Texas Department of State Health Services

The two Texas residents monitored for hantavirus have been cleared by Texas Department of State Health Services.

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.

A Texas Supreme Court order took effect May 28 that allows state health officials to again treat manufactured Delta-8 THC as a Schedule I controlled substance, a legal category that includes peyote and Ecstasy.

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."

Business owners say DSHS overstepped its authority when it changed the regulations around consumable hemp products. The head of the Texas Hemp Business Council agrees.

New state rules change how THC levels are calculated and raise fees on hemp businesses by as much as 4,000%

Among other things, the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee is tasked with developing new dietary and nutrition guidelines and new educational requirements. The committee has less than a year to produce a report that could effect all levels of education — including Texas medical schools.

About 40% of patients in Texas state hospitals have been admitted for more than a year, according to state data shared Wednesday. Long stays can mean people have to wait longer for mental and behavioral health services.

Justices will have to decide who has the final say on whether delta-8 THC is legal: the Texas Legislature or the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The Department of State Health Services is considering new rules for the Texas hemp industry that would require child-resistant packaging, stronger warning labels, sharply higher fees and effectively ban smokeable flower and extracts.

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.

This year’s respiratory virus season comes with some unique challenges. Experts and providers say they’re 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.