With Abortion Rights On the Brink, Planned Parenthood Stays Focused

Monday was a weird time to be celebrating for Planned Parenthood. The venerable reproductive rights advocacy organization and healthcare provider faces attacks from all sides. President Donald Trump wants to strip the organization of millions in federal funding; multiple speakers at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference accused abortion providers…

Dallas County Flu Season Claims Its Sixth Death

Dallas County health officials announced late Friday that an 89-year-old Dallas resident is the sixth person in the county to succumb to the flu this month. Dallas County Health and Human Services doesn’t release any additional information about virus or infection victims. Each of the six Dallas County deaths this…

Ken Paxton’s Got a New Plan to Keep Texas Off Opioids

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rolled out the state’s next big plan to save Texans from U.S.’ ongoing opioid epidemic Tuesday afternoon: A website and some seriously weird stock photography. “The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids cost lives and devastate Texas families in every region of our state,” Paxton…

Dallas County Hit With First Flu Deaths of 2018-19 Season

Two adults are the first Dallas County residents to die from the flu this season, Dallas County Health and Human Services officials announced Wednesday afternoon. The two victims were 59 and 66 years old, according to the county, which does not provide any additional identifying information about those who succumb…

What Friday’s Affordable Care Act Ruling Means for Texas

The headline — “Fort Worth Judge Strikes Down Affordable Care Act” — was easy enough to understand, at least on its face, Friday evening. The potential fallout was harder to break down. Yes, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, handpicked by the Texas Attorney General’s Office to hear its claims that…

Texas Has Highest Rate of Uninsured Children In United States

More adult Texans, and a higher percentage of them, are without health insurance than anywhere else in the United States, the Observer reported in September. A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families shows that kids in the state are no better off. More than 835,000 Texas…

CDC Is Conducting a National Health Survey in Dallas

Those people knocking on Dallas County doors with a badge and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ID aren’t late trick-or-treaters vying for extra candy. They’re health examiners from the CDC gathering data for a national health survey known for developing understanding of national health conditions. The National Health and…

Texas Ends Health Contracts With Anti-Abortion Group

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced Friday afternoon that it is ending its contract with an anti-abortion group receiving millions from the state to provide women’s health services as part of multiple programs. The Heidi Group, according to the state, repeatedly failed to serve the number of patients…

Today, Fort Worth Is the Center of the Political Universe

A federal lawsuit that could end up harming millions of Texans kicks off in earnest this morning in Fort Worth. A coalition of states, led by Texas and its attorney general, Ken Paxton, will argue in front of a federal judge that the Affordable Care Act, despite being ruled constitutional…

In the Midst of Obamacare Fight, Ken Paxton Turns on Texas

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is about to find out if the Affordable Care Act covers cutting off your nose to spite your face. Last month, as filings in the Paxton-led lawsuit against President Barack Obama’s signature achievement piled up in federal court, the Texas attorney general slipped a new…

First Dallas Resident Dies of West Nile Virus In 2018

A Northwest Dallas resident is the first person to die from West Nile Virus in Dallas County in 2018, Dallas County Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The patient lived in the 75229 ZIP code area north of Love Field Airport. DCHHS did not disclose any additional details in order…