Health care workforce

State officials and UT Southwestern Medical Center on Tuesday unveiled Texas' newest state hospital, the first in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The Texas Behavioral Health Center joins ten other facilities — nine state hospitals and one youth residential treatment center — to provide care for hundreds of Texans with serious mental health issues.

TORCH CIN, a physician-hospital organization representing 45 rural and community hospitals across Texas, announced Friday it will end its contracts with UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company over "unsustainable" reimbursement rates. The leader of TORCH CIN said the current rates pose an "existential threat" to rural hospitals.

Soccer fans from around the world will be coming to North Texas this month for the FIFA World Cup. Local health leaders have been preparing for the influx of people for about a year and a half. Hospital and public health officials say what they’re doing hasn’t changed much, but how they do it has.

Health care is the largest and fastest growing industry in Texas — but the workforce isn't growing fast enough to meet increasing demand. Workforce shortages are getting worse, according to testimony from state officials during a House Committee on Public Health hearing.

Starting this fall, UNT Health Fort Worth will offer a new pharmaceutical sciences PhD program — the first of its kind in North Texas. The school said the new program could help address workforce needs as the life sciences and research and development industries continue to grow in the region.

The agency that oversees behavioral health and social work providers has about 1,000 “pending” complaints against providers — hundreds more than it has received in previous years. Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council leadership told lawmakers it may need support from the state to handle the volume.

Health care costs are increasing faster than the rate of inflation. A Texas House committee is holding a two-day hearing this week to learn more about what drives lack of affordable healthcare before working on policy recommendations later this year.

Parkland Memorial Hospital has one of the busiest emergency rooms in the country. Dallas County's safety net hospital will add more than 100 beds to address the growing demand — half of them will be added before 2026 World Cup events kick off in North Texas.

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

Parkland Health was one of just two Texas-based organizations chosen for a “prestigious” national program designed to address provider burnout and workforce well-being concerns. The National Academy of Medicine selected Dallas County’s safety net hospital to join the Change Maker Accelerators program.

People over the age of 65 are the fastest growing age group in the state — which could mean a greater need for services like hospice and palliative care. A new partnership between two nonprofits could expand services in North Texas.

Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a freeze on H-1B visas for public universities and state agencies — just a few months after the Trump administration increased the application fee from $5,000 to $100,000. Texas health care leaders warn changes could have a negative impact on the state's health care workforce.