The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees’ compensation is updated to represent salaries as of Feb. 1. It includes detailed data for the 113 agencies in state government and positions at each of those agencies.
Health And Human Services Commission
Posted in
Health care
Workforce shortages in the state psychiatric hospital system prolong jail time for mentally ill Texans
The state has added more beds for jail inmates who need psychiatric treatment to be considered competent to face trial. But at least a third remain empty because the state can’t hire enough people to staff them.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Texas’ shortage of mental health care professionals is getting worse
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already short supply of therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers.
Posted in
Health care
Jennifer Shuford named commissioner of Texas public health agency
The infectious disease doctor has been at the helm of the department in an interim capacity since the fall, replacing longtime commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt following his retirement.
Posted in
Health care
State leaders won’t commit to specifics about how much they might invest in children’s mental health
As public debate intensifies over how the state will divvy up billions in new money, community groups that treat children for mental illness fear they’re not a priority.
Posted in
Economy
State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government
Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the state’s most vulnerable populations.
Posted in
Health care
Top Texas health official who led response to coronavirus pandemic is retiring
Dr. John Hellerstedt, who has led the Texas Department of State Health Services since 2016, will retire at the end of the month. Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the chief state epidemiologist, has been named his interim replacement.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Texas was building a program to find troubled students and prevent school shootings. It hadn’t reached Uvalde yet.
Created in 2019, the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium identifies distressed students and refers them to mental health services.
Posted in
Economy
Baby formula shortage is making low-income mothers struggle to pay for a product usually covered by the state
The state’s poorest mothers are paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket when they find baby formula because they say they can’t risk waiting for the exact brand and size container covered by Texas’ Women, Infant and Children program.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas children and children’s hospitals are under siege from two viruses: RSV and COVID-19
More children are being treated in Texas hospitals for COVID-19 than ever before, and an unseasonable outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus is adding to the stress on children’s hospitals.
