public health

Dallas launched its RIGHT Care Program in 2018 to divert people experiencing a mental health crisis from hospitals and jails, when appropriate. Now, the program is testing out two teams that expand those services to mental health related 911 calls that involve children and adolescents.

Although the products don't contain tobacco, justices ruled VELO pouches are made of a tobacco substitute, which subjects them to state taxes overseen by the Texas Comptroller. Sellers pay those taxes up front, but they can be passed onto consumers.

The Department of State Health Services said it was notified two Texans were on the MV Hondius but "did not have any contact with a sick person while aboard the ship."

The new COVID-19 variant BA.3.2 is being monitored by epidemiologists — but it doesn't account for a major surge of cases yet.

A total of five cases have now been confirmed, the county's health authority said. All individuals live in the same household.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week immunization recommendations will be slashed from 17 to 11. But Dallas County will stay the course.

Dallas is the second Texas county to sue over public health cuts after a judge ordered the Trump administration to return $20 million to Harris County last summer.

RJR Vapor told Texas Supreme Court justices Wednesday that while its nicotine pouches and lozenges are derived from tobacco, they're not tobacco products and shouldn't be taxed as such. The state comptroller says that rationale would make the products more accessible to minors and cost Texas millions in tax revenue.

Since the 1960s, Texas has screened newborns for a variety of rare diseases — like sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. And that list of conditions continues to grow longer. But, even with a diagnosis, families still face obstacles when it comes to receiving care.

Texans can safely surrender young infants to designated locations like fire stations and hospitals. But not everyone knows the law exists.

Dallas County has received more federal support to address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. Dallas County Health and Human Services will have more than $300,000 in additional funding for its Healthy Start program.

The largest community mental health provider in North Texas unveiled its new $96 million campus in Dallas' Hillside neighborhood. The Mental Health and Disability Innovation Center opens to the public next month.