Joined by City of Laredo officials, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) today announced a $300,000 grant for the health department. The funds, which come from the Food and Drug Administration and which will be distributed over a three-year period, will be used for a food inspection innovation project to help reduce the risks for food borne illnesses.

With the funds, the city will upgrade and update its automated data management surveillance system, increase its investigation enforcement, and enhance its field training for the Environmental Health Services Division. All this will be accomplished through two objectives: capacity building and workforce development.  

“I commend Mayor Raul Salinas, city council members, and Health Department Director Hector Gonzalez for going after these funds in an effort to maintain the well-being of our residents,” said Congressman Cuellar. “With so many eating establishments in our city, many times it’s hard to track each one of them, but the upgrade of the surveillance system and more investigation enforcement will play a key role in keeping our residents – both young and old – free of food-borne illnesses and diseases.”

The City of Laredo Health Department serves a regional population of 300,000 in its service area, which includes Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, and Duval counties. Due to trade and commerce, the tourists grow the population daily by an additional 75,000-100,000.

“Thanks to the grant from the FDA, the City of Laredo Health Department will be able to continue their work of keeping the Laredo community safe from any food borne illnesses, with enhancements to their equipment, surveillance and training,” said City of Laredo Mayor Raul G. Salinas. “It is this type of support from the federal government that helps our municipal government keep public safety as a priority.”

“The food management innovation grant will allow us to build on our food-borne surveillance and enforcement investigations and improve our tracking of illegal food management and illegal food vending, and inappropriate storage of food. It will also allow us to conduct community education and awareness efforts for both the public and food establishments. This will ensure safe food management because the public will know to only buy from permitted vendors,” said Dr. Hector F. Gonzalez, Director of the City of Laredo Health Department.