Related Stories

TMA Grants to Help Your Practice Improve Local Vaccination Rates - 01/13/2026

Apply for a grant. Vaccines Defend What Matters (formerly Be Wise – Immunize) is TMA’s integrated, multimedia public health education and advocacy effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates in Texas. 

Budget Crunch: Uncertainty Besets Texas’ Public Health Infrastructure as Federal Funding Streams Dry Up - 12/24/2025

Federal budget cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and other federal actions could hinder public health initiatives in Texas in 2026.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Defeats Concerning Vaccine Bills For Second Session in a Row - 12/08/2025

Two bills that did survive will took effect Sept. 1, one of which imposes a specific informed consent form on physicians.

TMA Foundation Grants Immunize Communities, Educate Patients - 10/22/2025

The TMA Foundation offers grants of up to $3,500 to fund vaccination activities, educational resources, and community outreach events. This year’s awardees will provide free immunizations and aim to reduce barriers to care.

Adverse Event Reporting Law Targets Emergency Use, Experimental Vaccines - 10/17/2025

A new state law effective Sept. 1 requires physicians to report serious adverse events for patients who receive emergency use-authorized (EUA) vaccines, but the recent termination of certain authorizations may narrow the bill’s impact going forward.

Talk to Patients About: Vaccines During Pregnancy - 09/11/2025

Protecting moms and babies from certain diseases often starts with pregnant women. Child-bearing women may not realize they pass on disease-fighting antibodies to their babies, protecting them early in life. That protection improves greatly when women get certain vaccines before and during pregnancy. They also may not realize getting vaccinated right after pregnancy can stop the spread of illnesses.  

Combating Measles Resource Center - 08/12/2025

Get caught up on measles-related news from state and federal agencies, as well as TMA's actions and resources, with this webpage. Find information from DSHS, patient-facing materials, and links to clinical insights.

Measles Threat in West Texas Wanes, But Endemic Risk Persists - 07/30/2025

As the state’s numbers stabilize, public health authorities reiterate the importance of communication and information sharing amid an outbreak. TMA members can support immunization activities in their communities with a Vaccines Defend What Matters grant.

El Paso Physician Broadcast Arms Public with Health Care Knowledge - 07/29/2025

Physician-led efforts to educate patients on vaccines may help the U.S. battle recent surges of preventable diseases.

What’s Better, Immunity From a Shot, or From the Disease? - 07/21/2025

Although suffering through a disease sometimes gives you immunity from catching that same disease later in life, vaccinating against diseases instead is the safest way to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Texas Physicians Explain Herd Immunity Needed to Fight Contagious-Disease Hotspots - 07/21/2025

A community with enough vaccinated people can protect each other from the spread of contagious disease. Herd immunity – also known as community immunity – protects those who are not immune and those who cannot or choose not to get vaccinated.

Vaccines Still Offer Best Protection Against Respiratory Viruses, Medicine Affirms in Open Letter - 06/25/2025

Alongside the American Medical Association and state medical societies nationwide, TMA added its signatory to a reaffirmation of the value of vaccines to protect against flu, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses ahead of an expected difficult season.

TMA Grants Build Community Connections for Underserved Patients - 06/24/2025

Applications are open through Aug. 22 for Vaccines Defend What Matters local impact grants. The $3,500 grants, funded by the TMA Foundation, can be used to vaccinate underserved and uninsured populations and toward outreach initiatives that address vaccine hesitancy. Read more.

Apply for Local Impact Grants to Provide Free Immunizations in Your Community - 05/15/2025

Applications are open for TMA Foundation grants of up to $3,500 to support vaccine provision and education. The deadline to apply for the current cycle of grants is May 23, and the funds can be put to use in a variety of ways to serve your community.  

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.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Protect Immunizations to Protect Public Health - 01/06/2025

TMA will work to safeguard immunizations this legislative session.

State Law Banning Refusal of Care to Certain Unvaccinated Patients Takes Effect - 11/18/2024

Starting Sept. 1, a new state law prohibits clinicians caring for patients enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to refuse health care services based on their vaccination status.

TMA Testifies on a Flurry of Public Health, Insurance Bills - 11/18/2024

As of the March 10 bill filing deadline, state lawmakers had introduced more than 9,000 pieces of legislation, establishing a new record and teeing up the Texas Medical Association’s busiest session yet.

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

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

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.

CMS Ups Seasonal Flu Vaccine Payment - 09/09/2024

On Aug. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services increased payments to physicians for influenza vaccines and updated which codes physicians should use when billing for the service during the 2024-25 flu season.

New Poster Encourages Flu Vaccination Amid COVID-19 - 07/22/2024

“COVID-19 is here, but so is the flu.” That is the message of a new downloadable poster available from the Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – Immunize program to help you stress the need for flu vaccination, this year more than ever.

Vaccine Grants Improve Patient Access - 06/17/2024

One of many ways the Texas Medical Association fights to bridge gaps in care, the Vaccines Defend What Matters program has announced its first round of 2024 grantees, who address pressing immunization needs while reaching underserved communities.

TMA Vaccination Grants Connect Hard-to-Reach Patients; Apply by May 1 - 03/28/2024

Dozens of patients in the Lubbock area are up to date on their vaccinations thanks to a local impact grant from the Texas Medical Association, which has opened the latest 2024 application cycle for vaccine outreach programs until May 1.