Overman owns and operates Hill Country Medical Associates, has been a practicing physician since 1985 and took up the part-time role as health authority in 1990.
Her work with the Comal County Public Health Office and Texas Department of State Health Services to address disease prevention, public awareness and disaster preparedness led to her appointment to Gov. Greg Abbott’s 31-member Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response in 2016.
“It has been my honor to serve in this position for over 25 years,” Overman wrote in her resignation letter. “I love Comal County and public health. I have seen it all.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, Overman utilized her New Braunfels COVID19 Community Info Facebook group to share local case count updates, hospitalization data, and best practices regarding masks and social distancing.
Overman shared in a Facebook post that she will continue to work full time in her private practice and will still utilize the Facebook group to inform the community about local COVID-19 trends.
The county announced that it will now begin looking for a replacement and will fall under the direction of DSHS Region 8 Medical Director Dr. Lillian Ringsdorf until a replacement is found.
Rising cases
Overman’s resignation comes as Comal County has seen COVID-19 cases rising, with 195 confirmed and probable cases reported since Nov. 16.
For the first time since early September, Comal County’s rolling seven-day positivity rate reached 14.78% on Nov. 18 before falling to 10.73% on Nov. 19. According to the county, seven-day rolling positivity rates are calculated by dividing the total number of new cases over the past seven days by the total number of tests performed over the last seven days.
In Comal County, 2,160 tests have been recorded since Nov. 13, and residents can be tested at a county testing site or at some private clinics. Residents wishing to be tested can call the county’s hotline at 830-221-1120 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment. Testing is conducted on Tuesday and Friday, but no testing will be conducted on Nov. 27 following the Thanksgiving holiday.
