State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government
Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the state’s most vulnerable populations. Full Story
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas TribuneTop Texas health official who led response to coronavirus pandemic is retiring
by William Melhado and Karen Brooks Harper Sept. 8, 2022
Dr. John Hellerstedt, who has led the Texas Department of State Health Services since 2016, will retire at the end of the month. Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the chief state epidemiologist, has been named his interim replacement. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneTexas was building a program to find troubled students and prevent school shootings. It hadn’t reached Uvalde yet.
by Karen Brooks Harper June 2, 2022
Created in 2019, the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium identifies distressed students and refers them to mental health services. Full Story
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune-
Baby formula shortage is making low-income mothers struggle to pay for a product usually covered by the state
by Jason Beeferman May 13, 2022
The state’s poorest mothers are paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket when they find baby formula because they say they can’t risk waiting for the exact brand and size container covered by Texas’ Women, Infant and Children program. Full Story
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune Texas children and children’s hospitals are under siege from two viruses: RSV and COVID-19
by Reese Oxner Aug. 12, 2021
More children are being treated in Texas hospitals for COVID-19 than ever before, and an unseasonable outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus is adding to the stress on children’s hospitals. Full Story
Credit: Courtesy of Estefani Lopez-
Biden administration threatens to sue after Texas officials say they’ll yank licenses from facilities housing unaccompanied migrant children
by Reese Oxner June 8, 2021
A federal attorney claims an order from Gov. Greg Abbott violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and said legal action could follow if the state carries through with plans to pull licenses from the federally contracted facilities. Full Story
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune Texas officials knew foster children were illegally placed in an unsafe shelter. It didn't end until a whistleblower came forward.
by Reese Oxner May 13, 2021
State officials knew children were being illegally housed in an unlicensed facility but did not notify the court, despite a mandate from a federal court judge that came as part of a decade-long class action lawsuit against the state on the behalf of foster children. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneWith time running out on the Texas legislative session, health experts urge lawmakers to prepare for the next pandemic
by Shawn Mulcahy April 29, 2021
Lawmakers this session have filed a flurry of proposals related to the pandemic. Some, experts say, constitute meaningful reform. Others could leave the state worse off. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneTexas House votes down budget amendment aimed at giving health coverage to more uninsured Texans
by Karen Brooks Harper April 22, 2021
The Texas Legislature has declined to pass any broad expansion of state and federal health care coverage for uninsured Texans since the Affordable Care Act of 2010 required states to expand Medicaid — a provision later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Full Story
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas TribuneCOVID-19 ravaged Texas nursing homes. Here are the stories behind the numbers.
by Carla Astudillo and Karen Brooks Harper April 15, 2021
Nearly 9,000 Texas nursing home residents have died of COVID-19. This is what the last year of chaos and isolation was like for nursing homes residents and the employees who care for them. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneJudge says Texas officials need to speed up foster care reforms
by Neelam Bohra Feb. 9, 2021
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack says she will give state officials until May to make progress on her orders to overhaul the state's foster care system, or face hefty fines. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneTexas Congressional Democrats urge Gov. Greg Abbott to let Planned Parenthood stay on Medicaid
by Shannon Najmabadi Feb. 5, 2021
Their plea comes just days after a state district judge temporarily stopped the state from excluding Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, a government health insurance program for the poor. A hearing is scheduled for later this month. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneWhat do new variants of the coronavirus mean for Texans? And how can we best protect ourselves?
by Elvia Limón Jan. 29, 2021
Viruses constantly change by mutating, and the coronavirus is no exception. But health experts say it's difficult to know the exact number of variants currently around the world. Full Story
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas TribuneTexas has a problem with its COVID-19 vaccination data, and the stakes are high. Now the state is scrambling to solve it.
by Karen Brooks Harper and Shannon Najmabadi Jan. 20, 2021
As the state began the massive undertaking of distributing the coronavirus vaccine, early data problems left state officials with immunization records that were outdated, incomplete and sometimes misleading. Full Story
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas TribuneTexans living in long-term care facilities will be among first people eligible for COVID-19 vaccine
by Juan Pablo Garnham Dec. 4, 2020
Residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, among others, were added to the priority list that already included hospital staff working with COVID-19 patients. Full Story
How a glitchy computer system skewed Texas’ coronavirus data and hampered its pandemic response
by Shannon Najmabadi and Edgar Walters Sept. 24, 2020
Local health officials describe the electronic system as “cumbersome,” “archaic” and “really slow," though its performance has improved since it was upgraded in August. Full Story
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneTexas will allow visitations at nursing homes, other long-term care facilities with active COVID-19 cases
by Shawn Mulcahy Sept. 17, 2020
Visitors previously were allowed only into long-term care facilities where there were no active cases of the virus among residents and no confirmed cases among staff members in the past two weeks. Full Story
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneTexas officials walk back $15 million proposed cuts to women’s and children's health services
by Shannon Najmabadi and Edgar Walters Sept. 15, 2020
The changes to the budget proposal come after lawmakers and advocates protested the previous plan would hurt vulnerable Texans. Full Story
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas TribuneIn shift, Texas begins publishing some data on coronavirus cases at child care centers
by Aliyya Swaby and Emma Platoff Aug. 20, 2020
Without numbers on how many children or staff are in Texas child care facilities — which the state does not report — it’s hard to gauge the magnitude of infections. Full Story
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune
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