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After nearly four decades in the healthcare arena, Hidalgo County’s Health and Human Services Chief Administrative Officer Eduardo “Eddie” Olivarez announced Wednesday his intention to retire.
“My wife and I have decided that it’s time to enter a new chapter in our lives,” Olivarez said in a press release, adding that he has been married to his wife Elida for 38 years.
Olivarez’s retirement will be effective Oct. 31, according to the release.
His career ranges over 22 years of service to the county, from implementing various health and human services programs to being at the forefront of Hidalgo County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Those programs include preventative health care, indigent health care, environmental health, infectious diseases prevention and homeland security preparedness and response. Olivarez also oversaw the construction of an $8 million Biosafety Level 3 Public Health Laboratory, which opened in April this year.
Beyond his work with the county, Olivarez also served as the President of the U.S./Mexico Border Health Association, which represents all 10 bi-national states on the border, and the chairman of Texas DSHS Preparedness Coordinating Council. He also served as chairman of the Texas Senate Border Health Task Force and continues to be a member.
He is also a U.S. Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellow as received by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Olivarez also received various acclaims such as being the recipient of the “Texas Medical Association Presidential Award” and the “Texas DSHS Preparedness Leadership Award” as well as being recognized as the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s “Distinguished Community Engagement Partner” and receiving the State of Texas “Emergency Management Leadership Award.”
“I worked with Eddie closely throughout the pandemic and saw firsthand his commitment to the community,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said in the release. “He will be missed.”
