Stories written by Sean Price

Talk to Patients About: How Vaccines Work - 08/18/2025

Ignorance is a well-known cause of vaccine hesitancy. Physicians can step into that void to teach patients about what vaccines are and why they’re important. That includes information about the risks and benefits of vaccines, how quickly illnesses spread, and the symptoms and complications of natural infection.

Talk to Patients About: Diphtheria - 08/18/2025

Most people know little about diphtheria today thanks to the effectiveness of its vaccine. But fear of this highly contagious bacterial infection – which chokes off patients’ ability to breathe –  was once so strong that it accidentally gave birth to a major sporting event: the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.

Talk to Patients About: Hib - 08/18/2025

Despite its name, Haemophilus influenzae type b – or Hib – doesn’t cause influenza. In the 1890s, doctors thought this bacteria might cause flu and – despite later research showing flu is caused by a virus – the name stuck. But Hib does cause several severe illnesses, mostly among children under 5 years old. Meningitis is the most common.

Talk to Patients About: Tetanus - 08/13/2025

Almost all U.S. tetanus cases occur among people who are unvaccinated or did not receive a booster shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National Suicide Hotline Changes to Simpler “988” Format - 08/08/2025

People coping with suicidal thoughts can now call 988, the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Address Delayed Care Pileup, TMA Tells House Panel - 08/08/2025

The COVID-19 pandemic strained an already overburdened primary health care system in Texas, making it vital that state lawmakers back measures that encourage patients to see a physician and catch up on delayed care before it gets even worse, Tyler pediatrician Valerie Smith, MD, told the Texas House of Representatives Select Committee on Health Care Reform.

TMA Moment in Time: Hurricane Harvey Response - 07/08/2025

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped a record 60 inches of rain in four days on the Gulf Coast region. The Texas Medical Association quickly put together a response that helped physicians in need and saved lives among those affected by the storm.

Talk to Patients About: Measles - 02/24/2025

Few Americans today remember when measles was deadly. But before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease killed about 2.6 million globally each year. By 2016, vaccination programs cut that number to about 89,000.

Patient Care Protected: Medicaid Payment Increase - 11/18/2024

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to help physicians grow their Medicaid panels and access to care with healthier payment rates.

Patient Care Protected: Medicaid Coverage for Women and Children - 11/18/2024

The Texas Medical Association achieved a key legislative objective this session with the passage of House Bill 12 by Rep. Toni Rose (D-Dallas), which extends Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months to one year.

Abbott Signals Support for Opioid Crisis Interventions: Federal Efforts Also Are Underway - 11/18/2024

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in February listed the fentanyl crisis as one of seven “emergency” items this session, clearing a path toward passage of Texas Medical Association-backed legislation that aims to curb opioid-related deaths.

Travel Advisory: Travel Details Can Help Uncover a Diagnosis - 11/18/2024

Physicians can aid in the prevention and spread of travel-related illnesses with thorough questioning on trip history.

Smart Money: Grants Boost Vaccine Efforts - 09/27/2024

Vaccines Defend What Matters grants give vaccine efforts a shot in the arm

Texas Physicians Propose Mass Violence Prevention Strategies - 09/20/2024

How should Texas address the incidents of mass violence that have rocked the state in recent years? Physicians laid out medicine’s priorities before a special committee of the Texas House of Representatives late last week. The hearing  of the House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Comm

DSHS Seeks More Funding for Lab, Fighting Maternal Deaths - 09/19/2024

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is asking state lawmakers for new or “exceptional” funding to help the agency tackle several important health concerns facing the state, according to Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD.

Get Up to Date on New Fetal Death Reporting in Texas - 09/19/2024

Currently, Texas physicians must report fetal deaths on paper forms. But beginning Aug. 1, those records will be filed electronically to the Texas Electronic Vital Events Registrar, also called TxEVER. To help physicians prepare for the transition, the Texas Department of State Health Services will host a physician-only webinar from 6:30 to 7:30 pm July 30.

Talk to Patients About: Varicella - 09/19/2024

The varicella-zoster virus  does double-duty: It can cause chickenpox when you’re young and reactivate later in life as a painful, blistery rash called shingles. Well, there’s a vaccine for each disease.

Talk to Patients About: Rubella - 09/19/2024

The virus that causes rubella often appears deceptively mild — so mild in fact that one-quarter to half of people infected with it will have no symptoms at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccination is the best protection.

Spread of Travel-Related Illnesses Tracks Increase in International Travel - 09/17/2024

As international travel has picked up, so too has the spread of travel-related infectious diseases and physicians' responsibility to more thoroughly investigate patients' travel plans and history during visits.

Talk to Patients About: Breakthrough Infections for COVID-19 Vaccinations - 09/13/2024

 The new mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are highly effective at giving people immunity against the disease. But as with all other vaccines, that immunity is not 100% for everyone who receives them.  

Suicide Risk in Kids With Adverse Childhood Experiences Exacerbated by Pandemic - 09/13/2024

Suicide and suicidal thoughts among high school students who have accumulated adverse childhood experiences became a concern among health care professionals before 2020. But the “social and educational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated concerns about adolescents’ mental health and suicidal behavior,” according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Class Care: School-Based Health Centers Deliver Care to At-Risk Youth - 08/27/2024

School-based health centers in Texas deliver physical and behavioral care to at-risk youth.

Texas Making Strides to Support 988 Suicide Hotline - 08/20/2024

Texas’ performance with the nation’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – launched by a 2022 federal law – is seeking to catch up to other states in important areas, according to a new study, as the resource remains underused in part because many physicians and patients are not aware of it.  

New Tyler Medical School Wins Approval - 08/09/2024

 The University of Texas Board of Regents late last month unanimously approved the first medical school in East Texas – and the 16th in the state – at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler.

CDC: Drinking Raw Milk Doesn’t Protect Against Avian Flu - 08/07/2024

The spread of the A(H5N1) virus, or avian flu, has forced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to warn people away from drinking raw milk contaminated with the virus as a way to acquire antibodies against the disease. The unsupported practice significantly increases risk of illness. Read more.