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Caution Urged as Officials Continue to Monitor Coronavirus - 04/07/2020

State and federal health officials continue to monitor COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 8,262 cases and 154 deaths have been confirmed in Texas, according to a tracker for Texas COVID-19 cases published by the state Department of State Health Services.

Bracing for the Big Ones: Novel Diseases like COVID-19 Could Test Texas' Public Health System - 03/31/2020

Novel diseases like COVID-19 could be a tough test for Texas’ public health system.

In Defense of Public Health: Peter Hotez, MD, on the Comeback of Preventable Diseases - 03/31/2020

Preventable diseases are back on the map, and Peter Hotez, MD, Texas’ most outspoken vaccine researcher, says physicians need to think globally to help stop the trend.

Texas Physicians Say: Remain Calm, Protect Yourself, Stay Safe - 03/17/2020

Statement by Texas Medical Association (TMA) President David C. Fleeger, MD, about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s state of emergency declaration regarding COVID-19.

House Bill 3703 (86th Texas Legislature) and Expansion of Texas’ Compassionate Use Act - 03/12/2020

In its 2019 session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3703 (Rep. Stephanie Klick), effective immediately, expand­ing the list of diseases that may be treated with low-tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) cannabis. The bill also broadened the types of specialty physicians who may qualify to register with the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas to recommend treatment with low-THC cannabis to patients. A general discussion of these changes and more are discussed here.

Coronavirus vs. Influenza: The Differences and What We Need to know - 03/12/2020

As physicians, other medical experts, and the public learn more about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, scientists are learning more about the similarities – and differences – between COVID-19 and influenza. Both viruses cause respiratory disease, yet the World Health Organization (WHO) reports there are important differences between the two and how they spread.

Fighting Epidemics: Robert Haley, MD, Wins Inaugural Nickey Award for Public Health - 03/12/2020

Robert Haley, MD's work on West Nile virus – along with numerous other achievements – earned Dr. Haley the inaugural Dr. Laurance N. Nickey Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented by the Texas Medical Association’s Council on Science and Public Health, the award recognizes a TMA member physician who has made outstanding contributions to medicine through a significant commitment to public health.

Health Organizations Praise E-Cigarette Investigation - 03/12/2020

The Texas Medical Association, along with numerous state health organizations, applauded Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s recent announcement of a multi-state investigation into the marketing and sales practices of JUUL Labs, which makes popular e-cigarette devices.

Census Undercount Could Stifle Texas’ Health Services, Doctors Say - 03/11/2020

Texas physicians are urging patients to answer the upcoming U.S. Census to ensure the state won’t lose billions of dollars’ worth of health and human services funding – a loss that could harm the patients themselves.

CDC Call March 5: What You Need to Know to Prepare for COVID-19 - 03/04/2020

Find out how to identify, manage, and care for potential patients with COVID 19 by participating in on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call and webinar on Thurs.,

What’s Better, Immunity From a Shot, or From the Disease? - 03/03/2020

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.

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Rabies Alert - 03/03/2020

State health officials say people who visited the cattle barn at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 11-14 may need to be assessed for a possible rabies exposure.

Sparking a Conversation on Vaping - 02/28/2020

A panel of lawmakers and physicians participated in a state Parent Teacher Association (PTA) town hall event at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday. The panel discussed the vaping health epidemic; issues with implementation of a state law passed last year that raised the minimum age to use or purchase tobacco products – including vaping devices – to 21; and the need for support to help students quit.

Strength in Numbers: Texas Physicians Promote U.S. Census to Improve Funding - 02/28/2020

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau tries to enumerate each person living in the U.S., and the stakes always are high. Physicians are trusted members of the community so they’re in a perfect position to talk to reluctant people about the importance of the census.

Under the Gun: How Texas Hospitals, Clinics Can Prepare for Active Shooter Situations - 02/28/2020

Texas hospitals and clinics may need to change how they prepare for active shooter situations.

Learn More About Texas Youth Health at Symposium - 02/26/2020

If you’re interested in learning more about keeping Texas teens healthy and you’d like to make new connections to thought leaders and your peers, make plans to attend the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s ninth-annual symposium, set for April 6-8 in San Antonio.

Spread the Word: Texas Needs Organ Donors - 02/25/2020

The Texas Legislature in 2019 designated Wednesday, Feb. 26, “Texas Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ Donation Registry Day." It's an effort inspired by Anh Nguyen Reiss, MD, a Houston obstetrician and gynecologist who died in 2016 of myelodysplastic syndrome. Her unsuccessful effort to find a bone marrow donor spurred greater education about the need for more donors of all types.

Zika Update: Mosquito Repellent Covered Under State Health Programs - 02/20/2020

Mosquito repellant prescriptions are covered under Medicaid and other state programs, including the Healthy Texas Women Program. And although those programs require patients to have a prescription for mosquito repellant, patients don’t need to see a physician to get one.

Public Health: Tobacco Triumph - 02/19/2020

Texas physicians got the kind of huge win on tobacco issues they haven’t seen in decades – a law to keep tobacco products away from young people.

TMA Grant to Help Combat Hepatitis in Fort Worth - 02/18/2020

Underserved patients at two Fort Worth clinics will receive testing and treatment for hepatitis B thanks to a grant from the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise — ImmunizeSM program.

Four Texas Communities Receive Vaccination Grants - 02/18/2020

Four communities across Texas will receive disease-preventing and potentially life-saving vaccinations, thanks to Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise —ImmunizeSM program. TMA recently awarded $7,600 in grants to physicians, medical students, and TMA Alliance (TMAA) chapters (comprising physician volunteers and their spouses), to provide free and low-cost vaccinations to uninsured and underinsured Texans in their hometowns. 

TMA Grant to Help Vaccinate El Pasoans for Free - 02/18/2020

Children and adults in two Texas communities, El Paso and Houston, will receive disease-preventing and potentially life-saving vaccinations, thanks to special grants from the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise —ImmunizeSM program. TMA recently awarded $3,300 in grants to TMA chapters at two of the state’s medical schools to provide free vaccinations to uninsured and underinsured Texans in their hometowns.

TMA Grant to Help Vaccinate Houstonians for Free - 02/18/2020

Children and adults in two Texas communities, Houston and El Paso, will receive disease-preventing and potentially life-saving vaccinations, thanks to special grants from the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise —ImmunizeSM program. TMA recently awarded $3,300 in grants to TMA chapters at two of the state’s medical schools to provide free vaccinations to uninsured and underinsured Texans in their hometowns.

TMA Grant to Help San Antonians Fight Flu - 02/18/2020

Underserved patients at various San Antonio clinics will receive influenza vaccines thanks to a grant from the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise — ImmunizeSM program. TMA recently awarded the TMA Chapter at UT Health San Antonio’s Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine the funds to provide 150 free flu shots for patients at five student-run clinics. Vaccines will be given weekly through the end of January.

Reaching for the Cure: Texas Medicaid Doesn't Cover Hepatitis C Drugs Until Patients Are Seriously Ill - 02/18/2020

Infectious disease specialist Ogechika Alozie, MD, has a ready-made solution for patients diagnosed with hepatitis C now that five medications can rid patients of this deadly disease. But for Texas Medicaid patients, there’s a catch. The program does not pay for the cure based just on a diagnosis. Instead, Medicaid pays only after a blood test, biopsy, or sonogram shows the liver is so badly damaged that it’s on the verge of cirrhosis. At that point, patients who get the medication will be cured of their hepatitis C but more vulnerable to other deadly illnesses, like liver cancer.