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July 1 marks the one-year anniversary of Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital's OB-GYN residency, the hospital’s first and only graduate medical education residency. Willowbrook Hospital launched the four-year program in part to expand access to OB-GYN care in northwest Houston, Program Director Dr. Sarah Hoopes said.

Two-minute impact: Drs. Katie Kolp and Christine Jeong, two residents in the inaugural five-person cohort of the program, said they love how the hands-on training teaches them to roll with the punches. Depending on their rotation, a day may be spent assisting with patient check-ups in the clinic, newborn deliveries or surgical procedures in the operating room.

Quote of note: “We learned how to be residents while also helping shape what the program would become, and without senior residents or an established structure, we had to step into leadership and responsibility early,” Jeong said.

Looking forward: Willowbrook Hospital is getting ready to welcome a new five-person cohort of residents in July, Program Manager Janiece Dziedzic said. Hoopes also said they're working to expand the hospital's academic culture over time.

Ownership over Blackhorse Animal Hospital officially transitioned over to Dr. Meredith Daniel and Dr. Kristen Endsley as of June 8, staff confirmed.

The details: Blackhorse Animal Hospital announced this change in a Facebook post stating it was due to the previous owners Dr. Fred Schneider and his wife Sherri's retirement, but that the team's commitment to exceptional veterinary care remains the same.

Blackhorse Animal Hospital is a full service small animal veterinary hospital located off of Fry Road that offers a "feline only" waiting area and exam rooms, on-site surgery, grooming services, and more, according to their website. They are open from 7a.m. to 6p.m. on weekdays, and closed weekends, per their website.

• 13203 Fry Road, Ste. 1200, Cypress

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from June 8-12.

1. Vegetarian restaurant Simply South to open in Katy
2. EVO Entertainment is coming to Fulshear next year
3. New and upcoming stores in The Woodlands Mall
4. Doctors on inaugural year of Houston Methodist Willowbrook’s new OB-GYN residency
5. Katy ISD will use two stadiums for future graduations

As the 2026-27 school year nears, the number of people selected to participate in Texas’ education savings account program has topped 100,000.

The overview: To date, just over 102,000 students have been accepted into the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them.

However, being awarded funds does not mean a student is guaranteed to be able to use that money at a participating private school this fall.

Zooming in: Over 2,600 private schools have been approved to accept TEFA funding, per the state comptroller's office. State law does not require schools participating in the program to accept all interested families.

Next steps: Families accepted into the program have until July 15 to do one of the following:

• Confirm enrollment at a private school involved in the program
• Notify the state of their homeschooling plans
• Opt out of the program