ËÄ»¢Ó°Ôº

ËÄ»¢Ó°Ôº health reporter Abigail Ruhman is opening up their expertise to answer your questions about health in North Texas.

The Dallas County Health and Human Services and Parkland Health 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment identifies several priority areas, including behavioral and mental health needs.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, activity is higher than it was at the same time last year. Texas is extending access to immunizations for infants and toddlers until the end of the month in response to "persistent" infections.

Texas has a 91% Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, accuracy rate — which could mean the state will be responsible for more than $700 million in benefits costs. If Texas has to cover part of the benefits costs, it would be the first time since the program started in the 1960s.

In an eight-hour committee hearing focused on fraud in social services programs, Texas lawmakers heard updates on how state agencies are responding to calls for stronger anti-fraud measures in programs like Medicaid and the Child Care Services program. The Wednesday hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services committee also included more than 50 Texans sharing concerns with state policymakers.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office said has launched investigations into "dozens" of Medicaid providers for alleged fraud — based on data released by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. In a statement released Tuesday, Paxton's office did not specify which providers, or how many, would be investigated.

The U.S. Department of Education proposed a rule that could limit how much students can borrow for different degree programs. A ËÄ»¢Ó°Ôº listener wants to know how that could affect health disparities in Texas.

JFS Dallas opened a 100,000 square-foot campus in Addison to provide comprehensive services to an "medically underserved area." JFS Dallas' CEO said the location could be the first community health center in North Texas to have comprehensive services on site.

Starting April 1, Texans won't be able to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits to purchase "candy or sweetened drinks." Texas retailers and nonprofits have spent month preparing for the new restrictions — but some recipients may not know until they're checking out at the store.

A proposed rule would allow some children to qualify for the Medically Dependent Children Program — a Medicaid program that offers home- and community-based services to children with complex medical needs — without needing a nursing facility stay. But, advocates said the language is too “narrow" and could hinder providers.

Dallas County’s medical safety net provider wants to build a clinic in one of the fastest-growing areas in the county. The new Parkland Health clinic will provide primary and pediatric care to thousands of residents in the Inland Port area, which is considered a health care desert.

Texans with disabilities are facing a lot of challenges like public transit changes, Medicaid cuts and federal lawsuits that could have a significant effect on disability rights. But disability advocates said learning how to participate in advocacy work can be difficult and intimidating.That’s where the new Advocacy, Collaboration and Engagement, or ACE, training comes in.