Methodist Mansfield is a 73-year-old Cedar Hill man who spent his career typing on a keyboard. Thomas Gray says he thinks that repetitive motion is probably to blame for the years of pain he has been experiencing. His carpal tunnel syndrome was so severe that he had to use a pair of pliers to twist open a bottle of water.

“I put up with the pain so long because traditional carpal tunnel surgery sounded painful and the recovery time was just too much,” Gray says. “When I heard about this option, I jumped at the chance to try it.”

Just six days after undergoing the release procedure, Gray was able to easily twist open a bottle.

Dr. Shaun Garff, sports medicine specialist on the medical staff at Methodist Mansfield, is the first physician in Tarrant County to perform the ultrasound-guided release. “This is a complete game-changer for so many people who put off traditional carpal tunnel surgery,” Dr. Garff says. “We are able to keep the patient awake and just numb the wrist. Patients go home almost immediately with little more than a bandage on their wrist.”

Image: beckgroup.com

The BEST neighborhood sports bar with fun AND games Plus, ALL Sports…ALL the time.

Dine in or Take Out.

Honorable Mention Sports Bar

4914 Little Road, Arlington, TX 76017 Phone. 817-478-1766 2851 Matlock Road Suite 422, Mansfield, TX 76063 Phone. 817-473-6699 1550 Eastchase Pkwy,Suite 1200, Fort Worth, TX 76017 Phone. 817-274-5433 12846 South Fwy, Burleson, TX 76028 Phone. 817-447-7119

HOPE Tutoring pairs community volunteers and leaders of local organizations with students in need of academic help.

Photo: Dallas Business Journal Photo: Dallas Business Journal

LASHARNDRA ‘SHARN’ BARBARIN NAMED NEW CEO AT MEDICAL CITY ARLINGTON

Photo: HOPE Tutoring

HOPE TUTORING

A 25 YEAR LEGACY OF COMMUNITY BUILDING

For the past quarter-century HOPE Tutoring has been pairing community volunteers with students in need of academic tutoring. Most low- to mid-income families cannot afford private tutors, and this is why HOPE Tutoring is essential.

HOPE partners with concerned citizens, area churches, Arlington Public Library, AISD, UTA, the City of Arlington, and many other local organizations to bring academic programs, free of charge, to children in Arlington. These community partners supply space, volunteers, and/or funding to help HOPE achieve its mission of empowering Arlington’s 2nd-8th graders to reach their full academic potential through free, individualized tutoring.

In the course of academic tutoring, HOPE’s volunteers also build a stronger village for their students. Teachers and parents report seeing an increase in their students’ confidence, as well as their social and emotional learning. As one teacher noted, these students soar because of the conversations and sense of community their tutors provide. Students aren’t the only ones to benefit; tutors find the experience to be very rewarding, too.

HOPE Tutoring’s volunteers are building a stronger Arlington community. Opportunities to volunteer include tutoring during summer camps, tutoring after school in the afternoons or evenings, tutoring virtually, and tutoring during the school day on an AISD campus. Volunteers can learn more, register, and donate at hopetutoring.org. LaSharndra “Sharn” Barbarin, FACHE, last month was named chief executive officer for Medical City Arlington.

Since 2015, Barbarin has served as CEO at Medical City Lewisville. Under her leadership, the hospital experienced historic growth, expanding the breadth and depth of services including emergency/trauma, robotics, orthopedics, spine, breast oncology and colorectal. Under her leadership, the hospital has achieved an “A” Leapfrog safety score for seven consecutive years, was recognized as a Joint Commission Top Performer and named “Best Hospital to Have a Baby” in Denton County by DFWChild Magazine.

Barbarin brings more than 25 years of experience in the Medical City Healthcare system to this new role.

3 SCOOPS

1. Newsweek has ranked Medical City Arlington among America’s Best Maternity Hospitals for the second year in a row. The national recognition rates the 433-bed acute care facility among the top U.S. hospitals for high-quality maternity care.

2. The City of Arlington last month received seven overall awards, including five firstplace awards, at the annual Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers (TAMIO) conference. This year follows up a strong campaign in 2021, when the Office of Communication took home 11 awards at the TAMIO conference. The awards recognize outstanding communication by Texas communities in a variety of categories including website, social media, video production and publications. Judging is conducted by non-TAMIO members with expertise in communications and municipal government.

3. The City of Grand Prairie is hiring seasonal, part-time and full-time positions across various departments, including Animal Services and Information Technology. To apply for a position with the city, visit governmentjobs.com/careers/ grandprairietx