Past HMNT Resources
2024
April
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Most providers aren't ready to meet new health equity regulatory requirements
Becker's Hospital Review
The majority of healthcare providers and payers are not ready to meet shifting health equity regulatory requirements, according to Ernst & Young's latest report. To compile its "2024 Health Equity Outlook," the accounting firm surveyed 500 health equity leaders across stakeholder industries: Providers, payers, life sciences, government and nonprofit/community organizations. Read More
LOCAL
Air pollution linked to asthma disparities in Austin neighborhoods
American Journal of Managed Care
Black and Latinx individuals living in Austin, Texas, had an increased rate of asthma exacerbations due to increased air pollution levels, a study found. The study suggests how small adjustments in air pollution levels can impact the frequency of asthma-related emergency care, especially among marginalized communities. Read More
Can this $148.8M study provide answers to the racial disparity of Alzheimer's disease?
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Black Americans are twice as likely, and Hispanic Americans are 1.5 times more likely, to develop Alzheimer's than non-Hispanic white Americans. The reasons for this gap are not clear, but research by the University of North Texas Health Science Center is exploring the biological and sociological reasons for this disparity. Read More
TEXAS
Texas libraries work to bridge state's mental health services gap
Texas Tribune
When the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down the Smithville Public Library, it was as if a vital community artery had been severed. "We did see a lot of anxiety when people felt cut off from reading materials," recalled Judith Bergeron, the library's director. Read More
Eating cruciferous vegetables while breastfeeding may give infants a healthy start
Texas A&M Today
Researchers from Texas A&M Health have found that breastfeeding mothers who eat vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage could pass along health benefits to their nursing infants. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Biden expands window to try and keep millions more low-income Americans insured
Politico
How a state agency built a public health database
Patient Engagement HIT
Using WIC analysis to write about health trends in women, infants and children
Association of Health Care Journalists
From awareness to action: Putting cancer disparities in the rearview mirror
National Cancer Institute
Monitoring your own blood pressure can save money — and possibly your life
Texas A&M Today
Diabetes disparities: Penn State Health diabetes specialist works to improve health equity
Penn State Health
Tapping into the trove of standardized EMS data
Healthcare IT News
Ready or not, AI chatbots are here to help with Gen Z's mental health struggles
AP News
2024
Febuary
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
2024 Outlook for Health Equity: Health equity leaders may play an increasingly critical role
Deloitte
Over the past year, we have had in-depth health-equity conversations with many health care and life sciences executives, and we have participated in quite a few conference panels on the subject. Based on our conversations, it's clear that health equity continues to be seen as a business strategy. We have also heard that being a health equity leader can be a lonely job. It shouldn't be. Read More
LOCAL
Study: Using Nutrition Facts labels linked to healthier eating choices among 8th and 11th grade students
Medical Xpress
Using the Nutrition Facts labels to make food choices is significantly associated with healthy eating among 8th and 11th grade students in Texas, although the proportion of students using nutrition labels to make their food choices is low, according to research from UTHealth Houston. Read More
UT Health San Antonio scientist receives $1.2 million to implement early intervention measures for pre-diabetes
News-Medical
More than one out of three people have pre-diabetes, characterized by abnormal blood sugar levels not yet in the diabetes range — and yet associated with significant increases in eye, kidney and neuropathic diseases, and risk of cardiovascular death. Read More
TEXAS
More than 2 million people dropped from Medicaid in Texas
Axios
More than two million people have been removed from Texas' Medicaid program since federal pandemic-era coverage protections were lifted last April, new state data shows. That's the most of any state and nearly equivalent to all of Houston — Texas' most populous city, with 2.3 million residents — losing coverage in less than a year. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Most American adults support reproductive health care in school-based health centers, study finds
Texas A&M Health
Bridging the data divide: Investing in people and tech to improve health equity
MedCity News
My dad's cancer taught me why health disparities are so deep — and so stubborn
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
HHS hosts first-ever 'Food is Medicine' summit, launches 3 public-private partnerships
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
States rushed to extend postpartum coverage, but some holdouts remain
Axios
Study examines links between mammography screening, breast cancer and unmet social needs [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Diagnostic Imaging
Housing linked to lower cancer mortality among US veterans
Managed Healthcare Executive
Mental health and well-being in the modern workplace
HRO Today
2024
Febuary
Morgan Health: How employers can take the lead in addressing health equity
Fierce Healthcare
There are significant health disparities among people with employer coverage, but plan sponsors still have work to do to fully address those issues, according to a new analysis. The report comes from Morgan Health, the healthcare arm of banking giant JPMorgan Chase. It identifies some critical disparities in the employer-sponsored sector and suggests strategies employer can use to tackle these challenges. Read More
LOCAL
Fort Worth ISD high school students run on-campus grocery store to address food insecurity
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A portable building outside O.D. Wyatt High School full of meat, vegetables and nonperishables opened its doors on Wednesday, making its mark as the Fort Worth Independent School District's first on-campus grocery store for students and their families. Read More
First look: Inside the new Texas Children's Hospital in Austin opening in February
Austin American-Statesman
Texas Children's Hospital's Austin hospital is almost open. It recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony, giving a first look at the $485 million, 365,000-square-foot hospital at 9835 N. Lake Creek Parkway in Northwest Austin near U.S. 183 and Texas 45. Read More
TEXAS
Software errors forced many to lose Medicaid, complaint to FTC alleges
Axios
Hundreds of thousands of Texans recently have lost Medicaid coverage due to faulty eligibility software from Deloitte, consumer advocacy groups alleged in a recent complaint to the Federal Trade Commission. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Medicaid authorities and options to address social determinants of health
KFF
Response to Elmo's 'checking in' post underscores US mental health crisis
Axios
Community health centers serve 1 in 11 Americans. They're a safety net under stress
MySA
Healthy activities save kids' lives. Why are they so hard to find?
TIME
American Heart Month highlights the need for cardiovascular awareness, especially among women
CBS News
VA cuts homelessness, SDOH by 55% with housing first model
Patient Engagement HIT
Study shows mental health disparities among transgender, nonbinary communities
American Journal of Managed Care
The connection between diabetes and ocean dead zones
Psychology Today
2024
Febuary
Advancing Oral Health Equity in Texas: A Community-Driven Approach
Texas Health Institute
Oral health and overall health are intrinsically connected and when everyone has the opportunities they need, free from barriers, to pursue their best oral health, we see healthier communities. Texas Health Institute developed a roadmap for oral health equity in Texas with community voice as the driving force of the project. Join us for a webinar to learn about the context and findings from our research and strategies to advance oral health equity at the community and state-level. Advancing oral health equity advances the health of all! Register now!
Rural-urban healthcare access gap: It's all about the fixed costs
Forbes
Rural residents in the U.S. face much greater challenges in accessing healthcare than their urban counterparts. Hospital disclosures and clinician shortages often grab the headlines. The key issue in addressing the rural-urban health care access gap is, like almost all things in healthcare, a monetary one — how to cover the fixed costs of medical practices and facilities? Read More
LOCAL
Does revitalizing a neighborhood start with community health?
Dallas Weekly
Creating neighborhood health clinics is not a new phenomenon. Since the late 1980s, Parkland Hospital has focused on serving medically underserved areas by doing just that. This includes Community Orientated Primary Care clinics, Youth and Family Centers and the Homeless Outreach Medical Services, or HOMES, program. Every three years, Parkland and the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department conduct a community health needs assessment to determine where they should add more clinics. Read More
Denton Record-Chronicle
"We care. You are special. We value you." These are words that people who experience homelessness don't hear often enough, Alva Santos, the chief operations officer at Our Daily Bread, Together with Monsignor King Outreach Center, said in a news release from Texas Health Resources. Read More
TEXAS
New Texas health dashboard helps local doctors and health officials
KIII-TV
The state has launched new online tools to show the state of respiratory viruses across Texas. The Texas Respiratory Illness Interactive Dashboard will help health officials and doctors make informed decisions and provide answers to the public on which diseases are affecting the most people. Read More
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More Texans than ever before enrolled in ACA health plans in 2024, feds say
Texas Tribune
More Texans than ever have signed up for cheap or free health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act, with more than one in nine residents covered under government-subsidized health plans for 2024, according to federal health data released recently. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
988-hotline counselors air concerns: More training needed to juggle a mix of calls
KFF Health News
Shortcomings and opportunities for health equity in pediatrics
MobiHealthNews
Improving social isolation, loneliness reduces obesity-related mortality risk
HCP Live
American Heart Association
ARPA-H to create medical trucks for health care access in rural areas
Medical Economics
Integrating behavioral health into oncology care boosts outcomes, lowers costs
Behavioral Health Business
Expanded Medicaid spurs patient visits for heart care [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Penn LDI
Why do young women with Multiple Sclerosis face health disparities?
University of California San Francisco
2024
January
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Proposed rule could advance health equity for disabled patients
American Medical Association
The AMA sent a letter largely supporting the Biden administration's proposed rule updating regulations last changed in 2005 and meant to ensure that people with disabilities are not subject to discrimination. "The AMA applauds the Administration's commitment to ensuring that qualified individuals are never subject to discrimination in medical treatment on the basis of disability," AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Read More
LOCAL
STHS Clinics expands mental health services in Hidalgo County
Rio Grande Guardian
South Texas Health System Clinics has launched the STHS Clinics Mental Wellbeing Clinic, a new center in Edinburg offering behavioral health services for a variety of mental health conditions. The group has done so in the hope of addressing some of the unmet mental healthcare needs of Rio Grande Valley residents, noting that Hidalgo County had only 4.61 mental health providers per every 100,000 people in 2022. Read More
TEXAS
HHSC encourages cancer screenings during Cervical Health Awareness Month
Texas Health and Human Services
As part of National Cervical Health Awareness Month this January, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is encouraging women to get screened for cervical cancer. "Routine cervical cancer screening is the most effective way to detect cervical cancer early," said Faith Sandberg-Rodriguez, associate commissioner of Family Clinical Services at HHSC. Read More
KSAT.com
A fixed wing air medical base in New Braunfels aims at providing more lifesaving emergency care to people across the state. Flights have been taking off from Airlift 10 in New Braunfels since December 2023. "We've done about a flight a day. So the need is definitely there," said David Lopez, area manager and account executive for Airlift Texas. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Influencers, researchers work together to enhance mental health content
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
States hope doulas can deliver better maternal health outcomes
Route Fifty
Food-as-medicine program boosts type 2 diabetes health care use
Endocrinology Advisor
How to address medical AI bias to innovate health equity for all
Medical Economics
Screening for health-related social needs should be 'integral' part of cancer care
Healio
Physician's Weekly
Stronger social networks key to addressing mental health in young adults, research finds
Medical Xpress
Recreational art activities linked to heightened mental well-being in older adults, study finds
PsyPost
2024
January
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
From lab to life: How wearable devices can improve health equity
Nature Communications
Medical wearables, non-invasive devices that measure physiological biomarkers, are potentially disruptive and powerful tools to promote health equity at scale. Here we describe our experiences designing, validating, and deploying wearable sensors in vulnerable patient populations to improve health outcomes. Read More
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LOCAL
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
Texas A&M University Health Science Center, the Gulf Coast Consortia and their partner institutions, Texas Southern University, University of Texas Medical Branch, and TMC Innovation, have been awarded a four-year, $4 million cooperative research agreement grant from the National Institutes of Health to create the Gulf Coast Consortium Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub. Read More
TEXAS
Nearly 1.7M Texans lose Medicaid as state nears end of 'unwinding'
The Texas Tribune
Texas has booted the most people from Medicaid of any state in the country. A majority of those removed lost their health insurance coverage because of procedural reasons. Read More
HHSC provides family violence notice, resources to Texans
Texas Health and Human Resources
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is providing printable materials listing services and resources for Texans being threatened or exposed to family or dating violence. Senate Bill 1325, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in May 2023, requires HHSC to provide printable resources for law enforcement, campus peace officers and health care providers to give to those experiencing dating violence, stalking, harassment, a terroristic threat or family violence. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Can digital twin neighborhoods help tackle health disparities?
HealthITAnalytics
Pediatric mental health care treatment needs more often unmet for minorities
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Social vulnerability linked to unhealthy lifestyles and poor health in the US, study finds
News Medical
With menthol cigarette ban delayed, these Americans will keep seeing the effects, data shows
USA Today
Study provides new insight into low social determinants of health screening rates
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Maternity ward closures exacerbating health disparities
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Optimizing alternative payment models could advance equity and improve outcomes in pregnancy
Penn Leonard Davis Institute
Penn State Health launches stroke health equity initiative
Penn State Health News
2023
December
The worst states for mental health care, ranked
Forbes
From May 17: Over 50 million Americans have a mental illness, but more than half of adults with a mental illness don't receive treatment. In some states, accessing mental health care may be more challenging because of high costs, too few mental health treatment centers and lack of health insurance coverage. Read More
Measuring and addressing the environmental factors that impact social determinants of health
AJMC
From June 7: Social determinants of health significantly impact health outcomes in individuals and fuel health disparities between different populations, but quantifying SDOH and addressing the factors that allow disparities to persist can be difficult.
Biden-Harris administration announces more than $200M to support youth mental health
U.S. Departent of Human Services
From Oct. 11: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families, announced $206 million in grant awards towards youth mental health. Read More
Study finds that 8 factors put Black adults at greater risk of early death
Tulane News
From June 28: Black adults who live in the U.S. have a 59% higher risk of premature death than white adults. A new study from Tulane University published in Lancet Public Health has found that this gap can be entirely explained by disparities in eight areas of life critical to health and well-being: employment, income, food security, education level, access to healthcare, quality health insurance, home ownership and marital status. Read More
USDA launches nutrition hub to combat diet-related diseases in underserved communities
USDA
From Oct. 18: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the opening of a pilot Nutrition Hub under the Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health initiative. The Nutrition Hub is being launched in partnership with Southern University, a historically Black 1890 Land-grant University in Louisiana, and host of the USDA-funded 1890 Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life. Read More
New WHO report identifies 5 core national targets for managing diabetes
News Medical
From March 29: A report for the World Health Organization has identified five core national targets for UN member states aimed at reducing diabetes risk and ensuring that people with diabetes have equitable access to comprehensive and affordable care and prevention. Read More
5 takeaways from AP's series on health disparities impacting Black Americans
AP News
From June 7: The Associated Press spent a year examining how racial health disparities have harmed generations of Black Americans. From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts. Read More
Large language models perpetuate racial bias in health care
News Medical
From Nov. 1: In a study published in npj Digital Medicine, a group of researchers assessed the tendency of four commercial Large Language Models to perpetuate race-based medical misconceptions in healthcare through systematic scenario analysis. Read More
End of continuous Medicaid coverage
Texas Health and Human Services
From Feb. 8: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government declared a public health emergency and passed a law that allowed you to automatically keep your Medicaid coverage. Based on the new federal law, continuous Medicaid eligibility will end on March 31, 2023, so you need to renew your benefits when it's time to ensure your coverage will continue if you are eligible. Read More
Rural hospitals focus on social determinants of health, transportation
PatientEngagementHIT
From Sept. 13: Rural healthcare organizations excel at addressing social determinants of health despite the barriers blocking patient care access, a new University of Missouri study found. Read More
2023
December
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Invisible in the data: Broad 'Asian American' category obscures health disparities
STAT News
They have roots in 50 countries that cover more than half of the globe’s surface. They make up more than 60% of the world’s population. They speak more than 100 different languages. Yet in medical research and public health in the United States, people with Asian ancestry are almost always grouped into a single racial category. Read More
LOCAL
In Texas' Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing up
Texas Standard
The region that includes Amarillo, a Panhandle city of more than 200,000 people, and surrounding towns has long been a mental health care desert. Officials hope a new $159 million hospital can help reduce a massive spike in suicide attempts. Read More
East Texas hospital network can't receive ambulances because of potential cybersecurity incident
CNN
The hospital network, UT Health East Texas, is operating using "established downtime procedures" as the hospital investigates "a potential security incident" and works to bring computers back online, spokesperson Allison Pollan said in an email. Read More
TEXAS
Texas drops more than 810K children from its Medicaid rolls
Governing
At least 812,000 Texas children have lost health care coverage in the last seven months following the end of pandemic-era continuous Medicaid renewals, according to the latest data from KFF. Children are 58% of the 1.4 million Texans who have been dropped from the federal health insurance program. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
The crucial — and overlooked — roles of community health workers
U.S. & World News Report
How supermarket mergers affect food deserts
Modern Farmer
Benefits of blending population health and hyper-local health barrier strategies to address SDOH
Medical Economics
A year after launching, ChatGPT is already changing medicine
Axios
Addressing barriers to care in the community oncology setting
Targeted Oncology
Social determinants of health linked to faster genetic aging
American Heart Association
2023
November
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
A slow killer: East Texans are diagnosed with diabetes at a higher rate than the national average
Get your flu shot to protect yourself and others
Texas to get 4 new maternal health research centers amid mortality crisis for moms
School of Dentistry team unlocks keys to alcohol withdrawal headache
Public health communication still needed for 988 mental health line
Social determinants of health impact survival outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies
Improving hypertension care for underserved populations with remote patient monitoring
Research highlights significant health disparities among older adults with a GED certificate
2023
November
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Desperate to support youth, states spend to stop leaks in mental health care pipeline
EdSurge
Celina Pierrottet remembers 2016 as the year when she and her colleagues at the middle school where they taught noted a pointed change among their students. "We were just like, 'Is it just me, or are kids really nervous?'" Pierrottet recalls. Read More
LOCAL
Cook Children's in Fort Worth is hit hard by early surge of RSV cases
KERA-FM
Cook Children's medical centers in Fort Worth and Prosper are reporting long wait times and overwhelmed emergency departments as kids with viral illnesses pour in. Pediatric emergency medicine physician Taylor Louden said the emergency department is treating around 500 patients a day. Read More
North Texas hospitals are getting safer
D Magazine
The Leapfrog Group gave 21 Dallas-Fort Worth area hospitals the top grade in its latest safety ranking, with nine Medical City Healthcare and six Baylor Scott & White Health facilities earning the top score for patient safety. Read More
TEXAS
HHSC offers tools to talk about caregiving during the holidays
Texas Health and Human Services
he holiday season is often a time for loved ones to gather and spend time catching up. It can also be an opportunity for having aging-related conversations with older loved ones. Read More
CPRIT grant to support HPV vaccination of childhood cancer survivors
UT Health San Antonio
A grant of nearly $1 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will expand a program of vaccination for human papillomavirus among survivors of childhood cancer. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Berkeley Public Health
Medicaid coverage errors; gender disparities in health research; improved lung cancer survival rates
AJMC
Worl Health Organization
Margolis Center for Health Policy
How to achieve patient portal 'techquity' and digital health equity
2023
November
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Tufts Medical Center to pilot nutrition screening in EHR
Healthcare IT News
By creating food and nutrition insecurity screening within Tufts Medicine’s Epic electronic health record and patient engagement system, the new Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute in Boston and its team of medical, science, technology and health policy collaborators hope to further food is medicine science with their data. Read More
LOCAL
New UT School of Public Health is designed specifically for South Texas
UT Health San Antonio
The University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio, a strategic collaboration of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio, has begun accepting applications for the first cohort of students in the region's new Master of Public Health graduate degree program. Read More
HHSC Hosting Community Information Session on $120M Rio Grande State Center Expansion Project
Texas Health and Human services
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is inviting the media to learn more about plans to expand the Rio Grande State Center during a community information session on Thursday, Nov. 2. "Thanks to a significant investment by Governor Greg Abbott and the 88th Texas Legislature, we're building state-of-the-art inpatient psychiatric hospitals and expanding our reach," said Scott Schalchlin, deputy executive commissioner of the HHSC Health and Specialty Care System. Read More
TEXAS
Texas Medical Center holds grand opening for Helix Park
Houston Public Media
The Texas Medical Center is celebrating the grand opening of Helix Park, a 37-acre campus that has the TMC 3 collaborative building and six parks. The TMC 3 research center is designed for collaboration for health care, life science and business professionals. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Large language models perpetuate racial bias in health care
News Medical
Communicating with a patient's family under the HIPAA privacy rule
HealthITSecurity
Pediatric sepsis mortality risk marred by racial health disparities
PatientEngagementHIT
How cross-sector collaboration can optimize health care data and advance equity
Federal News Network
Telehealth helps address many key chronic care management challenges
Healthcare IT News
The BMJ
2023
November
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Transgender adults in rural US had disproportionately higher cardiovascular disease risk
American Heart Association
In a small study of adults living in rural America, those who identified as transgender were more likely to have cardiovascular disease risk factors, including tobacco use, obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, high cholesterol and/or alcohol use. Read More
LOCAL
Texas A&M Water-Energy-Food Nexus helps tackle water scarcity
Texas A&M Today
Rabi Mohtar, Ph.D., professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has a passion for meeting challenges to basic human needs like water, energy and food. He founded the Texas A&M Water-Energy-Food, WEF, Nexus Research Group in 2014 and the Texas A&M Water-Energy-Food Nexus Initiative in 2015 with the hope of making local and global impacts in these critical areas. Read More
TEXAS
Texans' experiences affording and accessing health care
Episcopal Health Foundation
As the state continues to recover from the economic and health care implications of the COVID-19 pandemic at a period of high inflation, Texans face several issues when it comes to affording and accessing health care. Moreover, many report trouble with non-medical factors that influence health, such as employment, ability to afford basic necessities, having safe and affordable housing, and access to affordable and healthy food. Read More
Facilities accepting holiday donations for hospital patients, SSLC residents
Texas Health and Human Services
State hospitals and state supported living centers staff — and volunteers in their communities — are accepting donated gifts for patients and residents to make their holidays brighter. The holiday season is fast approaching, and some of the people served at state hospitals and state supported living centers will be spending the holidays away from their loved ones. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Reimbursement health equity a driver in new CMS payment models
Hospice News
Pharmacists address social determinants of health in HIV
Pharmacy Times
The great 'unwinding' of Medicaid
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
Can affordable housing policies reduce health disparities?
Joint Center for Housing Studies
ACO enrollment doesn't help mental health care access, PROs
PatientEngagementHIT
A paradigm shift towards reimbursing the root causes of diseases
MedCity News
2023
October
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Biden-Harris administration announces more than $200M to support youth mental health
U.S. Departent of Human Services
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families, announced $206 million in grant awards towards youth mental health.
Read More
LOCAL
Texas Health Resources to hold gala benefiting cardiovascular care and veterans and other updates
Allen American
Allen's Texas Health Resources invites residents to its Starlight Gala from 7-11 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel. The gala will benefit advancements in diagnostic cardiovascular care at Texas Health Allen Hospital and the Texas Health Veteran's Programs in Collin County. Read More
TEXAS
Scientific publishing is becoming more open: Does that mean peer review is less rigorous?
Texas A&M Vital Record
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers flooded journals with studies about the then-novel coronavirus. However, this dramatic increase in the scientific literature highlights a potential shortcoming in the peer review policies of some journals, says Dennis Gorman, Ph.D., professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. Read More
Software platform boosts financial aid for specialty patients in Texas health system
Specialty Pharmacy Continuum
The recent implementation of a digital patient assistance platform has enabled one health system in the Lone Star State to expedite the enrollment of patients in financial assistance programs for specialty medications and increased the amount of financial aid awarded to these patients, a speaker said at the NASP 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo. The digital solution was one of three case studies presented during a session intended to illustrate how customized software platforms can boost efficiency in specialty pharmacy operations. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Suicide in older men: A community health emergency
EMS1
FIU launches Population Health Initiative to help improve health on a global scale
Florida International University
Long COVID-19 unmasked: Patients share varied physical, mental, and social challenges
News Medical
US medical student health insurance coverage for mental health treatment after the COVID-19 pandemic
JAMA Internal Medicine
NIH designates people with disabilities as a population with health disparities
National Institutes of Health
In-home prenatal support improves birth outcomes, reduces disparities, study shows
2023
September
Primary Care and Suicide Prevention [sm1.multibriefs.com]
THI
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. On average, one person dies by suicide every two hours in Texas (CDC, 2023). Join us for a pre-summit session at the Texas Primary Care Consortium to learn how you can make a difference in the AS+K? About Suicide to Save a Life training. Read More
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HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
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Medical Xpress
A new multisite study led by Indiana University School of Medicine has found increasing pediatric readiness in emergency departments reduces but does not eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in children and adolescents with acute medical emergencies. Read More
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LOCAL
Texas A&M University plans Suicide Awareness Month activities to support student mental health
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
Texas A&M University is recognizing National Suicide Prevention Awareness month with a series of activities during September. A kickoff event, hosted by Texas A&M University Health Services — Suicide Awareness & Prevention Program, took place Sept. 6 at Rudder Plaza. Read More
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TEXAS
HIPAA and telemedicine in Texas: Are audio-only telemedicine services allowed?
JD Supra
In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued new guidance on the use of remote communication technologies to deliver audio-only telemedicine in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. However, do not let this new guidance mislead you into thinking that audio-only telemedicine is legal across the board. Read More
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A new Texas law makes better treatment options possible for cancer patients
KERA-FM
A new state law this month made Texas the 11th state to require health insurance companies to pay for biomarker testing. Doing so will give cancer patients access to more targeted and effective therapies in precision medicine. Read More
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NATIONAL AND MORE
Data suggest worse survival in Black low-risk endometrial cancer population
Cancer Network
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Better data, leadership needed for global health equity in heart failure
AJMC
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Weill Cornell Medicine
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What promise does personalized nutrition hold for healthier aging?
Nutritional Outlook
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International Journal of Dental Hygiene
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Empowering women's health: Exploring the latest innovations in wearable technology
News Medical
2023
September
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Disparities found in who dwells behind US levees
Phys.org
In the U.S., tens of millions of people live behind levees, but historically disadvantaged groups are more likely to live behind subpar levees and have fewer resources to maintain critical levee infrastructure, a new study reveals. The study is the first to quantify the national disparity of disadvantaged communities living in levee-protected areas, which puts people at increased risk of flooding and other issues. Read More
LOCAL
Students gain global insight into emergency preparedness
Texas A&M Vital Record
An innovative five-week study abroad program organized by the Texas A&M University School of Public Health is helping students learn more about efficient emergency preparedness efforts in Europe. This study abroad, which is among the first of its kind globally on this topic, is coordinated by Angela Clendenin, Ph.D., an instructional associate professor in epidemiology and biostatistics. Read More
TEXAS
COVID-19 cases on the rise in Texas
CBS News
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise once again in Texas. Health officials say COVID-19 hospitalizations are up 70% in the last month. Experts say this uptick shouldn't make people panic, but to remain vigilant. Read More
Measles health alert issued in Texas
Precision Vaccinations
Over the past two years, measles outbreaks have significantly increased in various countries, but not the U.S. However, the Texas Department of State Health Services recently published a Health Alert regarding two measles cases. Read More
HHSC offers suicide prevention awareness resources
Texas Health and Human Services
National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is dedicated to reducing the stigma of suicide by increasing awareness about the warning signs and highlighting resources for prevention and treatment. The HHSC Office of Mental Health Coordination is offering a free five-part webinar series addressing suicide prevention-related topics open to all. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Rural hospitals focus on social determinants of health, transportation
PatientEngagementHIT
HHS moves to pause Medicaid coverage terminations in Texas
Bloomberg Law
To improve outcomes under CMS' 'making care primary', focus on registered nurses
Health Affairs
Pharmacy closures impacting medically underserved communities
University of Houston
More high-cost health care users live in lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods, study shows
Texas A&M Vital Record
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
2023
September
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Disparities in SDOH highlight need for social intervention in the heart failure space
AJMC
Social determinants of health are unequally distributed among ambulatory individuals who are living with heart failure when their income level and racial background are considered, according to a new analysis of 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data by a team from UT Southwestern Medical Center. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
LOCAL
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
The potentially far-reaching consequences of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment that occurred on Feb. 3, 2023, highlight an important component of public health's work — identifying and analyzing contaminants from an environmentally hazardous area. Read More
TEXAS
For deaf children in Texas foster care, limited accessibility compounds trauma
KERA-FM
In early 2019, a small group of foster parents clustered in the governor's office, hoping months of working with the state would improve things for children like theirs: deaf or hard of hearing and traumatized by a system that struggled to care for them. In prior meetings held between these foster parents, the governor's office and state agencies, leaders from Texas' Department of Family and Protective Services waffled on their methods of tracking deaf children in foster care and the number currently in the system. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Opioid overdose antidote Narcan will be widely available over the counter next week
NBC News
Why households could experience short-term food insecurity when the weather is hot
ABC News
HHS opens digital health infrastructure security RFP [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Healthcare IT News
AI tool can identify social determinants of health in dementia patients
News Medical
Aging with a healthy brain: How lifestyle changes could help prevent up to 40% of dementia cases
The Conversation
Travel time for health care has increased for both rural and urban Americans
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
News Medical
2023
August
THI
The primary care system plays a crucial role in the overall health and well-being of communities, and legislative changes contribute to the evolving health care environment. Join Texas Primary Care Consortium for a webinar with an insightful deep dive into the outcomes of the previous legislative session and examine how the decisions made have shaped the landscape of primary care. Attendees will gain the insight to make informed decisions, implement necessary changes, and contribute to the advancement of high-quality primary care services in their communities.
Click here to learn more and register [sm1.multibriefs.com]
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
The renaissance of behavioral health: 988 and crisis care [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Psychiatric Times
The one-year anniversary of the national transition to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline marks a historic moment in crisis care — a crucial piece of the overall renaissance of behavioral health, according to Colin LeClair, the CEO of Connections Health Solutions. Psychiatric Times sat down with LeClair to learn more about his thoughts on equal access to care and the importance of collaboration in behavioral health crisis care. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
LOCAL
Dallas County has the highest rate of uninsured people in North Texas: Why? [sm1.multibriefs.com]
KERA-FM
Dallas County has the highest uninsured rate among large counties in Texas, as well as major counties in the DFW region. More than one in five people in the county lack insurance to help cover medical costs. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
New virtual clinic aids trauma, violence survivors [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas A&M Today
A clinic developed by the Texas A&M Health Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing will help survivors of trauma and violence receive important follow-up care virtually. The Texas A&M Assessment and Care for Trauma Survivors Clinic connects patients with advanced practice registered nurses using telemedicine technology. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
TEXAS
HHSC offers webinar on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas Health and Human Services
During National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month in September, the HHSC Office of Disability Prevention for Children is offering a free webinar on prevention and resources open to the public. "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Impacts, Prevention and Support Strategies" will be offered in partnership with the Texas FASD Network from 10–11:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 7. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
NATIONAL AND MORE
Exploring tools for virtual behavioral health care [sm1.multibriefs.com]
mHealthIntelligence
Have social determinants of health affected COVID-19 vaccine uptake? [sm1.multibriefs.com]
News Medical
SDOH, structural barriers quell maternity outcomes for home-based care [sm1.multibriefs.com]
PatientEngagementHIT
Using technology to improve workplace safety training [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Occupational Health & Safety
New CMS rule addresses providing care to underserved communities [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Health Care Innovation
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
2023
August
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
AP News
Border Patrol does not have protocols for assessing medical needs of children with preexisting conditions, according to an independent report made public on the death of an 8-year-old girl from Panama who was in federal custody. The girl's death was "a preventable tragedy that resulted from" failures in "medical and custodial systems for children" within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that includes the Border Patrol, the report found. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
LOCAL
'Lack of visibility' makes San Antonio's COVID-19 surge difficult to measure [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas Public Radio
COVID-19 cases are surging again in Bexar County and nationwide as a new Omicron subvariant takes hold. The EG.5 variant, also known as Eris, is likely a key driver behind a 270% increase in San Antonio COVID-19 cases since early July. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
UT Health San Antonio among new Comprehensive Care Centers [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Parkinson's News Today
The Parkinson's Foundation has designated the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio a Comprehensive Care Center, making it the first such center in Texas and expanding the organization's Global Care Network. The designation heightens access to specialized multidisciplinary care for people with Parkinson's disease, which is expected to affect 1.2 million U.S. residents by 2030. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
TEXAS
The New York Times
Since the end of a pandemic-era policy that barred states from removing people from Medicaid, Texas has dropped over half a million people from the program, more than any other state. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
US study ranks Texas as 7th worst state for health care [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Spectrum News 1
A new U.S. study from WalletHub compared the health care systems of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Texas didn't fare well in the ranking. The Lone Star State was the seventh worst. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
KERA-FM
Pregnant people in almost half of the counties in Texas don't have adequate access to health care. That's according to a new report by the March of Dimes, which measures maternity care in the U.S. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
NATIONAL AND MORE
Change in access to fast food linked to population health [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Medical Xpress
83% of acute care hospitals engage in some SDOH data collection [sm1.multibriefs.com]
EHR Intelligence
Investments are needed to implement value-based care in pediatrics [sm1.multibriefs.com]
RevCycleIntelligence
Study uncovers barriers to mammography screening among Black women [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Imaging Technology News
Virtual health care has green benefits [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Wall Street Journal
Study defines disparities in memory care [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Medical Xpress
2023
August
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Rural health care disparities are greatest in US: Study [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Medscape
There are more health care disparities between rural and urban residents of the U.S. than between rural and urban residents of 10 other developed countries, according to a new study published July 7 in JAMA Network Open. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
LOCAL
Exoskeleton helps DHR Health earn Texas' only 'Center of Excellence' nod [sm1.multibriefs.com]
MyRGV.com
DHR Health celebrated as it became the only healthcare facility in Texas, and fifth in the nation, to be named a "Center of Excellence" for its wearable and robotic exoskeleton. The maker, Ekso Bionics, recognized DHR Health for the exoskeleton that acts as rehabilitation technology — the EksoNR, a robotic exoskeleton patients who've suffered from a stroke, a brain or spinal cord injury, or multiple sclerosis can wear to help in their physical rehab. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
TEXAS
Malaria in Texas: What you need to know [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas A&M Today
Through one of our nation's greatest public health successes in history, malaria was eliminated from the U.S. by about 1950. There are still malaria cases in the U.S. every year, but these are contracted in places where malaria normally occurs and then are brought into the U.S. through travel. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
HHSC highlights World Day Against Trafficking in Persons [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas Health & Human Services
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed July 30, aims to raise awareness of this serious global problem. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this year's theme, "Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind," aims to "raise awareness of disturbing developments and trends identified by UNODC and calls on governments, law enforcement, public services and civil society to assess and enhance their efforts to strengthen prevention, identify and support victims, and end impunity." Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
500K Texans have been dropped from the Medicaid rolls since April [sm1.multibriefs.com]
The Texas Tribune
Advocates are calling for a halt to removals until the state can account for why more than 80% of the people who lost Medicaid coverage were eliminated for "procedural" reasons, like not responding to messages from the state. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
NATIONAL AND MORE
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Health policy brief: Worker's health and underemployment [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Health Affairs
How tech can help curb maternal mortality for health equity [sm1.multibriefs.com]
GovernmentCIO Media
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
2023
June/July
Study finds that 8 factors put Black adults at greater risk of early death
Tulane News
Black adults who live in the U.S. have a 59% higher risk of premature death than white adults. A new study from Tulane University published in Lancet Public Health has found that this gap can be entirely explained by disparities in eight areas of life critical to health and well-being: employment, income, food security, education level, access to healthcare, quality health insurance, home ownership and marital status. Read More
LOCAL
What is ARPA-H and why does Texas want it in Dallas?
D Magazine
Dallas is part of a consortium of cities in Texas vying to be the site of a future national headquarters of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. This new government agency will support the development of high-risk, high-reward biomedical and health research to drive breakthrough solutions and real-world impact. Read More
TEXAS
New state-wide health and nature collaborative aims to get Texans outdoors for their health's sake
Texas A&M Vital Record
The desire to be outdoors increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as people who wanted to leave their homes looked for a space to practice safe social distancing. Yet as the pandemic has waned, researchers increasingly are finding that there are real and long-term health benefits from regularly being outdoors. Read More
Why some primary care providers are more likely to prescribe HIV prevention medicine to adolescents
Texas A&M Vital Record
Adolescents and young adults are one of the demographic groups most affected by HIV. In 2019, 21% of new HIV infections were among people between the ages of 13 and 24. However, despite these disproportionate figures, use of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection in this age cohort is extremely low. Read More
HHSC Highlights Elder Abuse Awareness Month
Texas Health and Human Services
Launched in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization, June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and June 15 is recognized as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This national observance provides Texas communities with the opportunity to increase understanding of elder abuse. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Inequity damages health — and drains the economy
AMA
How staffing problems cause racial health disparities in nursing homes
PatientEngagementHIT
Racial health disparities in pain levels exist in elite athletes
PatientEngagementHIT
COVID-19 patients with high air pollution exposure spent longer in hospital
E&T Magazine
News Medical
Modern Retina
​
2023
May/June
Texas Primary Care Consortium Summit Registration Open
THI
Registration is now open for the 11th Annual Texas Primary Care Consortium Summit: Creating Stronger Primary Care Together for a Healthier Texas taking place Nov. 2-3, 2023, in Houston, Texas! Participants from diverse backgrounds across the public health and health care spectrum will convene to address the prioritization of primary care in our health care system. Be part of the discussion!
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
5 takeaways from AP's series on health disparities impacting Black Americans
AP News
The Associated Press spent a year examining how racial health disparities have harmed generations of Black Americans. From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts. Read More
LOCAL
FDA green lights bionic pancreas studied at UT Health Science Center, University Health
UT Health San Antonio
While it won't cure children of type 1 diabetes, the "bionic pancreas," an artificial intelligence-powered system cleared Friday, May 19, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It will relieve youth and their parents of constant worries over estimating insulin doses and carb intake from food. Read More
Graduating pharmacy student set to attend medical school to continue serving the underserved
Texas A&M Vital Record
Graduate school is a challenge not many attempt, especially a professional degree program in the medical field. However, for one South Texan, one professional degree is not enough. Read More
TEXAS
HHSC recognizes innovators in aging
Texas Health and Human Services
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is recognizing the recipients of the 2022 Innovators in Aging award. This award honors organizations and people who have made positive impacts on the lives of older adults in Texas. Read More
NATIONAL AND MORE
Using advanced payments in population-based models to address equity
Psychosocial correlates in patterns of adolescent emotional eating and dietary consumption
Measuring and addressing the environmental factors that impact social determinants of health
Study sheds light on global disparities in mortality rates from liver disease
NIH pushed to recognize health disparities for people with disabilities
2023
April
HEALTH EQUITY SPOTLIGHT
Understanding crime, violence as a social determinant of health [sm1.multibriefs.com]
PatientEngagementHIT
As the U.S. health care system comes to understand the numerous non-clinical factors that influence health and well-being, it can begin to acknowledge exposure to crime and violence as a social determinant of health. Violence can be varied, Healthy People 2030 says on its website. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
LOCAL
Texas A&M receives $6M for cancer research center [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas A&M Today
Texas A&M University Health Science Center has been awarded a five-year, $6 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, CPRIT, to support the creation of a Texas Regional Excellence in Cancer, or TREC, Center. The grant takes advantage of resources available to Texas A&M University to establish the infrastructure required to advance a cohesive vision to address unmet needs in cancer prevention and treatment regionally and across the nation. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
TEXAS
Texas Health and Human Services
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is resuming eligibility redeterminations for approximately 5.9 million Medicaid recipients now that the federal Medicaid coverage requirement ended March 31. Federal guidance requires states to conduct a renewal determination for all Medicaid recipients over a 12-month period, and HHSC anticipates it will complete this process by May 2024. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Gov. Greg Abbott announces statewide initiatives to fight fentanyl crisis [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Office of the Texas Governor
Gov. Greg Abbott announced two major statewide initiatives to combat the growing national fentanyl crisis and save innocent lives in Texas during his One Pill Kills Summit in Austin. During a press conference following panel discussions, the Abbott unveiled a new $10 million multimedia awareness initiative through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to educate Texans on how to prevent, recognize and reverse fentanyl poisonings as part of the statewide "One Pill Kills" campaign. Read More [sm1.multibriefs.com]
NATIONAL AND MORE
How do clinicians use social determinants of health info? [sm1.multibriefs.com]
PatientEngageentHIT
Tech enables population health approach to better BP control [sm1.multibriefs.com]
American Medical Association
Impact of social determinants of cardiovascular disease risk [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Contemporary OB/GYN
American Heart Association
A closer look at how environment influences physical activity [sm1.multibriefs.com]
Texas A&M Health Vital Record
Health Affairs
Disclaimer: Texas Health Voice is intended to provide the top stories for the week on health equity, public health infrastructure, systems change, social determinants of health, innovation, and more. The news brief content does not reflect the official position or views of THI or imply endorsement, promotion of, or agreement with a particular article or viewpoint.