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Income, location and trust issues can contribute to health disparities in the Latinx community. (Krakenimages.com/Adobe Stock)

TX nonprofits address health disparities in Latino community

Nonprofits across Texas are coming together to address disparities in health care for the Latinx community. A report by the Commonwealth Fund shows …

Community health workers provide a trust-based relational framework for addressing nonmedical health drivers of health and connecting families to medical resources and social services. (Prostock-studio/Adobe Stock)

Central Texas nonprofit addresses health inequities for new moms

A program in Georgetown, in Williamson County, is working to improve health outcomes for low-income residents by helping them gain access to …

Texas educators said they want democratic representation and a voice in decision-making as-well-as professional training and development. (shootsroom/Adobe Stock)

TX educators prepare for upcoming legislative session

Texas educators spent the summer in meetings and workshops devising a playbook for the upcoming Texas legislative session. The Educator's Bill of …

Liquefied gas export terminals have zeroed in on the Texas Coast for a major expansion of the industry. (AA+W/Adobe Stock)

Climate activists along TX coast want LNG ban

Climate and environmental activists along the Texas Coast are celebrating after receiving favorable news from an insurance company covering liquefied …

The Texas Association of Health Care Centers says the state has a growing number of uninsured adults with severe chronic diseases, driving up the cost of care and forcing clinics to be creative in finding operating funds. (Adobe Stock)

National Health Center Week shows community clinics' challenges

This is National Health Center Week, and medical groups point to the growing demand for affordable healthcare services at a time when over 100 …

The story of the Blackwell School is one of

National Park Service to preserve painful history in Texas

A schoolhouse in far West Texas has been designated as a unit of the U.S. National Park System. The Blackwell School is a former de facto segregated …

Using the data and maps, Bastrop County Cares has been convening different stakeholders to identify areas of need to help develop solutions to address the broadband shortage in rural Texas areas. (tippapatt/Adobe Stock)

Retired TX geoscientist uses talent to connect rural community to the web

By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabora…

Among 3- and 4-year-olds in Texas, 58% are not in school. (Seventyfour/Adobe Stock)

Texas remains near bottom in kids well-being

Texas is near the bottom in this year's annual Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book, which studies trends in child well-being. The report …

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up almost 6% of the Texas population. Texas ranks third among all states with the largest AAPI population, after California and New York. (Trueffelpix/Adobe Stock)

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in TX face health disparities

Almost half of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who live in Texas are skipping routine healthcare because of cost, according to a survey by …

The five states included in the Gulf Coast Resilience Network are Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana. (Rawpixel.com/Adobe Stock)

Child care centers along the TX coast prep for hurricane season

The advocacy group Save the Children is working with child care providers along the Texas coast ahead of the upcoming hurricane season. The …

The latest report from the Federal Trade Commission found some grocery price increases were unwarranted during the pandemic. (polack/Adobe Stock)

Report: Grocery prices unnecessarily inflated during pandemic

Americans got a bit of a reprieve last month, as food and auto prices dipped for the first time in 90 days. As Texas households continue to deal …

Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study is the only one providing local-level estimates of food insecurity and costs for every county and congressional district. (disha1980/Adobe Stock)

Report: Texas tops nation in food insecurity

Texas leads the nation in food insecurity. According to the latest "Map the Meal Gap" study, from Feeding America, nearly 5 million people in the …

Texas, Florida, Georgia and California have seen the largest declines in numbers of children enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP. Together, the four states account for half of the total national decrease in children insured in these programs. (Andrii/Adobe Stock)

More than 1 million TX children disenrolled from Medicaid, CHIP

More than one million children in Texas no longer have health insurance through Medicaid, despite being eligible for coverage, according to a new …

Texas, Florida, Georgia y California registraron los mayores descensos en el n�mero de ni�os inscritos en Medicaid/CHIP. Los cuatro estados representan la mitad de la disminuci�n total nacional de ni�os asegurados en estos programas. (Andrii/Adobe Stock)

Más de 1 millón de niños de TX dados de baja de Medicaid/CHIP

Más de un millón de niños en Texas ya no tienen seguro médico a través de Medicaid, a pesar de ser elegibles para la …

Migrants are put on buses from Texas to other states, often without knowing where they are going. (afishman64/Adobe Stock)

Concerns raised about migrant children's mental health

The future of Senate Bill 4 is still tangled in court challenges. It's the Texas law that would allow police to arrest people for illegally crossing …

New research from the Episcopal Health Foundation showed the Texas economy could save billions of dollars, simply by breaking the cycle of preventable health disparities. (Colored Lights/Adobe Stock)

New study shows health disparities cost TX billions of dollars

Health disparities in Texas are not only making some people sick, but affecting the state's economy. A new study shows Texas is losing $7 billion a …

It's estimated that Direct File would save the average user $160 in filing fees, and hours of their time, each year. (Parradee/Adobe Stock)

Free IRS tool can help Texans file taxes

CLARIFICATION: In last paragraph, it is estimated that 4 million Texans are eligible to use the Direct File program, not that 4 million will actually …

All libraries that are awarded funding through Libraries for Health are part of a collaborative learning cohort. (Liz Moskowitz)

For Central Texans, libraries can be a mental health resource

This is National Library Week, honoring the many roles that libraries play in their communities. In central Texas, a pilot program is using the …

As of Oct. 2023, the average teacher salary was $68,000 a year, which is 8% less than the average for U.S. workers overall. (Drazen/Adobe Stock)

University of Texas El Paso targets teacher shortage

It's estimated that nearly half of all schools in the country don't have enough teachers. To help change that, the University of Texas in El Paso …

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 43% of public school students attend schools where a majority of them are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. (Adobe Stock)

Texas food bank, schools team up to help needy families

To reach more hungry families, one Texas nonprofit is setting up mini food markets in schools. The Tarrant Area Food Bank in North Texas provides 60…

Neighborhoods lacking sidewalks can discourage people from getting exercise which could improve their health. (JacobLund/AdobeStock)

TX health foundation broadens focus beyond the doctor's office

There are Texas ZIP codes where people with lower incomes and few health services have a 20-year difference in life expectancy than those who are more…

Los datos federales sugieren que al menos siete de cada 10 personas han perdido su cobertura de Medicaid por motivos de procedimiento, como el incumplimiento de plazos, la p�rdida de documentaci�n en el correo o la lentitud en la tramitaci�n por parte de las agencias estatales. (zimmytws/Adobestock)

'Unwinding' de Medicaid cobra alto precio a niños de Texas

Durante la pandemia, aún más niños estadounidenses tuvieron seguro médico, pero ahora que los estados están obligados a …

Texas is among 17 states with the lowest public school spending per student, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. (wavebreak3/Adobe Stock)

Texas Senate makes school vouchers its priority in education funding

Public schoolteachers in Texas say the state desperately needs to boost its overall investment in students and education programs. Instead, lawmakers …

The number of Texans who skipped or postponed some sort of health care because of cost has reached an all-time high, according to a new survey by the Episcopal Health Foundation. (Malik/peopleimages.com/AdobeStock)

Poll: Texans skip, delay medical care as affordability, access worsens

More than half of those who responded to a new Texas health care poll said it is becoming more difficult to afford, and the number of those who do …

President Joe Biden does not believe the U.S.-Mexican border wall built by his predecessor was effective, but cited a 2019 congressional appropriation of funds as the reason for new border wall in the Rio Grande Valley. (AerialStockFootage/Adobe Stock)

South Texas opponents of new border wall promise resistance

Opponents of previous efforts to build a border wall in South Texas are reeling from the Biden administration's announcement last week to resume…

Due to service disruptions caused by the three-year pandemic, the Social Security Administration plans to implement a new telephone platform for its toll-free number by the end of 2023. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Many Texans May Be Unaware They're Eligible for SSI Benefits

Most people eligible for Social Security know what's required to access the program, but another federal program aimed at underserved communities …

The overall number of Americans without health insurance dropped to a record low in the first three months of 2023, a number expected to rise as Medicaid rolls are purged post-pandemic. (NewAfrica/AdobeStock)

Texans Navigate the Post-Pandemic Medicaid Purge

A nationwide purge of Medicaid rolls is underway after a three-year pause during the pandemic. And in Texas, most of those dropped are children…

Families of at least 3.7 million Texas children would have been eligible for summer federal food assistance that the state declined to pursue. (highwaystarz/Adobe Stock)

Texas Families Lose Out on Summer Food Assistance

Many Texas families are still struggling financially post-COVID. Nonetheless, the state turned down millions of dollars in federal aid for summer …

The lack of nearby and affordable child care in the U.S. affects job opportunities and costs the economy $122 billion annually, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (mmg1design/Adobe Stock)

Report: Texas Ranks 44th in Nation for Child Well-Being

Child well-being in Texas is on the ropes, with a new study showing significant declines in third grade reading, eighth grade math proficiency and …

For every $1 invested in ARRIBA - El Paso's workforce development program - the local economy receives $28 back, according to a 2021 study by the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness. (Rob/Adobe Stock)

TX Model Transforms Low-Income Students Into Skilled Professionals

For more than two decades, a workforce development program in El Paso has invested in the economically disadvantaged to help them attain the …

Por cada $1 invertido en ARRIBA, programa de desarrollo de la fuerza laboral de El Paso, la econom�a local recibe $28 de vuelta, seg�n un estudio de 2021 del Instituto Hunt para la Competitividad Global. (Rob/Adobe Stock)

TX Modelo transforma a estudiantes de bajos ingresos en profesionales

Durante más de dos décadas, un programa de desarrollo de la fuerza laboral en El Paso ha invertido en los económicamente …

The U.S. Army had its highest number of active duty personnel in 2020, according to Statista.com. (PatouRicard/Pixabay)

TX Writer: Low-Income Youths Targeted for Military Service

By Aina Marzia for Yes! Media.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the YES! Media-Public News Service Collaboration …

Texas kids are some of the least likely in the nation to receive adequate health care, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (everytexan.org)

2022 Report: Texas Ranks 45th for Child Well-Being

When it comes to child well-being, Texas is slipping further behind, according to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book, compiled by the Annie E. Casey …

The Episcopal Health Foundation recently announced grants totally $21 million to help community-based organizations and clinics address non-medical, social factors that impact health. (episcopalhealth.org)

Going Beyond the Doctor's Office to Treat Community Health Needs

The new leader of Houston's Episcopal Health Foundation says the COVID pandemic, and now monkeypox, shine a light on Texas populations that are …

Black communities bear disproportionate hardships of the environmental crisis, but have historically been left out of the environmental movement. (upstreamsolutions.org)

Environmentalists: Education, Empowerment Needed Post-Juneteenth

Juneteenth celebrations this month commemorated freedom, but Black and Brown people are still disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices …

Pregnant women in Texas are more likely to be uninsured and less likely to seek early prenatal care than the rest of the country. (SzilardSzabo/Pixabay)

High Court's Abortion Ruling Sets Up Texas Ban, Criminalization

The ruling on abortion by the U.S. Supreme Court has returned the issue to the states, fulfilling long-held goals of Republican lawmakers in Texas to …

One of the only bright spots in the USDA's food-price predictions for 2022 is that fresh vegetables are expected to rise in price just 1 to 2%. (Travel Photographer/Negative Space)

Along with Prices, Hunger Rises in Texas

Prices for food, gas and housing are all higher in Texas this year than last. And for local food banks, that means the need for their services is …

In Texas, 16% of residents say the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe financial suffering. (islandworks/Pixabay)

TX Survey: Hispanics Suffer Greatest Financial Hardship from COVID-19

Half of Texas residents say COVID-19 has caused them financial hardship, and Hispanic families faced the most severe consequences, according to a new …

The number of Texas foster children in temporary lodgings rose from 47 in August 2020 to roughly 400 a year later, while the average length of stay increased from 3.6 nights to 18 nights, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (wokandapix/Pixabay) <br />

TX Children's Advocates Want Foster Care System Fixed ASAP

The Texas foster-care system is suffering a severe shortage of safe and appropriate placement homes, resulting in an expert panel being convened to …

About one in 10 births in the U.S. happens in Texas, but the state's maternal mortality rate is 6% higher than the U.S. rate overall. (regina_zulauf/Pixabay)

Build Back Better Would Close Gap in TX Kids' Health Coverage

HOUSTON -- Children's advocates say the difficulty in providing health coverage for poor families in Texas could be largely solved if the Build Back B…

In recent months, record numbers of teenagers and children traveling without their parents and in need of shelter have arrived at the U.S. border with Mexico. (U.S. Border Patrol via Twitter)

Opponents of U.S. Immigration Policies March in El Paso

EL PASO, Texas - A group that opposes U.S. immigration policies and holding children at military bases is protesting today by walking to Fort Bliss …

A first-of-its-kind project will benefit three Texas clinics that address the health needs of communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. (kentdufault/Pixabay)

Pilot Project Aims to Build Climate Resilience at TX Health Clinics

HOUSTON, Texas -- Climate-change events can create a significant challenge for community health centers serving clients in states such as Texas…

Texas ranks as the fifth-highest state for senior food insecurity, according to Feeding Texas. (texasimpact.org)

TX Lawmakers Urged to Remove Barriers for Vulnerable SNAP Recipients

AUSTIN, Texas -- Hunger relief organizations say the pandemic combined with February's unexpected winter storm in Texas has highlighted the state's …

Los peque�os negocios emplearon al 45% de trabajadores del sector privado en Texas, antes de el inicio de la pandemia, de acuerdo a la

Legisladores de TX revisan Iniciativa para Ayudar a Trabajadores a Ahorrar para el Retiro

AUSTIN, Texas -- Para los habitantes de Texas, la pandemia empeoró las posibilidades de ahorro; pero una iniciativa de ley presentada a la …

White people have consistently higher retirement incomes than do Black or Hispanic people, and men have higher retirement incomes than women, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security. (antonynjora/Pixabay)

Post-COVID, Women Encouraged to Assertively Save for Retirement

AUSTIN, Texas - Many who were on track for a secure financial retirement were thrown a curve by the novel coronavirus pandemic, and financial experts …

By solid margins, voters in Texas support extending the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a survey by Data for Progress. (childrensdefense.org)

Will COVID-19 Stimulus Dollars Turn Texas Toward Medicaid Expansion?

AUSTIN, Texas -- The COVID-19 relief bill is packed with incentives to encourage 12 holdout states to expand Medicaid, but it's unclear if Texas and …

A rare winter storm in Texas last month led to the deployment of the National Guard to conduct welfare checks and move many residents to one of 135 local warming centers. (besnopile/pixabay)

Texas Senior Advocates Issue Plea for Winter-Storm Utility-Bill Assistance

AUSTIN, Texas -- Responding to older Texans hit particularly hard by the massive winter-storm power outage last month, AARP Texas and the Texas Legal …

The best states for children during the pandemic are Minnesota, Utah, Washington and New Hampshire, while the worst are Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and New Mexico, according to a new report from Save the Children. (marcinjozwiak/Pixabay)

COVID's Devastating Impact on Texas Children

AUSTIN, Texas -- When it comes to protecting children during the pandemic, Texas has not fared well compared with many other states. A new report …

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TX: Poverty Issues