Birx served in the Trump administration, helping states navigate COVID-19. Her work in public health largely focused on HIV and AIDS.
Health care
In-depth reporting on public health, healthcare policy, hospitals, and wellness issues shaping communities across Texas, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Demographics
‘An epidemic’: Syphilis rages through Texas, causing newborn cases to climb amid treatment shortage
Syphilis rates in Texas continue to climb, alarming healthcare workers who see the highest increases among pregnant people and newborns. A shortage of treatment is complicating efforts to combat it.
Posted in
Health care
Texas parents who care for their disabled children full time will lose money after pay raise
Texas Medicaid caregivers’ wages were already near the poverty level. But parents whose sole income came from taking care of their disabled children have now lost their ability to work overtime hours.
Posted in
Health care
Texas highways are the next anti-abortion target. One town is resisting.
Even in conservative corners of Texas, efforts to crack down on abortion travel are meeting resistance with some local officials who support Texas’s strict abortion laws, expressing concern that the efforts go too far.
Posted in
LGBTQ+ Texans
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.”
Posted in
New Texas Laws 2023
New Texas law increases hospital notice before removing patients from life support
Medical professionals now must tell families 25 days in advance before ending care. Some groups wish the state gave families even more power when they disagree with a doctor’s prognosis.
Posted in
Health care
Dangers and deaths around Black pregnancies in Texas seen as a “completely preventable” health crisis
Despite a vast array of health resources, Black infants in Harris County are about twice as likely to die before their first birthday as those from other racial groups.
Posted in
New Texas Laws 2023
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.
Posted in
New Texas Laws 2023
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.
Posted in
New Texas Laws 2023
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.