This legislative session, lawmakers will consider ways to improve the state’s preparedness for public health emergencies. Dallas County leaders identified shortfalls in the system last fall when local health officials diagnosed the country’s first case of Ebola. Legislation is in the works to address those concerns and give the governor the power to declare a state of infectious disease emergency. 

This is the sixth video in our eight-part State of Mind series.

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Alana Rocha was the director of news partnerships for The Texas Tribune until June 2022. She was previously a multimedia reporter, after working in television and radio news for eight years. Alana covered...

Justin Dehn was a multimedia producer, focusing on video and audio production, from 2010 to 2023. He’s been shooting and producing news for more than two decades. Justin has been behind the camera for...