The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
A growing number of Texans are seeking treatment for methamphetamine addiction, reversing a downward trend in abuse in the state since a 2006 federal law banned over-the-counter sales of medicine containing pseudoephedrine. Full Story
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Like many Texas lockups, the Waller County Jail staff had not been sufficiently trained in safeguarding suicidal or mentally ill inmates. Part of the problem is underfunding and understaffing at the state agency overseeing the network of 244 local and private jails. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Normal sweating varies among people depending on biology and fitness level, a new case is made for statin use and an interview with James Willson of UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center. Full Story
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Gun rights advocates scored major wins this year in the Texas Legislature, and some aren't stopping there. State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, wants to allow staff and visitors to bring firearms into hospitals for self-defense. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday authorized the Texas National Guard to be armed on base following the shooting at military facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn. Full Story
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Doctors with independent primary care practices in Texas are increasingly being courted by private equity firms looking for investments, and offering leverage in the consolidating health care industry. Full Story
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In the Roundup: State officials react to a video showing a Planned Parenthood executive discussing the harvesting of fetal organs, a county clerk resigns in protest of the gay marriage ruling, and the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise gets underway. Full Story
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Hospitals that serve large uninsured populations stand to lose critical funding if Texas can’t convince the federal government to continue helping the state pay, doctors and health advocates told the state health department Thursday. Full Story
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Nearly $9 million in federal money is headed to seven nonprofit groups in Texas to help prevent teen pregnancies, but continued funding for the programs is in jeopardy. Full Story
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UPDATED: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have joined Gov. Greg Abbott in calling for an investigation into Planned Parenthood after an anti-abortion group's release of an undercover video. Full Story
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After a Church of Scientology-backed group helped organize a campaign against it, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation that would have given Texas doctors more power to detain mentally ill and potentially dangerous patients. Full Story
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The UT System announced a deal on Thursday accepting up to $2.4 million a year from the pharmaceutical company Sanofi to fund biomedical research. As government research money dwindles, private funds are playing a larger role, and that comes with worries. Full Story
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Over the course of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made their priorities known by what bills got the lowest bill numbers. Take a look at how those proposals fared. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Texas' physician shortage is fueled in part by too few residency slots, researchers figure out how to levitate cells and an interview with Namkee Choi of UT-Austin's School of Social Work. Full Story
A Granbury gay couple on Monday obtained a marriage license from the Hood County Clerk's office after filing a lawsuit against the clerk in federal court. Full Story
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A program created this year will help pay mental health professionals’ student loans if they practice in a medically needy area. The program seeks to alleviate the state’s shortage of mental health professionals, which watchdogs are calling a "public health emergency." Full Story
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Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling allowing some Texas abortion clinics to remain open, the Texas Department of State Health Services said on Thursday that doctors performing abortions must still obtain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Full Story
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Many of the providers in a state program that gives engaged Texans a discount on a marriage license if they take a premarital counseling course do not plan to open up the classes to same-sex couples. Full Story
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As of Wednesday, public employers including Texas agencies and universities will allow current and retired gay and lesbian employees to enroll their same-sex spouses in the same benefit programs and services available to opposite-sex couples. Full Story
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Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage, family law attorneys in Texas are gearing up to make sure same-sex couples who adopt children get full parental rights. Full Story
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