Houston Methodist taking on new transplant patients after investigation into competing hospitalโs surgeon
Houston Methodist is currently evaluating nearly 75 patients who were in the care of Memorial Hermann before their liver and kidney transplant programs shut down this month for internal and federal investigations.
Emergency rooms not required to perform life-saving abortions, federal appeals court rules
The Biden administration reminded hospitals of their obligation to perform life-saving abortions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Texas sued, arguing it was an overstep that mandated abortions.
New rules aim to make foster care with family easier, provide protection for LGBTQ+ children
The Biden administration is moving to make it easier for caregivers to take in family members in the foster care system, requiring states to provide them with the same financial support that any other foster home would receive.
Marijuana recommendation from Health Dept. hailed by senators as first step to easing restrictions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders are hailing it as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.
U.S. Department of HHS secretary reveals action plan to protect womenโs access to reproductive health care in response to SCOTUS decision
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra held a press conference on Tuesday to announce an action plan in response to the Supreme Courtโs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Trump administration extends health care safety net for uninsured Texans
In the final days of President Donald Trumpโs tenure, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agreed Friday to extend for 10 years Texasโ health care safety net for uninsured residents. The federal funding agreement, known as the 1115 waiver, reimburses hospitals for the โuncompensated careโ they provide to patients without health insurance. It also pays for innovative health care projects that serve low-income Texans, often for mental health services. But a few months after the signing of the Texas waiver, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling gutted the Medicaid expansion portion of the sweeping federal health law. Three Texas organizations that advocate for expanded health care said in a recent letter to the federal government that the coronavirus pandemic has left even more people uninsured.
States to receive initial $3 billion infusion for vaccines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said $3 billion for vaccine efforts should go out to states by Jan. 19, along with $19 billion of additional aid for coronavirus testing and contact tracing. It will be up to states to decide exactly how to use the money. The vaccine money is being distributed among states through a formula that also allots portions to certain large cities and U.S. territories. The federal law leaves it up to states to decide how much, if any, of the vaccine money to pass on to local health departments. The federal law authorized $8.7 billion for coronavirus vaccine distribution and tracking, with at least $4.5 billion set aside for states and localities.
Federal officials discuss Operation Warp Speed and COVID-19 vaccine distribution
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense gave a briefing with on Operation Warp Speed and COVID-19 vaccine distribution. You can watch the briefing in the video attached to this story.
Top federal health officials visit Baylor College of Medicine for an update on COVID-19 vaccine trial
Two of the countryโs top health officials, Eric Hargan, the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and U.S. Four vaccines are now in Phase 3 human trials, including one at Baylor College of Medicine. Health officials said they wonโt support a vaccineโs approval unless the trial includes a large and diverse group of volunteers. Getting a safe and effective vaccine across the finish line, from a research point of view, is only step one of the process. They discovered delivering substantial quantities of a vaccine, which health officials said could happen by the end of the year, will logistically be the hardest vaccine distribution in history.
2 federally funded COVID-19 testing sites set to begin operating in Harris County Monday
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will open two additional temporary COVID-19 surge testing sites in Harris County come Monday. HHS began operating two testing sites in Houston and Pasadena last week. The two new testing sites will begin operating on Monday in Houston and Kingwood. The testing sites were established through a partnership with HHS Assistant Secretary for Health ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD, the State of Texas, Harris County, and the City of Houston. As we address surges in COVID-19 cases across the state, increasing testing is essential to detecting and mitigating the spread of this virus, said Abbott.
Virus cases jump in worst-hit trio of US, Brazil and India
The virus is showing no signs of slowing in the worst-affected countries: the United States, Brazil and India. The U.S. reported nearly 59,000 new daily cases, just short of the record 60,000 cases set a day earlier, as President Donald Trump insisted that schools reopen in the fall. Brazil reported nearly 45,000 new cases. The virus has also been spreading rapidly in South Africa, which reported nearly 9,000 new cases in its latest daily update. He complained that his own public health officials safety guidelines are impractical and too expensive.
Federal government postpones plans to close five coronavirus testing sites in Texas
National Guard members at a mobile COVID-19 testing site at Uhland Elementary School in Uhland on June 18, 2020. According to a department statement, the extension is in response to requests from state leaders. State, local and federal elected officials from Texas had urged the Trump administration to keep the sites open as cases surge in the state. The seven sites are in Houston, Dallas and El Paso. "These federally-supported testing sites are a vital component of this commitment," Gov.