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CONTENTS 6 PANDEMIC PROJECTS Home improvement, pool construction boom sweeps Galveston County 12 COMFORT FOOD Locals discover passion for baking, cooking during pandemic 16 LONE STAR RISING Pandemic or not, people still are moving to Galveston County 20 IT’S A BUST, BABY Lockdown hasn’t led to more births 22 MAKING TRAVEL REARRANGEMENTS Outdoors, contactless technology new trends for tourism
6 34
26 ADAPT AND OVERCOME Petrochemical industry, already prepared for pandemic, continues to adjust to challenges 30 ‘CONSISTENT CONNECTION’ Digital platforms here to stay with in-person learning 34 SUPPLY AND DEMAND As health care staff leave profession, others rise through school
16 4 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
On the cover: Evan Feagin jumps in the pool at his family’s Tiki Island home. The family is one of many that decided to install pools in their backyards during the COVID pandemic. Read more on Page 6. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
38 READY FOR YOUR CLOSEUP? Zoom boom and working from home increase interest in plastic surgery
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During the pandemic lockdown, Randy and Amber Bartosh decided it was time to build a pool at their Tiki Island home. It’s a nice way to spend family time, Randy Bartosh said.
6 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
PANDEMIC PROJECTS HOME IMPROVEMENT, POOL CONSTRUCTION BOOM SWEEPS GALVESTON COUNTY Story by KERI HEATH | Photos by STUART VILLANUEVA
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 7
STUCK AT HOME AND SPENDING MORE TIME WORKING VIRTUALLY, Galveston County residents joined homeowners across the nation in remodeling their houses and building pools during the pandemic. Only somewhat dampened by soaring lumber and material prices, the trend has kept contractors around the county busy. 8 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
Texas City resident Kimberly Pevoto and her husband, Toby, jumped on the remodeling trend and renovated their closet and master bathroom. The Pevotos decided to do the whole thing themselves, so it’s taken a while, but they’re finally on the last steps, she said. Pevoto and her husband worked from home during much of the pandemic and that time in their own space
gave them the inspiration they needed to do a project they’d thought about for years, she said. “That’s kind of where the vision came from,” Pevoto said. “When he was working from home, he had the time to see and know what he needed to accomplish the goal.” It’s been a busy 18 months for Johnny Flores, owner of New Image Remodels
in Dickinson. “From last year to this year, it’s probably been about a 200 percent increase,” Flores said. “It hasn’t gone down from there.” A lot of homeowners are requesting kitchen remodels, covered patios or, like Pevoto, upgrades to bathrooms, Flores said. Flores has had projects across the
county, but the most active area has been Galveston’s West End, he said. Other residents have been focusing their efforts on their outdoor space. Randy Bartosh and his family decided during lockdown it was finally time to build a pool at their Tiki Island home, a long-time wish list item. “We feel less able to get out and do our routine, our lifestyle,” Bartosh said.
Above: Texas City resident Kimberly Pevoto sits in the master bathroom she and her husband, Toby, remodeled during the pandemic. Opposite, from top: The Pevotos also reconfigured their home to install a massive walk-in closet; Kimberly Pevoto points out the custom vanity in the master bathroom that allows for quick and easy storage. 2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 9
From top: Amber and Randy Bartosh installed a serene swimming pool in the canal-side backyard of their Tiki Island home. There are more fun things to do at the house with a pool, Randy Bartosh said; Evan Feagin, clockwise from left, Allison Carter, Chase Carter and Amber Bartosh chat on the back patio of the family’s Tiki Island home. 10 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
“There’re more things to do at home with the pool. I just thought that we’re a little more restricted in what we’re doing. Having a pool here, there’s more fun to do at the house.” Since the pool’s installation in February, Bartosh’s family has been in it every day, he said. With two kids and a dog, it’s a nice way to enjoy family time, he said. “Family starts to matter more,” Bartosh said. Gulf Coast Pools, which constructed Bartosh’s outdoor oasis, has had a wave of new clients requesting pools during the pandemic, Stuart Trahan, an owner, said. “People at home need something to do,” Trahan said. “People mentioned neighborhood pools getting closed.” The types of pools people are building range from standard to custom and everything in between, he said. The building boom has had some setbacks. The cost of lumber and other materials shot through the roof last year, an expensive trend that has continued for months. Those costs slowed down Pevoto’s bathroom and closet projects, she said. “The price of lumber, I mean, ‘hello?’” Pevoto said. “It went through the roof. Everything was bought in stages, slowly.” Since April 2020, the rising price of lumber has added nearly $30,000 to the price of a single-family house, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Supply chain issues skyrocketed the price of lumber and made building materials harder to find. The costs definitely slowed down the otherwise upward construction trend, Flores said. Paint also was hard to come by, he said. “They’re having trouble getting the raw materials to produce the paint,” Flores said. It’s also taking longer to build pools because shipping disruptions have made equipment hard to come by and many subcontractors are busy with so many projects going on, Trahan said. Before the pandemic, he told clients he could build them a pool in six to eight weeks. Now he’s telling people 10 to 12 weeks, he said. Just recently, prices have started to drop, Flores said. Eventually, the trend will slow down, he said. “It’s a good problem to have,” Flores said.
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2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 11
COMFORT FOOD LOCALS DISCOVER PASSION FOR BAKING, COOKING DURING PANDEMIC Story by ANGELA WILSON | Photos by STUART VILLANUEVA
AS PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD HUNKERED DOWN AT HOME DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, they took up new hobbies. Some learned to make TikTok videos and millions of Americans, including Galveston County residents, got cooking and baking to pass the time, save money, stay safe and be creative.
12 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
In the peak of the first pandemic wave in July 2020, Hitchcock resident Ali Sosa, 63, retired after 33 years of nursing to concentrate on taking care of her autistic grandson, who was doing virtual classes, she said. Sosa started baking various fruit breads with all the extra fruit she was receiving from the Galveston County Food Bank, she said.
“I’m not a sit-on-the-couch type of person and creating something yummy helped with my anxiety,” Sosa said. “I’ve always loved to cook, so with all the extra food items I decided to start baking as to not waste any of the food.” Sosa typically bakes 15 to 20 loaves a week in a variety of flavors, such as banana, pineapple coconut, peach, pumpkin, carrot raisin walnut, blackberry almond, blueberry and a chocolate bread she calls “Black Magic.” Sosa also makes fruit jams to go along with the breads, which she shares with family, friends, neighbors and her grandson’s teachers, she said. “Friends and neighbors are kind and contribute to the cost of other ingredients that I need,” Sosa said. “It’s so much fun, and it keeps me busy. This has allowed me to be creative and helps with the loss of income from retiring.” Professionals such as Anna Barba-Poindexter, business director and community liaison and marketing executive for the family’s dental office by day, took up cooking to help relieve stress, she said. Living on Galveston Island every weekend and most Wednesdays in the family’s second
Above: Anna Barba-Poindexter and her husband, Dr. Zeb Poindexter III, have found a passion for cooking since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Creating dishes from scratch releases stress and brings the family together, said BarbaPoindexter, a first-generation Mexican American who has mastered arroz con pollo, paella and other Latin cuisine. Opposite: Hitchcock resident Ali Sosa recently retired from a 33-year nursing career and started baking so as not to waste food. It also keeps her busy and allows her to be creative, Sosa said.
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 13
“The stress and the reality of COVID was taking its toll on us at our business. Cooking helped to release the stress, tension and anger I was feeling.” Anna Barba-Poindexter
Top: When Dr. Zeb Poindexter III and Anna BarbaPoindexter are not busy running the family’s dental office, they like to cook. Food is the best way to bring people together, Barba-Poindexter said. Above: Ali Sosa removes a loaf of bread from the oven. Sosa bakes about 15 to 20 loaves a week in a variety of flavors and shares them with family, friends and neighbors, she said.
14 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
home, the 62-year-old wife, mother of six and grandmother of eight, started creating dishes from scratch in an effort to bring her large family together during COVID, she said. “The stress and the reality of COVID was taking its toll on us at our business,” she said. “Cooking helped to release the stress, tension and anger I was feeling. “Cooking with love and from scratch requires me to organize my thoughts and be creative to let go of the stress from the day.” As a first-generation Mexican American from Guadalajara, Mexico, Barba-Poindexter, who learned how to cook from her mother, has mastered dishes like arroz con pollo, paella, gumbo, blackened fish, shrimp with vegetables, oxtails, plantains and enchiladas, just to name a few, she said. “I now like to look up recipes and can create a dish when I eat it at a restaurant — if the dish is really good,” Barba-Poindexter said. “In my opinion, the best way to bring people of all cultures together is through food, and that’s certainly something I’ve learned during this pandemic. “Although it can be overwhelming, cooking brings me peace and joy.”
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It has been a tough year, but we are always tougher together.
Thank you to the tremendous men and women of Galveston County Health District who work tirelessly to keep our communities healthy and safe. Animal Resource Center Emergency Medical Ambulance Services Women Infants and Children (WIC) Services Tuberculosis Screening and Treatment Public Health Emergency Preparedness STD/HIV Screening Healthy Concepts Clinic Disease Surveillance Air and Water Pollution Services Community Outreach Immunizations Consumer Health Services Birth and Death Records
(409) 762-HELP | www.UWGalv.org
GCHD.ORG | 409.938.7221 2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 15
LONE STAR RISING PANDEMIC OR NOT, PEOPLE STILL ARE MOVING TO GALVESTON COUNTY Story by JOHN WAYNE FERGUSON | Photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS
16 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
THE MUSIC SCENE DRIED UP IN NASHVILLE, SO CHRIS GANTRY HEADED FOR THE TEXAS COAST. Gantry, a singer-songwriter who had lived in the Music City for 50 years, moved to Galveston last year, a move partly driven by the COVID-19 virus. “I was looking to get out of the music business in Nashville because it was dead,” he said. It hasn’t always been easy, Gantry said. Galveston has something of a musical legacy, but it doesn’t have near the number or quality of live music venues he was accustomed to. “It’s very difficult to get people to listen,” Gantry said of Galveston audiences. They’re very busy eating and drinking and watching the Dallas Cowboys, he said. “I’m struggling a little bit.” Still, he says he loves the attitude in Galveston. “They love each other and they stick together,” he said.
POPULATION SHIFT? It has been widely reported that during the COVID-19 pandemic many people joined Gantry in moving away from large cities in favor of living in less-populated areas of the country. The moves have been described as people acting to protect themselves from the virus by leaving the close quarters of a city or as a choice to seek new, more comfortable spaces as white-collar jobs shifted to virtual offices under work-from-home policies during the pandemic. The scale of the migration might have been a little overstated. More than 80 percent of people who changed permanent residences in the first 12 months of the pandemic stayed in the same metro area, according to an analysis by Bloomberg news.
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 17
“It feels like everybody is from somewhere else. Everybody I talk to has roots somewhere else.” James Box
LOCAL BOOM Whether Gantry’s story is an outlier or part of a pandemic-driven trend, there’s still no question about it: People are moving to Galveston County in great numbers. Since 2010, Galveston County’s population has grown by 20 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The county’s population in 2020 was more than 350,000. It remains one of the fastest growing counties in Texas, which is among the fastest-growing states in the country. Most of the growth in the county has been in League City — which grew by 37 percent and by more than 30,000 residents over 10 years. While League City led in growth, nearly every other city in the county grew by at least 10 percent. That growth often is attributed to an expansion of Houston and Harris County into the suburbs surrounding the metro area. Indeed, there are people in Galveston County who moved here because of the work in the big city, rather than fleeing it.
FOLLOWING JOBS James Box works for a Brazilian mining company and moved to Friendswood with his wife and daughters, ages 4 and 6, in March after the company opened its first U.S.-based facility in Pasadena. “Like so many other people in the Houston area, I moved here because my company asked me to move here,” Box said. Box said his family chose Friendswood because of its good schools, and its proximity to the city and the beaches of Galveston Island. “It feels like everybody is from somewhere else,” he said. “Everybody I talk to has roots somewhere else.” But moving to Texas from Wisconsin during a pandemic has had its downsides. Despite being here for the better part of a year, Box said it still feels like he hardly knows his new community because of the precautions his family 18 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
Chris Gantry, a musician and songwriter, plays his guitar at his home in Galveston. Gantry moved to the island from Nashville last year. His decision partly was driven by the pandemic, he said.
is taking to protect themselves against the virus. “We’ve been here six months now, and my wife doesn’t feel like she knows anything more about Houston than we
did when we moved here,” Box said. “Without our kids being vaccinated, we’re trying to mitigate every risk we can. So she doesn’t feel like she can get out.”
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2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 19
IT’S A BUST, BABY LOCKDOWN HASN’T LED TO MORE BIRTHS Story by EMMA COLLINS | Photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS
WHEN THE UNITED STATES FIRST WENT INTO LOCKDOWN at the start of the coronavirus pandemic almost a year and a half ago, some experts predicted increased time at home would lead to a baby boom. But 18 months later, statistics are showing the opposite. What was predicted to be a baby boom was, in many places, more like a baby bust. “It appears the economic uncertainties that were caused during the pandemic are resulting in a drop in births rather than the surge everyone predicted,” said Jerome Yaklic, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Nationally, birth rates had been trending downward for years, according to data
20 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, there were 58.3 births for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. That was down 6.7 percent from 2015 when the rate was 62.5 births for every 1,000 women, according to the CDC. That was the fifth year in a row the birth rate had declined. Texas, too, had seen a downward trend, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. In 2017, there were 381,876 births. In 2020, there were 368,321 births, a 3.5 percent decrease. And data from the first four months of 2021 shows the number of births from January to April was lower than in the same months in past five years.
THE ANTICIPATED BOOM Why people predicted a boom was
simple. More people were working from home, leading to them spending more time together. They also weren’t going out, leaving more free time at home. As a result, some people predicted that nine months after the start of the pandemic, the United States would see an increase in births. “With the lockdown happening, everyone just assumed that it would cause more close quarters and allow people to get pregnant a little bit easier just because of time,” said Raphny Johnson, a board certified OB-GYN at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake. The phenomenon that was expected is similar to what is predicted after big snow storms or the increase in births in northern states after winter, Yaklic said.
WHY THE DECREASE But that anticipated boom never appeared. Instead, there has been a 5 percent to 10 percent decrease in births nationwide, Yaklic said. That trend has been reflected in Galveston County, he said. In December 2020, the first month in which pandemic-made babies would have been born, there were 351 births in Galveston County, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. In that same month in 2019, 371 babies were born. That’s a 5.4 percent decrease. That decrease might have been because of one of the reasons people initially anticipated a baby boom — staying inside. “You’re not able to have date night,” Yaklic said. “You’re afraid to go out. The restaurants are all closed.” Staying inside also meant a loss in romantic interactions, Yaklic said. Some couples also were forced to postpone their weddings because of limitations on large gatherings, which also may have delayed how soon they got pregnant, he said. COVID also has brought with it increased anxiety, whether that be about health or finances. “Research has shown people are a little more anxious, going out less, social distancing more,” Johnson said. “Those all can cause a decline.”
SOME SEE AN INCREASE But not every hospital has reported that downward trend. Johnson’s hospital has seen an increase in births, although she’s not sure why. In August, the hospital saw a record number of deliveries, with numbers that hadn’t been seen since September 2016, said Annette Garber, media relations at HCA Healthcare. “I think our patients are ready; even though it’s a difficult time, they feel secure in going into the
Dr. Jerome L. Yaklic, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and Ruby Ochoa, a medical assistant in the department, have yet to see a baby boom from the pandemic.
“I don’t think they’re choosing not to have them. I think they’re delaying when to have them.” Dr. Jerome Yaklic hospital,” Johnson said. Although he initially saw a decrease in births, Yaklic began to notice a slight uptick in the number of appointments with OB-GYNs in the late summer and early fall, he said. And since babies take nine months to develop, there may be a slight bump in the birth rate in late 2021 and early 2022.
“The question is: Is the bump sustainable?” he said.
A FUTURE BOOM? Whether this new boom will come to fruition remains to be seen. The virus continues to mutate, but it also has become part of life. And while a postCOVID baby boom might happen next year, that concept presents its own challenge, Yaklic said. “What do we mean by post-COVID?” he said. “We’re still sort of in it.” The waning of COVID that happened over the summer might have prompted some couples who had been waiting to get pregnant to go ahead and do it now, Yaklic said. But a lot of what happens with the birth rate over the next year will depend largely on what happens with the pandemic, he said. “I don’t think they’re choosing not to have them,” he said. “I think they’re delaying when to have them.”
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 21
MAKING TRAVEL REARRANGEMENTS OUTDOORS, CONTACTLESS TECHNOLOGY NEW TRENDS FOR TOURISM Story by KERI HEATH | Photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS
Above: Houston residents Gabriel Fregoso, his wife, Marianna, their daughter, Francesca, and their dog, Santos, travel at least once a month in the RV they purchased during the pandemic. Opposite: Overlooking the beach, Jamaica Beach RV Resort is nearly full of RVs and travel trailers. More people are renting and purchasing RVs during the pandemic.
WHEN THE PANDEMIC SHUT DOWN THE WORLD 18 MONTHS AGO, Gabriel and Marianna Fregoso decided to finally invest in something they’d only ever rented: an RV. The Houston residents sat outside their RV untangling porch lights at the Jamaica Beach RV Park, 17200 FM 3005, on a sunny Friday in September. “It was going to be hard to travel,” Gabriel Fregoso said. “We like to travel. Everything was closed. Texas is beautiful.” Now, the family, with their daughter Francesca and dog Santos, travel once a month and enjoy visiting Galveston and the beach. The pandemic threw the tourism and hospitality industries into temporary chaos. But some of the changes and adaptations meant to help people keep their distance helped the RV industry and added new services at hotels. The contactless technology and moves toward self-guided and outdoor activities that became staples of pan-
demic tourism likely will have longterm effects and remain relevant long after normal travel resumes. Since the initial lockdown ended in May, Galveston’s East End Lagoon and Dellanera RV Park have become increasingly popular, said Michael Woody, chief tourism officer for the Galveston Park Board of Trustees. The park board manages the parks and island beaches. Outdoor activities are really growing in popularity, he said. “We’re seeing that people are leaning into those types of experiences,” Woody said. “Motor home sales, or mobile home sales, really went through the roof during the pandemic.” And now that people have invested in those big purchases, they’ll likely want to get several years of good use out of them, he said. Jamaica Beach RV Park has been full more often in the last year, manager Aric Salois said. It’s typical for holidays to book up a
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 23
Friends and family Christian Tobar, clockwise from left, A.J. Gonzalez, Ronald Alviz, his dog Luna, Miriam Gonzalez, Yorlady Garcia, Giancarlo D’croz and Lida Garcia relax and visit between their RVs at Jamaica Beach RV Resort.
year out, he said. “Now, with the summer, we’re seeing trends where the weekends will start filling in anywhere from eight months in advance,” Salois said. “You’ve got to book four months in advance for summer weekdays. You can’t even get in the Fourth of July.” Even when tourists didn’t visit the outdoors, social distancing practiced during the pandemic meant a shift toward technology and contactless experiences. The park board introduced more self-guided tours that visitors could access on their phones, Woody said. “You can do it on your own and with whatever size group you want to be in,” Woody said. New technology also has made a sig-
24 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
nificant change in hotel operations, said Jeff Ossenkop, general manager of The Tremont Hotel, 2300 Mechanic St. Within the past 18 months, the hotel set up a texting system so guests can ask questions, request a room be cleaned or other services through text, he said. The hotel is working on taking that a step further next year by moving many services to guests’ phones, he said. “You can use your phone to check in and never have to go to the desk,” Ossenkop said. “You can open the door on your phone.” With guests looking for minimal contact, concierge services — such as requesting dinner spots and making car reservations — also have gone digital, Ossenkop said.
“They’ve installed this really cool digital touch screen in the lobby that acts as a digital concierge,” Ossenkop said. A human concierge will come back, but the digital tools will stay, he said. What’s also probably going to stay for a while is more people driving to Galveston, Woody said. While air travel will return, many people in Texas have been reintroduced to Galveston, he said. “There is so much to do here,” Woody said. And the fact Galveston is so close to major Texas cities makes it easy to market, he said. “If it’s close, and you know you can get there pretty easily, you can decide on Friday after work, ‘let’s go,’” Woody said.
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281-557-7747 2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 25
ADAPT AND OVERCOME
PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY, ALREADY PREPARED FOR PANDEMIC, CONTINUES TO ADJUST TO CHALLENGES Story by EMMA COLLINS | File photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS
AS INDUSTRIES AROUND THE COUNTRY STRUGGLED to adapt during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, one industry already was prepared. The petrochemical industry has worked for years to reduce hazards in the workplace, and many companies already had plans in place for pandemics because of the global connectedness of the industry, said Lara Swett, vice
26 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
president of technical and safety programs for American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, a trade association for the industry. “This industry is very resilient,” she said. “They have a history of identifying hazards and mitigating hazards. So, adjusting in terms of protecting their employees, that’s just what they do.” Adapting to the virus meant adopting practic-
es that other industries also had to adopt, such SAFETY MEASURES as maintaining social distancing, wearing perEarly on, employees in the petrochemical sonal protective equipment and finding ways to industry were recognized as essential workers. identify infected employees. This meant they were exempt from orders to But rather than draft new pandemic plans stay at home and many had to go in to work like many industries had to do, companies in despite the virus. Although some employees the petrochemical inwere able to work from dustry simply had to home, some functions of pull out plans that alplant operation had to be ready existed. done in person. “For us, we actually Across the industry, had a pandemic plan for companies put in place our site based on one distance guidelines and of the SARS outbreaks,” required employees to said Michael Meyer, wear personal protective manager at Ashland equipment, Swett said. But Inc.’s chemical manubecause plant employees facturing plant, 4501 already had to wear proAttwater Ave. in Texas tective equipment, the City. added layer was not a big But the severity and challenge, she said. Lara Swett longevity of the pan“They adapted very demic forced the indusquickly and a lot of that try to reevaluate those had to do with that the industry has always plans, adapting them for what would turn out been identifying hazards and mitigating against to be a much longer pandemic than expected. them,” she said. “When we quickly got into COVID, it was probLocally, Ashland created a series of four ably a lot more severe and we realized we needphases based on how the community was doed to dust our pandemic plan off,” Meyer said. ing with COVID, Meyer said. In phase 4, the
“This industry is very resilient. They have a history of identifying hazards and mitigating hazards. So, adjusting in terms of protecting their employees, that’s just what they do.”
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 27
most restrictive, all employees had to wear KN95 masks, which meet strict standards, and stay 6 feet apart. “We actually issued every employee their own keyboard and their own mouse early on in this thing so they could come in and not have to worry about their stuff being sanitized,” he said. Employees who worked together also were grouped in their own break area to prevent people from mingling and spreading the virus, Meyer said. “We kind of put different projects and contractors on their own island and didn’t let them interact with the rest of the plant,” he said. Companies also saw an increased use in technology, Swett said. This meant using cell phones, drones and robots more frequently and adopting remote training, she said. “People still need to get the adequate training they need,” she said.
MANUFACTURING GOALS Some companies in the petrochemical industry also began manufacturing
28 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
new products, Swett said. Many started making hand sanitizer as the demand for hand sanitizer rose, while others pivoted to making products that were used in N95 masks, she said. “The industry has really been supportive of developing PPE for the health care industry and first responders,” she said. It also was important to continue making the products that people needed. Ashland, which manufactures polyvinylpyrrolidone, an inactive ingredient in medicine used as a binder for capsules and granules, among other things, felt the pressure to continue to meet the demand for its products, Meyer said. “Definitely during this time, it’s important for us to make sure we’re able to supply because everyone around the world needs their medicine still,” he said. And although the company was successful, the pandemic just added to an already complex process. “It just added a whole other layer of complexity to everything that we do
every day,” he said.
ADAPTING FOR THE FUTURE It is too soon to tell how the pandemic will permanently change the petrochemical industry, Swett and Meyer agree. The increase in the delta variant sent some companies back to using protections they had discarded when the pandemic appeared to be lessening. “I think that’s a hard question to ask right now because we had a point where some of the sites were limiting the restrictions they had during the summer and now a lot of those had to come back because of the delta variant,” Swett said. Meyer is hopeful the industry will eventually return to normal. The situation is supposed to improve next year, but the future remains uncertain, he said. “We don’t know if this is here to stay or something that’s going to clear up and allow us to go back to normal,” he said.
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Tyree Bearden, program director for the electrical and electronics program at Galveston College, explains how an online simulator students can access from home mimics the Amatrol Motor Control System they learn on in the classroom.
30 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
‘CONSISTENT CONNECTION’ DIGITAL PLATFORMS HERE TO STAY WITH IN-PERSON LEARNING Story by KERI HEATH | Photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 31
Wyatt Peterson, a student in the electronics program at Galveston College, uses the virtual simulator to study motor control systems.
AUSTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL READING TEACHER SHANAEL WILLIAMS WILL NEVER GO BACK TO PAPER. The pandemic forced her to move all her lessons online. It was a big shift for Williams, who carried home heaps of papers, she said. Even though she’s back to teaching in person, she’s keeping the digital platforms that allow her students to access materials online, she said. “I think they like it better because 32 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
they know where everything is,” Williams said. “If they’re absent, they know where to go to find it.” The past 18 months have been disruptive to students and learning. But most educators agree the pandemic inspired long-term improvement in the way teachers integrate technology into the classroom.
NOT AN ILL WIND While online classes haven’t replaced in-person learning, many educators are
using streamlined online systems to give students additional resources, keep parents updated and collect data about how their students are performing. With students learning mostly from home, many school districts and colleges updated their digital systems and moved communications online. Faculty at Galveston College had to learn to shift to virtual learning, said Cissy Matthews, vice president of instruction. “All of our faculty now are prepared
“Though they can’t come into the lab, they can still move forward with instruction,” Matthews said. “It really helps the students at home.”
PERSONAL TOUCH
Just because schools are using more technology, however, doesn’t mean they’ll shift to entirely online platforms, said Grace Townsend, instructional asMORE ACCESS sociate professor of chemistry and uniOnline platforms definitely have versity faculty senate executive commitmade school work more accessible for tee member at Texas A&M University at students, said Dr. Susan Silva, assistant Galveston. superintendent for teaching and learn“Up until 2020, there was this pie ing at Clear Creek Independent School in the sky notion that all learning was District. going to be online in the future and “Before, when a student was absent we wouldn’t need physical buildings,” for a week, they just sort or missed Townsend said. “We discovered that it or maybe picked up some work,” Silwasn’t all it was maybe cracked up to va said. “We have more of a consistent be.” connection with kids who may be at Faculty at the university got a lot more home, but they can still log in or do comfortable using technology, she said. assignments.” Professors started The pandemic pre-recording inalso changed the “A quality teacher is not structions for labs way teachers asand using online effectively replaced by sess how to teach polls and discusstudents, she a virtual program. Not sion boards to said. After returnstudents’ advanonly do students need an ing to the classtage, she said. in-person instructional room in the fall But much, inof 2020, teachers setting, they also need to cluding a teachstarted giving stuinteract with their peers.” er’s ability to dents tests before watch students’ starting a unit to Kami Hale expressions and understand what gauge whether students knew they’re getting it about a topic. That’s been very helpful, or not, is lost when classes are online, Silva said. she said. “The teachers are doing lots of pre-as“It’s easier in person to see that on sessments,” Silva said. “They can plan their faces,” Townsend said. “You just their instruction based on what they see lose a lot of the energy between student their students need or don’t need.” and instructor.” The digital shift prompted Galveston
to teach online at any given moment,” Matthews said. “Many of our workforce programs are very hands-on and online is not the preferred method, but we’ve got to move forward.” More options are open for students to study at home, she said. Teachers for many hands-on classes such as electronic and mechanical courses could give students access to virtual modules for after-classes, she said. Students can virtually build materials and do their labs virtually, she said.
Independent School District to digitize its records and registration process, as well, said Lea Walker, director of Public Education Information Management System and Student Data Services. Before the pandemic, registration was only about 50 percent online, Walker said. Now it’s almost fully digital, she said. Digital systems also have streamlined parent communications and paperwork during the year, she said. “It’s a lot less cumbersome,” Walker said. “You don’t have the papers coming home in the backpacks. We can track that things are turned in on time. Parents can complete the registration in their own time, instead of trying to make sure the first-grader brings the paper back in the backpack.”
NO CHANGE Technology just isn’t the same as a teacher in a classroom, said Kami Hale, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Texas City Independent School District. “A quality teacher is not effectively replaced by a virtual program,” Hale said. “Not only do students need an in-person instructional setting, they also need to interact with their peers.” But for reading teacher Williams, the pandemic brought many good changes. She can post videos she shows in class for students to review and audiobooks for students who need learning accommodations, she said. “I just had paper everywhere,” Williams said. “I am now paperless.” 2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 33
SUPPLY AND DEMAND AS HEALTH CARE STAFF LEAVE PROFESSION, OTHERS RISE THROUGH SCHOOL Story by KERI HEATH | Photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS
DR. TIMOTHY HARLIN HAS A LOT many in the field searching for innovative ways THAT COULD KEEP HIM UP AT NIGHT, to attract and retain the workers. and what’s always on his mind is the burnout At the same time, the pandemic has a brought and demand on his staff at the University of heightened sense of awareness to the health Texas Medical Branch. care industry and sparked increased interest in “Burnout is very, very real and something medical and nursing school, a trend many inthat keeps me very concerned,” said Harlin, the dustry leaders hope will continue. executive vice president and CEO of the medALREADY SHORT ical branch. Those concerns are enhanced with worries Even before the pandemic, some areas of that burnout caused by the 18-month pandemic health care had staffing shortages, said Dr. Amy could lead health care Waer, dean at Texas professionals to leave A&M University’s colthe field, aggravating lege of medicine. a shortage of workers “Staffing in health in an industry already care is an ongoing isstruggling to keep up sue but definitely was with demand. magnified quite a bit “I’m hearing anecby COVID,” Waer said. Dr. Amy Waer dotally that we’re seeBy 2032, the number ing people leave the of registered nurses in profession, not just getTexas is expected to ting hired away through a signing bonus or the grow 30.5 percent from 2018 levels of 224,000 promise of good dollars through agency staffnurses, according to the Department of State ing,” Harlin said. “People are saying, ‘This is too Health Services. hard. I need a break.’” But in the same time period, demand for regThe pandemic has exacerbated preexisting istered nurses is expected to increase 38.8 perstaffing challenges in the health care industry, cent, according to the data. especially among critical care nurses, and has Nurses, especially those who specialize in
“Staffing in health care is an ongoing issue but definitely was magnified quite a bit by COVID.”
34 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
Shirnyl Alviza, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, waits to start anesthesia for an outpatient procedure at the hospital.
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critical care, anesthesia, emergency medicine and operating room medicine, are in high demand locally, along with respiratory therapists and specialists who diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease, Harlin said. Much of that demand is for the critical care experience that nurses have, said Nancy Fahrenwald, dean of the college of nursing at Texas A&M University. “People are being offered incentives and higher salaries,” Fahrenwald said. “Our health system wants to meet our patient care demand.”
GROWING INTEREST On the one hand, the pandemic has brought attention to the health care industry and has inspired more young people to study medicine or nursing. “The silver lining part of it is there’s a heightened awareness around health care, which is a good thing,” Waer said. “We have seen, with our undergraduate and graduate students, increased numbers of applications for those positions.” The problem is that the academic funnel doesn’t necessarily have a spot for everyone who’s qualified and wants to enter health care, said Dr. James McDeavitt, executive vice president and dean of Baylor College of Medicine. Medical schools also need more professors to increase student capacity and newly certified medical students need more spots to complete residency training programs, he said. “We were always lagging a little bit behind,” McDeavitt said. “The growth in medical schools and residency programs hasn’t really kept pace with the population growth.” That’s changing, but slowly, he said.
CONSIDERING CONSEQUENCES What staffing shortages mean for the health care industry is increasing salaries and heightened demand for some specialties, Harlin said. “We have to create a culture where people want to stay,” Harlin said. “They’re part of a family at UTMB. They feel they have a voice. They feel that we really do emphasize quality and that we are not just in the business of grinding through employees.” For patients, it could mean reduced capacity at hospitals, a reality local hospitals have had to contend with during the pandemic, he said. “If the patient demand exceeds the staffing capacity and we go to saturation, we can’t take transfers in or we house people in our emergency department,” Harlin said. “It’s been less about ‘Do we have the bed capacity?’ and more about ‘Do we have the staff capacity?’” The hope is that reinforcements are coming through rising doctors, nurses and health care professionals who have been inspired by the pandemic, McDeavitt said. “I think it has absolutely made health care a more appealing career choice,” McDeavitt said. “I think there are people going into health care today that wouldn’t have thought about it pre-pandemic. There aren’t many careers that are so directly tied to a sense of mission and purpose.” 36 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
HITCHCOCK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT TRAVIS W. EDWARDS, SUPERINTENDENT 7801 Neville, Hitchcock, TX 77563 (409) 316-6545 Office, 409-986-5141 Fax Hitchcock Independent School District is a small district of approximately 1700 students with high standards. Dedicated to promoting the academic success of all students, HISD takes an active role in providing quality, learner-centered curriculum and instruction to a diverse population of students. A dedicated professional staff develops graduates who take their places successfully in an ever-changing world of careers, community service and higher education. Hitchcock ISD offers instruction in grades PreK-12 as well as a Head Start Program that serves children ages 3 – 4, including students with disabilities, living in the Hitchcock, Santa Fe, and La Marque, communities.
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Students, age 3 through 12th grade, receive individualized programs and special services, based on identified needs. Many Hitchcock ISD seniors and juniors take advantage of our close partnership with College of the Mainland, enrolling in dual credit and Collegiate High School courses, which also fulfills their high school graduation plans. HISD provides the majority of the cost for this program. There are six (6) fully accredited junior and senior colleges within five to 30 minutes from the city of Hitchcock: College of the Mainland, University of Houston at Clear Lake, Galveston Junior College, Alvin Junior College, University of Texas Medical Branch and Texas A & M University at Galveston.
We welcome children, adolescents and adults for all services.
Hitchcock ISD offers many career and technology classes including culinary arts, auto tech, marketing, business, health science, criminal justice, cosmetology, and welding. Hitchcock High School Principal: Laurie Gilcrease 6629 FM 2004 Hitchcock, TX 77563 409-316-6544
Stewart Elementary Principal: Connie White 7013 Stewart Hitchcock, TX 77563 409-316-6543
Crosby Middle School Principal: Donette Line 6625 FM 2004 Hitchcock, TX 77563 409-316-6542
Hitchcock Primary School Principal: Kevin Lankford 5901 FM 2004 Hitchcock, TX 77563 409-316-6467
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Story by EMMA COLLINS
A YEAR AND A HALF OF ZOOM CALLS, working from home and avoiding restaurants led to more than just 38 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
COVID fatigue. All those months looking at our own faces projected onto sometimes unflattering video screens also inspired an increased interest in plastic surgery, at
least among some. Results released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed 11 percent of women surveyed in 2021 were more interested in plastic surgery than
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ME INCREASE INTEREST IN PLASTIC SURGERY
before the pandemic. Despite a halt on elective surgeries at some points, people are still clamoring for procedures. “People were indulging themselves at a time when so much has been taken
away,” said Linda Phillips, chief of the division of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Although there was a 15 percent de-
crease in the number of procedures performed in 2020, that dip corresponds to the time when many practices were closed, according to the study. And the increased interest sent people back to 2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 39
JENNIFER REYNOLDS; OPPOSITE: GETTY IMAGES
Dr. Linda Phillips, left, chief of the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, talks with Dr. Karen Lu, center, and Dr. Klara Sputova at the medical branch’s plastic surgery and aesthetics office in League City. Phillips has seen an increased interest in plastic surgery, including minimally invasive procedures such as fillers and Botox, during the pandemic. the offices once cosmetic surgeries resumed. “The interesting thing was everyone saw this surge last summer and then it remained consistent, and there’s only so much the backlog can account for,” said Alan Matarasso, a plastic surgeon and past president of the society of plastic surgeons.
THE DRIVING FORCE The increased interest can be attributed to a number of factors. The first is the increase in videoconferencing as people worked from home. For example, Zoom had 10 million meeting participants daily in December 2019, according to a 2021 study published in Small Group Research. By April 2020, the platform saw almost 300 million users a day. Other platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, also saw a significant increase in use. 40 | The Daily News | Latitude 29 | 2021
The sheer number of virtual meetings meant people were forced to look at themselves much more than normal. “A lot of us have features we may not like,” Matarasso said. “But now you’re spending x hours a day on camera looking at yourself. You don’t normally do that in the office; you see yourself when you pass by the bathroom mirror.” But that image wasn’t always accurate. A study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital published in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology found webcams, because of how close they are, tend to make faces look rounder with wider-set eyes and a broader nose, distorting what people actually look like. And they, unlike pictures or selfies, are unedited, which many people are unused to constantly seeing. “People aren’t always happy with what they’re seeing,” Phillips said.
HANGING LOOSE Then there was the effect of working at home. Many cosmetic procedures require some sort of downtime, Matarasso said. Pre-pandemic that might have meant taking time off from work and resting in loose-fitting clothing. But the pandemic made it possible to attend meetings from home while sitting in a comfortable spot in loose-fitting clothes. “After many body procedures from the breast down, you have to be wearing loose clothing initially,” he said. “So you could be wearing anything you want now and I wouldn’t know that on a Zoom.”
WINDFALL FACELIFTS Before COVID, people wanting procedures might have balked at the cost, Phillips said. The average cost of cosmetic plastic surgery in 2020 ranged from $167 for microdermabrasion, which removes the
2021 | Latitude 29 | The Daily News | 41
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outer layer of skin, to $8,005 for a facelift, according to the society of plastic surgeons. Costs for the top three surgical procedures during the pandemic ran into the thousands — nose reshaping, $5,483; eyelid surgery, $4,120; and facelifts, $8,005. Not all procedures came with such large price tags. Botox cost $466 in 2020, while some fillers cost $684, according to the plastic surgeons group. During the pandemic, some people saw their disposable income swell, however. Instead of going on vacations or eating out at restaurants, many people stayed home, avoiding going out and inadvertently saving money in the long run. “They saved gas money,” Phillips said. “They saved parking money. So, they have more expendable income.” Millions of Americans also got several thousand dollars in government assistance meant to stimulate the economy. The combined result was that more people were able to afford the work they had wanted to get done. Many people also had more time on their hands, with no commutes to and from work. “Realistically, if people didn’t have an increased amount of disposable income and increased amount of time they can take off, they wouldn’t be doing this,” Phillips said.
FACING IT The first wave of the pandemic increased the interest in facial procedures, according to the society of plastic surgeons’ study. And three of the top five cosmetic procedures for 2020 were on the face, with nose reshaping, eyelid surgery and facelifts taking the top three spots. This trend was something Phillips saw in her own office. “I suspect it’s because of viewing ourselves in Zoom,” she said. She also saw an increase in minimally invasive procedures, such as fillers and Botox. But interest in liposuction and breast augmentation also remained high. Those two procedures are consistently the most in demand, Matarasso said. But the increased time to recover makes them more possible during the pandemic.
THE FUTURE How long the increased interest will last remains to be seen. “I just figured it would slow down in January and February,” Matarasso said “The trend has been very, very steady since the end of the lockdown.” Acceptance of cosmetic procedures has increased over the years, which also has played a role in the growing interest, Phillips said. “It’s not something where people are ashamed,” she said. With the surge in the delta variant of COVID-19, the industry may be hit again, though. In August, Gov. Greg Abbott asked hospitals to halt all elective surgeries as they once again filled with COVID patients. Phillips had to reschedule patients who would have required an overnight stay, she said. But all of those patients have insisted on rescheduling or made arrangements to not have to stay for an extended observation, she said. “The patents have been very resilient,” she said. “Some of them have proactively called and said, ‘Hey, I’m still on, aren’t I?’” Phillips expects at least some of the increased interest to survive the pandemic, she said. “I think we’ll only continue to have more people doing it than we have in the past,” she said.
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Join the 93,000+ members who benefit from having better rates, fewer fees, and exceptional service to meet their financial needs. When you become a part of AMOCO, you become a part of a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution.
It’s more than a membership. It’s an ownership.
3 Convenient Ways to Join: Online, Video Banking, or at a branch near you! Subject to membership eligibility. This credit union is federally insured by NCUA. NMLS ID: 408167
800.231.6053 | AMOCOfcu.org
