public health

A $3.7 million grant from the EPA, one of the largest awarded nationwide this year, will be used to remediate 54 vacant lots in the Douglass-Sumner neighborhood in northeast Wyandotte County. Work could begin as early as September.

Public health officials said some parents are confused about what vaccines are required to attend Texas schools amid efforts to change recommendations.

Every carrier selling health insurance in the two states through the Affordable Care Act marketplace hopes to raise premiums in 2027, according to preliminary rate filings with state insurance regulators. They blame rising healthcare costs.

Despite efforts to increase immunization rates by providing free and more accessible vaccinations, experts say Oklahoma's overall child vaccination rates are down amid skepticism about the efficacy of vaccines.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s infectious disease portal showed a jump in cyclosporiasis, the intestinal disease caused by cyclospora organisms, from 22 infections last week to 55.

There have been dozens of cases of cyclosporiasis reported in Colorado this year, but they are not linked to big outbreaks happening elsewhere in the United States

Federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, with cases reported in Texas and 16 other states. The CDC has not identified the source, though previous outbreaks have been linked to contaminated fresh produce.

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.

From a West Texas measles outbreak to rising vaccine exemptions statewide, families of immunocompromised children depend on herd immunity, which is slowly eroding.

Some Texans on SNAP say the ban on using food stamps to buy sugary drinks and candy prevents quick fixes to low blood sugar conditions.