The latest Department of State Health Services news from The Texas Tribune.
The Health Care track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the Legislature, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. We also featured a conversation with Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor. Full Story
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In the coming days, the deaths of Sandra Bland and Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth will continue to jolt statewide conversations about how the Texas criminal justice system deals with — or fails to deal with — mental health issues. Full Story
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At our 5/4 symposium on health care, state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, the chairman of the House Public Health Committee, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, talked about how the issue is playing out in the 84th session. Full Story
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Shortly after lab tests on two Blue Bell ice cream flavors came back “presumptive positive” for Listeria, an assistant commissioner at the state health agency reached for the phone to call Brenham. Full Story
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UPDATED: Debate on legislation to re-evaluate a state health agency morphed into a fight over abortion in the Texas House on Thursday, and the bill was pulled down after a pair of anti-abortion amendments were added to the bill over the author's objections. Full Story
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Two psychiatrists at Terrell State Hospital resigned this week after they were accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from a pharmaceutical company to use their state positions to promote the company’s products. Full Story
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State Rep. Kyle Kacal has introduced legislation that he hopes would prevent another accident like the explosion of a West fertilizer plant in 2013 that killed 15 and injured more than 200. Full Story
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The state agency responsible for supervising, monitoring and providing treatment to sexually violent predators is out of space to house sex offenders, agency officials told state lawmakers on Wednesday. Full Story
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Texas hospitals want legislators to find a way for the state to draw down billions in federal Affordable Care Act dollars to cover the uninsured and alleviate the burden on local taxpayers. This is the third video in our State of Mind series. Full Story
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David Lakey, the state's public health chief, will accept a joint position with the University of Texas System and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, sources tell the Tribune. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has championed private-market health care solutions and criticized public programs like Medicaid for being inefficient. Alexa Ura and Edgar Walters write about that and other notable health care issues that have come up during Perry's tenure. Full Story
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This week in the Roundup: Gov.-elect Greg Abbott highlights the issues he'll prioritize in the coming legislative session, the state loses out on millions of federal dollars for pre-kindergarten programs, and Texas' health care system is on the cusp of a major overhaul. Full Story
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With the endorsement Wednesday of the Sunset Advisory Commission, legislators are set to move forward with a consolidation of the state's five health agencies into a single health commission with seven divisions. Full Story
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In a new report, the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response called for the establishment of a treatment facility specifically for children, among other recommendations. Full Story
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Saying Wednesday that low-income Texas women will no longer wonder how to find out about state-provided health services, Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Kyle Janek unveiled a new information website. Full Story
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During a phone call Friday, President Obama congratulated Gov. Rick Perry and other Texas officials on reaching a major milestone in the state's fight against Ebola. Full Story
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While many Texas women now live hundreds of miles away from abortion facilities, some may still have another option: their doctor’s office. Full Story
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In a new report, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission recommends that the state’s health and human services system undergo a massive overhaul. Here are five takeaways from the report. Full Story
State officials have characterized the response to an Ebola diagnosis in Dallas as top-notch, but medical experts argue that the state’s public health infrastructure may be vulnerable. Full Story
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Texas health officials have expanded to 100 their list of people who may have had contact with a man in the Dallas area confirmed to be infected with the Ebola virus. Eighteen people are already under observation. Full Story
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