Images

A new Family Nurse Practitioner at Clarendon Family Medicine is no stranger to the community and is looking forward to serving the people here.

Sarah Ybarra, FNP-C, has been shadowing clinic personnel for a couple of weeks and began seeing patients Monday.

Ybarra is originally from Amarillo, but she spent a lot of time growing up with her relatives in the Holland family in Donley County. The small-town life appealed to her, and she and her husband J.J. moved to Groom about nine years ago to raise their children – Kaylynn, Tristen, Rose, and Hope – in a rural setting. J.J. worked on wind turbines and has since taken a job with the City of Groom, and Ybarra hoped to someday work for the clinic in Clarendon.

“My husband would come here for care, and I always thought if there was an opening, I would apply,” Ybarra said. “When I finally saw a job posting, I couldn’t believe it. I applied, and they called me in.”

Ybarra started her career in nursing 19 years ago, following a desire to help people after her mother – an X-ray technician – took her to work one day as a middle schooler.

“I just loved the environment of her job, and I liked taking care of people,” she said.

She started in nursing with a degree from Amarillo College and then furthered her education at West Texas A&M University and also served two years in a pediatric clinic, which she really enjoyed.

“I think that’s something I can add here in Clarendon,” she said. “I hope my willingness and ability to work with newborns and up will bring in more patients. I also think people already come here from Groom, and more might come now.”

Ybarra says the Golden Rule guides her philosophy of medicine.

“I want to take care of people the way I’d want my kids, parents, or grandparents to be cared for,” she said.

She finds the medical field to be rewarding in terms of helping people, and she also says everyone at the clinic has been very welcoming. She’s enjoying being in the Clarendon community and is excited about working at the clinic here.

“Everyone here has been super nice. Dr. [Justin] Pratt keeps our happiness as employees in mind. I think he’s doing a great job.”

She is now seeing patients full time, and appointments can be made by calling 806-874-3531.

The Clarendon City Council ratified a new contract with the Donley County Sheriff’s Office during its regular meeting last Thursday, March 14.

The vote closes out about 11 months of haggling between the city and county, leaves in place the current fiscal year’s contract, and implements a new five-year deal between the two entities.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was also approved by county commissioners last Monday, the city will pay the county $170,000 for law enforcement services in fiscal year 2025, which starts October 1.

The cost will then go up 2.0 percent each year through fiscal year 2029.

Mayor Pro-tem Larry Jeffers said he was glad the city “at least got some negotiation” and noted that at one point the county wanted a contract for $180,000.

Alderman Tommy Hill said he still wants to see the county do more on its support of the Burton Memorial Library and asked for that matter to be on a future city agenda.

In other city business, Mayor Pro-tem Jeffers issued a proclamation naming April as Child Abuse Awareness Month in Clarendon. CASA of the High Plains representative Nita Williamson accepted the proclamation on CASA’s behalf and said that in 2023 there were 17 cases of child abuse or neglect reported in Donley County.

Street closures in front of City Hall were approved for the Community Egg Hut on March 23 and the Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K on April 27.

A request by Christ’s Kids Outreach Ministries for $1,000 was also approved.

The council discussed the possibly budget savings of closing the municipal court and contracting with the Justice of the Peace for those services.

It was noted that most of the court’s budget is actually attorney’s fees paid by the city and not the cost of employing the judge or running the court. No action was taken.

An amendment was approved to the city employee handbook governing per diem expenses, and also a waiver was granted by the city council to WTG Fuels, LLC, regarding certain restrictions in an industrial zone.