Texas can now apply to import lower-priced Canadian medications
Texas joins a handful of states turn to the north for cheaper drugs. But feds have been slow to approve requests, three years after giving initial OK. Full Story
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![Prescription drugs on shelves at ScriptCo on Apr. 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Texas ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans kids will go into effect despite legal fight
The state attorney general’s office appealed a state district court injunction that said the new prohibitions deprive trans kids of “necessary, safe, and effective medical treatment.” Full Story
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![A transgender flag sits on the desk of state Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, D-Houston, and Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, D-Rowlett, during discussion of a Point of Order brought against SB 14, which seeks to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth, on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on May 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
This new law will help health care workers save lives in ambulances that cover wide-open West Texas
The emerging technology, paid for by a grant established during the 2023 legislative session, will help emergency health care workers talk with doctors in emergency rooms to better care for critical patients. Full Story
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![An ambulance is parked at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas
at Austin in 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Will Texas’ new fentanyl awareness curriculum for public schools succeed where other anti-drug messaging failed?
Historically, anti-drug messaging in schools has failed to acknowledge the mental health reasons that youth self-medicate. Without that key lesson, advocates worry House Bill 3908 will be another D.A.R.E. campaign. Full Story
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![High school students walk to their next class after the bell rings at Elsik Ninth Grade Center in Houston on March 28, 2018.]()
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For deaf children in Texas foster care, limited accessibility compounds trauma
Advocates say better accounting of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state’s care and better access to translators are needed. Full Story
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![A sign for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services building in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Appeals court rules abortion pill can remain on market with restrictions
But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled it was unlawful for the FDA to allow mifepristone to be taken later in pregnancy, be mailed directly to patients and be prescribed by a medical professional other than a doctor. Full Story
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![SCOTUS, Washington, DC - Demonstrators march to the Capitol Reflection Pool as Women’s March leads a protest against federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling at imposing a national ban on mifepristone at the Supreme Court of the United States on Saturday, April 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas parents see their own health spiral when kids’ mental illnesses worsen
The stress of locating and maintaining regular care for a mentally ill child can take a toll on their caretakers’ well-being. Full Story
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![Brandon Masters at his home in San Antonio. Masters spent about $22,000 last year caring for his teenage son Braylon, who has bipolar disorder. When Masters developed a rash on the back of his arms and neck last year, his doctor told him it was connected to stress.]()
Credit: Lisa Krantz for KFF Health News -
Legal fight over Texas law banning transgender health care for youth centers on whether treatments help or hurt
Texas families and health care providers sued the state over Senate Bill 14, which restricts transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The groups are requesting an injunction from a state district court judge before the law goes into effect on Sept. 1. Full Story
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![Laura’s son holds his Pride flag at Discovery Green in downtown Houston on Sunday, June 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Even after Planned Parenthood stopped performing abortions, Texas is still trying to shut it down
Planned Parenthood has managed to stay open in Texas despite the state’s best efforts to shut it down. But a lawsuit in front of a conservative judge poses an existential threat. Full Story
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![AUSTIN, TX - AUGUST 8: Dr. Amna Dermish, chief operating and medical services officer at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas poses for a portrait in an exam room in the Planned Parenthood offices in Austin, Texas on August 8, 2023. (Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
University of Texas at Austin and MD Anderson Cancer Center will partner to create a new $2.5 billion hospital
The new medical facility, to be located in downtown Austin, will help expand the University of Texas System’s reputed cancer center outside of the Houston area. Full Story
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![The Erwin Center in Austin on Aug 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Dell Medical School/ADRIA JOHNSON -
Motivated by grieving parents, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has made fentanyl crisis a priority
The Republican from Texas has combined attention to border issues with efforts to address deadly overdoses, including ideas that are opposed by some in his party, such as decriminalizing test strips. Full Story
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: The wait is over. Our full program for TribFest23 is here!
We’re bringing people together for talks that will examine education, Texas’ energy future, the 2024 races for U.S. Senate and president, and the state of democracy. Full Story
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![Image promoting The Texas Tribune Festival with a solid yellow background and an illustration of the Texas State Capitol dome opened up with Texas iconography spilling out. Images include western boots and hat, a star, and the Texas flag. With text that reads, "The wait is over. Full program announced!"]()
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Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo takes leave of absence to treat depression
Hidalgo said she was diagnosed with the condition last month and aims to return to her post in September. More people across the country have been diagnosed with the condition since the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story
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![Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks on stage at a protest of the NRA Annual Meeting Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston.]()
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Texas AG appeals judge’s order that allows women with complicated pregnancies to get abortions
State District Court Judge Jessica Mangrum on Friday issued a temporary exemption to Texas’ abortion ban. Hours later, the attorney general’s office filed an appeal, which blocked the order. Full Story
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![Amanda Zurawski, Molly Duane and Ashley Brandt look on as Samantha Casiano addresses the press following the first day of testimony for Zurawski v. State of Texas outside the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility in Austin on July 19, 2023.]()
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Some child care providers expect to shutter after Texas lawmakers leave $2.3 billion proposal off final budget
Federal pandemic relief to hard-hit day care operators is drying up, forcing some providers to close. Full Story
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![A child plays with Play-Doh at Kid's Castle Family Daycare and Preschool in Pflugerville, on Feb. 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
“Scared out of my mind”: A family scrambles after their disabled 3-year-old loses Medicaid
When Texas started scrubbing people from Medicaid after a three-year pause on removals during the pandemic, one family lost the insurance coverage that helped provide all treatments for their medically complex child. Full Story
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![Jodi Whites, 37, talks with her daughter Amelia, 3, outside their home in New Braunfels, on July 27, 2023. “Sometimes people will tell me ‘Oh, she doesn’t look sick’,” said Whites. “I tell them, ‘We paid extra for that’. No, really, this is what four years of Medicaid does for us. If we skip services for too long, the greater the chance she will relapse.”]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
As Texas sizzles, heat experts say preparation is needed for future extreme weather events
The panelists at a Texas Tribune event emphasized the need for a response to combat the dangerous impacts of extreme events that ensures communities receive support to effectively plan, prepare, and recover. Full Story
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Texas has already seen 25 chemical emergencies this year. Here’s how to protect yourself during the next one.
Preparing for a chemical incident means knowing which industrial facilities are near you, creating a disaster supply kit and signing up for alerts from local emergency managers ahead of time. Full Story
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![An overhead view of an explosion at a Shell USA Inc. facility on May 5, 2023 in Deer Park.]()
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Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lecture
The professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters. Full Story
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![Joy Alonzo is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy.]()
Credit: Texas A&M University Health Science Center -
T-Squared: Welcoming new fellows in photojournalism, reporting and marketing
They’re joining us thanks to partnerships between the Poynter Institute and Stand Together Fellowships, The New York Times and the National Center on Disability and Journalism, and Google News Initiative and the Institute for Nonprofit News. Full Story
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![Eli Hartman, Neelam Bohra and Pooja Sandhu]()
Credit: Texas Tribune
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