First measles death reported in West Texas outbreak
More than 120 people across nine counties have been infected during the largest Texas outbreak in 30 years. Full Story
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![A measles testing sign in Seminole on Feb. 25, 2025. An outbreak in Gaines County has spread to other parts of the state.]()
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Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children, and it’s getting worse
Issues with Medicaid coverage, including long wait times, abrupt loss of coverage and lack of political will to expand it, have contributed to Texas’ high uninsured rate for children. Full Story
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![Houston pediatrician D. Maneesh Kumar talks with his young patient, Maya, who was born with a rare genetic disorder. Maya’s family relies on Medicaid to cover the expensive treatment and care she needs to stay healthy.]()
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New study finds elevated cancer rates near toxic San Jacinto River waste pits
State researchers found above normal levels of four types of cancer in communities near a toxic waste site. Full Story
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![The San Jacinto River Waste pits, an EPA Superfund site which is contaminated with dioxins, sits right on Interstate 10 east of Houston on Oct. 12, 2014.]()
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Rates of pregnancy-related sepsis and deaths grow in Texas after abortion ban
ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas’ abortion ban. Full Story
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Texas mental health licensing board gives initial OK to remove training requirement associated with DEI
Officials say the motive for the change to the rule requiring mental health providers to receive cultural diversity or competency training for license renewals has been misunderstood. Full Story
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![Psychotherapist Monrovia Van Hoose's office on Friday, Mar. 11, 2022.]()
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West Texas measles cases rise to 124. Here is what you need to know.
Dallam County, more than 250 miles from measles hot spot Gaines County, has reported its first cases. Full Story
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![Health authorities participate in a measles prevention day in Mexico City on May 30, 2024.]()
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How a South Texas community college embraced apprenticeships to ease a growing nursing shortage
South Texas College in McAllen launched one of the first registered nursing apprenticeships in the country as area hospitals expect the need for nurses to increase. Full Story
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![Students from left, Victoria Zamora, Michael Hunter Maldonado, and Emily Luna, practice their knowledge and skills on a manikin during class at a simulating hospital at South Texas College in McAllen, Texas on Dec. 6, 2024.
Gabriel V. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
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New York doctor ordered to stop providing abortion pills to Texans
The ruling is the opening salvo in a likely lengthy battle between Texas’ abortion bans and New York’s “shield” protections for providers. Full Story
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![Boxes of mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at a clinic in New Mexico on Jan. 13, 2023.]()
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Domestic violence is up in Texas. Survivors and supporters hope lawmakers will take action.
Reported domestic violence incidents have risen 26% since 2019. Full Story
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![The East Texas Crisis Center, on Wednesday January 8, 2025, in Tyler.]()
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Texas foster home linked to boy’s death had history of fight clubs and sexual misconduct, report says
The death of an 11-year-old at a Greenville residential treatment center is among 16 deaths reported in the Texas foster care system in the last 15 months. Full Story
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![The Thompson’s Residential Treatment Center in Greenville on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
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Texas universities could face funding cuts for health care research under new Trump administration policy
A federal judge blocked a new National Institutes of Health policy from going into effect in 22 states that sued the agency, but Texas wasn’t part of the suit. Full Story
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![UT Tyler Health East Texas is seen from a garage in Tyler on Dec. 7, 2023. The regional system of hospitals was bought by The University of Texas System, UT Health Northeast and Arend Health Services in March 2018.]()
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Measles outbreak in West Texas worsens
Most of the infections have shown up in Gaines County. Texas health officials have consistently said that vaccination is the best way for people to avoid the highly contagious airborne disease. Full Story
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![An empty emergency room at Goodall-Witcher Hospital in Clifton on August 3, 2021.]()
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Foster child death linked to state-contracted home prompts criminal investigation
The Greenville-based treatment center has closed after the death of an 11-year-old boy the day before Thanksgiving. Full Story
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![The Thompson’s Residential Treatment Center in Greenville, Texas on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
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Every month, hundreds of Texas children are waitlisted for a mental health program billed as an alternative to foster care
Despite a long waitlist, the number of children served in the YES Waiver program has declined because of provider shortages. Full Story
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![YES Waiver Participant Quin Heston and his mother, Nidia Chairez Heston, stand outside their home in Austin on Jan. 27, 2025.]()
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Health care access and economic insecurity top a list of challenges for Texas children
A San Antonio panel discussed the results of a new survey on the well-being of Texas children Thursday and proposed solutions to the state’s ongoing challenges. Full Story
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![A student walks down the hallway at Cactus Elementary School in Cactus on Jan. 28, 2020.]()
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Two more state employees fired after accessing Texans’ private information
So far, nine HHSC employees have been fired for accessing without a “business” purpose the private information of Texans seeking public assistance that includes Medicaid and food stamps. Full Story
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![The Brown Heatly Health and Human Services building in Austin on Nov. 29, 2017.]()
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After Hurricane Beryl, Texas lawmakers push for generators at senior living facilities
After failed attempts in 2021 and 2023, southeast Texas lawmakers have filed bills to require generators in nursing homes and assisted living centers. Full Story
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![Nettie Carlisle, a cook at Ella Springs Senior Living Community in Houston, holds open the empty freezer at the assisted living center on July 12, 2024. All the food had to be thrown out after the widespread power outage caused by Hurricane Beryl.]()
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Abbott expected to promote vouchers and other highlights of his 2025 agenda in Sunday speech
After successful campaigns for House allies, the governor is in a position to set an ambitious course for the legislative session. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott delivers an address while welcoming state Senators during the opening of the Texas legislative session in Austin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.]()
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“How do we protect our poultry flocks?” Texas dairy, poultry producers grapple with bird flu
Across the country, dairy producers have dumped milk and infected chickens have been killed, including millions of egg-laying hens, causing egg prices to skyrocket. Full Story
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![Cattle are brought across the U.S.- Mexico border at a livestock import/export facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico on January 22, 2021.]()
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Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rate against the disease has fallen
Two of the four cases are in Lubbock, which hasn’t seen a case in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, measles vaccination rates in Texas have fallen over the last four years. Full Story
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![A vaccine vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) is pictured at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, Washington, on March 20, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson