Texas women candidates won or made it to runoffs in more than 50 primary races statewide amid a surge in interest in running for office among women around the country.
Marissa Evans
Marissa Evans reported on health and human services policy for the Tribune from 2016 to 2019. Before the Tribune she reported for CQ Roll Call in D.C., where she covered state legislatures and health care issues. Her reporting has appeared in Civil Eats, NBC BLK, Cosmo for Latinas, Kaiser Health News, The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Star Tribune and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. She is a 2013 alumna of Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Outgoing state Rep. Helen Giddings reflects on legacy ahead of primary race for her seat
Four candidates — Carl Sherman, a two-term former mayor of DeSoto; Deshaundra Lockhart Jones, a sitting DeSoto City Council member; Victoria Walton, a small business owner and Christopher Graham — are vying for Giddings’ open seat in the March 6 primary race.
Posted in
Health care
Texas clinics flooded with “tsunami” of flu patients — and the season may not have peaked yet
More than 4,000 Texans have died from flu-related illnesses this season, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Posted in
Health care
Texas community health centers fear layoffs, closures without federal funding
Twenty-three million people — including 1.3 million Texans — may lose access to community health centers in the next several weeks if the federal government doesn’t renew funding for them.
Posted in
Health care
Health agency leader: “We welcome” audits into contracting issues
Texas Health and Human Services executive commissioner Charles Smith said during a speech Thursday that his agency is working to improve how it handles contracts.
Posted inState Government
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus calls for investigation into state health agency contracting
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said that the House Appropriations Committee or the General Investigating and Ethics Committee should look into the Health and Human Services Commission’s practices for contract oversight.
Posted in
Courts
Texas fetal remains burial rule blocked by federal court again
U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra ruled Monday afternoon that Texas cannot move forward with the rule, citing that the Texas Department of State Health Services’ arguments “lack merit.”
Posted inState Government
Federal judge says Texas still needs oversight to fix its “broken” foster care system
In a 116-page order, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack said Texas has dragged its heels on foster care reform and continues to need oversight as it tries to find fixes.
Posted in
Dangerous Deliveries
A shrinking number of rural Texas hospitals still deliver babies. Here’s what that means for expecting moms.
Across Texas, rural hospitals are facing a difficult decision: Whether to continue delivering babies as the number of births falls and the cost of providing the service rises.
Posted in
Dangerous Deliveries
Dangerous deliveries: Are Texas lawmakers doing enough to reduce maternal deaths?
After a months-long investigation, the Tribune found that the state’s data on maternal mortality is a moving target, that the number of women dying during or after pregnancy is still rising and that the state has missed opportunities to improve women’s health programs.