rural Texas | KERA News

Rural Texans With HIV Or AIDS Face Stigma, And Limited Care Options

By Rachel Taube & Michael Marks • Aug 23, 2018

Texas has the fourth highest rate of HIV and AIDS in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A majority of the 86,000 Texans with these conditions live in urban areas, where there’s better access to medical care and a greater chance of avoiding the stigma that can come with a positive diagnosis. But for Texans with HIV or AIDS who live in smaller towns, finding medical care – and human compassion – can be much more difficult.

In Rural Texas, Libraries Anchor Small Towns But Struggle To Stay Afloat

By Stella M. Chávez • Aug 7, 2018

Rural libraries in Texas face many challenges — they don’t have a lot of resources, but the people they serve have a lot of needs.

A new effort from Texas Woman’s University in Denton and the Texas Library Association is focused on helping them.

Rural Texas Is Struggling To Keep Doctors. Sam Houston State University Wants To Change That.

By Alexandra Hart • Jul 26, 2018

Texas has almost a dozen medical schools, but it also has a rural healthcare worker shortage. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is set to vote Thursday on whether to approve another medical school.

Economic Hardship And Limited Educational Resources Are Among Rural Texas’ Greatest Struggles

By Jill Ament • Dec 22, 2017

From Texas Standard.

Texas has been more urban than rural since the 1950s, and though the state’s wide open space has a lot to do with its mystique, rural Texas is often overlooked when it comes to resources.

In a thoughtful and thought-provoking piece for the Texas Observer, Christopher Collins writes about the seven most pressing issues facing rural Texas.

Rural Hospitals Are Closing, Putting Remote Communities At Risk

By Jill Ament • Aug 11, 2017

From Texas Standard:

A coalition of rural Texas hospitals says small-town hospitals in the state are facing a "closure crisis" after those in Crockett and Trinity ceased operations over the summer.

The group says the recent closures bring the total number of closed rural hospitals in the past four years to nearly 20. And if the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress don't act, more rural communities will be left without immediate access to quality health- and emergency care.

How Smaller, Rural School Districts In Texas Meet Their Specific Challenges In Education

By Justin Martin • Jun 13, 2017

A group of superintendents across Texas recently released a report on the state of rural schools. The report identifies challenges specific to these schools, like teacher recruitment and isolation, and offers best practices to meet them.

Unlikely Allies: Some Homeschoolers Fighting To Kill School Choice Bill

By Aliyya Swaby/Texas Tribune • Feb 27, 2017

Nicki Truesdell is a product of homeschooling and would never enroll her four younger children in a public or private school. Corrine French has spent the last five years serving on the board of a rural public school district in North Texas.

How A Texas High School Football Team Moved Forward After A Player Collapsed At A Game And Died

By Lauren Silverman • Nov 20, 2015

So far this year, 14 high school football players have died across the country -- seven after an injury on the field, another seven from indirect causes such as heat stroke and heart problems.

Muslim Cemetery Meets Opposition in Texas Town

By Lauren Silverman • Jul 30, 2015

A proposed cemetery has sparked a debate in small-town Texas. The Islamic Association of Collin County wants to build a 34-acre cemetery in Farmersville, about an hour north of Dallas. That’s led to some pretty heated rhetoric from a number of locals who are trying to stop it. Although the mayor of the predominantly white community has said the cemetery is allowed to be built, some people are pushing for a no vote.

Rural Texas Ramps Up For Obamacare By Recruiting Young Doctors

By Lauren Silverman • Nov 5, 2013

In rural Texas, finding a family practice doctor is no easy feat. There are dozens of counties without doctors, and the need for health care is only going to increase as more people buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. So how do we convince recent medical school graduates to strap on their boots and take root in rural clinics? Give them a taste. Turns out, they often end up sticking around.