Abigail Ruhman
Health ReporterAbigail Ruhman is a member of 四虎影院's specialty beats team as its Health Reporter. Abigail was previously the statewide health reporter for the Indiana Public Broadcasting News Team, covering health policy. They graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor鈥檚 in journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a dual emphasis in sociology and women's and gender studies.
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Public health officials warn law enforcement and border patrol activity are discouraging people from getting vaccines and other types of preventive health care. A North Texas health leader was among the officials who highlighted the issue. -
Texas is set to receive the largest award from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program 鈥� with federal officials awarding $1.4 billion to the state over five years. The state received millions more in funding that it asked for in its application. -
UT Southwestern was selected by the state to run the Texas Behavioral Health Center 鈥� the first state behavioral health hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The new hospital, set to open this summer, will provide inpatient services for people with serious mental health issues -
Shanice Jordan is one of the four million Texans enrolled in an Affordable Care Act health plan. But subsidies that make plans through the federal health insurance marketplace more affordable are set to expire at the end of the year 鈥� meaning Jordan and other Texans will premiums that are more than double what they currently pay. -
The federal health insurance marketplace open enrollment deadline for plans that start on Jan. 1 is less than a week away. There's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding coverage, but advocates say everyone with an Affordable Care Act should verify their information and select a plan ahead of Monday鈥檚 deadline. -
A group of local health leaders from across the country said they're worried about how an upcoming meeting could affect immunization access and rates. The meeting could mean changes to more federal vaccine recommendations for serious viruses 鈥� like hepatitis B. -
The UNT Dallas campus in southern Dallas has a new addition: a 120,200-square-foot STEM building. The university said the new space, along with new programs and partnerships with UNT Health in Fort Worth, will expand capacity to train students in the health care and science workforce pipeline. The goal is to address workforce shortages in Dallas and beyond. -
About 1,500 rural hospitals were eligible to convert to 鈥淩ural Emergency Hospitals鈥� beginning in 2020. Researchers at UT Arlington want to take a closer look at the 40 hospitals that entered the program to understand whether it has improved access to care in rural communities. -
Cold and flu season typically happen during the fall and winter. Though it comes around every year, there's still a lot of confusion about viruses, vaccines and how to avoid getting sick. Experts and providers offer advice heading into the holiday season. -
The organization said an employee sent the personal health information 鈥� including names and medical record numbers 鈥� of more than 8,500 patients to a personal email outside the Metrocare network, but that "there is no evidence that any third party accessed any of the information." -
This year鈥檚 respiratory virus season comes with some unique challenges. Experts and providers say they鈥檙e worried about how misinformation and confusion about new federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations will affect vaccination rates, which could lead to more infections and severe health outcomes. -
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is proposing cuts to the reimbursement rates for certain services 鈥� like ventilators and wheelchairs. Providers told a public hearing Monday the new rates could hurt medical supply companies and their patients.
