Lawmaker Unveils Vision for Austin State Hospital
State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, on Thursday proposed creating an "MD Anderson of the brain" on the site of the troubled Austin State Hospital. Full Story
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The latest Health And Human Services Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, on Thursday proposed creating an "MD Anderson of the brain" on the site of the troubled Austin State Hospital. Full Story
Cuts in the state's payments to therapy providers who see children with disabilities remain tied up in court, but Texas officials said Thursday they have made about $58 million in cuts from other parts of the health care budget. Full Story
Comments by high-ranking Texas Republicans indicate that the state’s long-running tug-of-war with the federal government over Medicaid expansion is unlikely to change course. Full Story
State regulators have opened the public comment period on some proposed changes they hope will improve standards at day care centers around Texas. But advocates say the agency is missing one important item: better caretaker to child ratios in day cares. Full Story
Hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth region were overpaid by $27 million in federal funds to provide health care for the uninsured, according to a new order from the Obama administration, which is threatening to take the money back. Full Story
Advocates for the uninsured are hoping the threat of Zika will spur Republican leaders to consider a massive expansion of subsidized health care to the low-income Texans they say are most vulnerable to the disease. Full Story
A group led by an anti-abortion advocate received $1.6 million in state funding from a program recently created to help women find health care services paid for by the state. Full Story
A lot can happen when you're distracted by presidential politics. The past week offered a few relatively local reminders of why politics matters. Full Story
Texas officials announced on Wednesday they would allow Medicaid to pay for mosquito repellent for women in the hopes of preventing the Zika virus. Full Story
Weeks after Texas health officials quietly proposed rules that would require the cremation or burial of fetal remains, Gov. Greg Abbott is raising political funds off his administration's new effort to regulate abortion providers. Full Story
A new law enforcement training course offered across the state helps officers spot the signs of a person dealing with a head injury. And in the wake of recent police shootings, officers in the course say they see it as one more tool to help them de-escalate situations. Full Story
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday delivered a temporary, last-minute victory to the families of children with disabilities who want to stop sweeping budget cuts to a state-funded children’s therapy program. Full Story
In a little-noticed effort to regulate abortion providers, Texas health officials have quietly proposed rules that would require abortion providers to cremate or bury all fetal remains. Full Story
With two weeks to go before Texas is set to slash a program's funding that pays for therapy services for children with disabilities, therapy providers are announcing new support from state lawmakers to postpone the cuts. Full Story
Three weeks before Texas officials plan to slash funding for a program that pays for speech, physical and occupational therapy for children with disabilities, Democrats in the Texas House are asking the Obama administration to intervene. Full Story
Numbers can give you a full accounting of something without telling you what’s really going on, like when lawmakers talk about trimming budgets and saving money while diverting attention from whatever fell on the cutting room floor. Full Story
Texas is finally poised to move forward with budget cuts to a pediatric therapy program for children with disabilities, but opponents of the cuts have vowed to continue putting up a fight. Full Story
State health officials are urging Texans to protect themselves from mosquito bites — but they aren't helping counties coordinate or pay for those protective measures. Full Story
Throughout May, the Tribune partnered with the Mental Health Channel and KLRU on a series looking at mental health policy issues and some of Texas’ biggest challenges in providing care. Use this page to catch up on our coverage. Full Story
Public health experts are looking more closely at the issue of suicides in small towns. Full Story