Cheryl Garcia, BSN, RN, CCM

DSHS Contract Nurse III – Infectious Disease Prevention Division

Texas Department of State Health Services – Immunization Section

Cheryl is a graduate of University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio. She graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Cheryl now works as a Contract Nurse III in the Infections Disease Prevention Division of the Immunization Section in the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Cheryl has worked as a Director of Nurses in an Alzheimer’s long term care facility, a charge nurse in a small-town emergency department, a home health case manager, a site manager, a nurse manager, and a chief operations officer for 3 different Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers.

Cheryl worked was certified as a case manager at the onset of the Affordable Care Act to assist newly insured clients navigate the healthcare system for major insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, and Optum Healthcare Services. 

Cheryl was headhunted by a healthcare agency for the COVID-19 pandemic response with the State Medical Operations Center and the Department of State Health Services in December 2020 as a subject matter expert at the coronavirus nurse call center to help answer questions from the public about this emerging disease and with vaccines across the age continuum as vaccines became available to help protect against the virus. 

Cheryl continues to serve in the Immunization Section of the Infectious Disease Prevention Division to provide education and resources to providers with questions about emerging and evolving diseases such as MPOX, COVID-19, measles, and RSV. Cheryl serves as a content expert on age expansion to existing vaccines, serves as a resource for school nurses with back-to-school immunization requirements, and deciphers immunization records to maintain vaccination compliance.