Please join Texans Care for Children and Mental Health America of Greater Houston for our next Children’s Policy Series forum, Giving Texas Kids A Healthy Start: Policy Goals for 2017, October 5th in Houston!
Ensuring Continued Health Care Funding After Stopgap 1115 Waiver Extension
Testimony to Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
The 1115 Medicaid Waiver has provided critical funding for uncompensated care in Texas hospitals and innovative DSRIP projects – including projects to address unintended pregnancy, birth outcomes, and maternal health – in communities throughout the state. With the stopgap Waiver extension expiring at the end of 2017, next year state leaders must develop a Texas plan to expand health coverage in order to avoid a severe cut in health care funding provided through the Waiver. If the Waiver expires without a plan in place, Texas communities would face a $1.3 billion cut in health care funding in 2018 and deeper cuts in the future. It's important to note that whether or not Texas reaches a Waiver renewal agreement, and whether or not Texas accepts Medicaid expansion funding, the federal funding will not be renewed for uncompensated care for Texans who could be covered through Medicaid expansion. Texas must replace those expiring funds before 2018.
Improving Women’s Health and Building Healthy Foundations for Kids
Testimony to Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
The Legislature’s continued efforts on women’s health are critical to ensuring more Texas mothers and babies are healthy and confronting the state’s maternal mortality crisis and Zika threat. Implementation of Texas’ two women’s health programs is an opportunity to build a robust network of providers to serve women across Texas in need of preventive care and health screenings. Services and screenings offered through these programs are an important step towards improving women’s health and birth outcomes and reducing unplanned pregnancies. But continued investment and key improvements should be made to improve the health of moms and babies, address maternal depression, and ensure access to preventive care for teens and young adults. Additionally, to truly improve the health of moms and infants, the state should craft a Texas health coverage plan for low-wage workers to maximize the return of federal tax dollars for health care and ensure Texas women have access to care before and after pregnancies.
In the News: Keep Preteens Out of Juvenile System, Texas House Panel Told
Ensuring the Success of Youth Dually Involved with CPS & Justice Systems
Testimony to the House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee
The abuse and neglect that leads to children’s involvement with Child Protective Services leads to involvement with the juvenile justice system. However, there is little coordination and data sharing between the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, resulting in costly, and sometimes counterproductive, duplication of services and worse outcomes for youth. Local efforts in Texas show that improved coordination can lead to better results. Texas policymakers should study the current population of “dually involved youth,” establish a data collection and information sharing system, and create a taskforce to improve coordination.
In The News: Juvenile Justice Agency Making Case to Escape Budget Cuts
If state leaders insist, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department has identified ways to cut its budget by $16.8 million, or 2.8 percent, for the 2018-2019 biennium. But the agency really wants a $170 million bump so it can comply with state and federal laws, fix up some of its battered facilities and bolster behavioral programs.
TEA-Commissioned Report Recommends Limits on Texas Pre-k Class Size
A new report required by the state Legislature as part of the high-quality pre-k bill passed in 2015 recommends that Texas limit all pre-k classrooms to a maximum of 22 students and allow no more than 11 students for each teacher or aide in pre-k classes with more than 15 students “in order to create conditions for high-quality classrooms.”
In The News: Four CPS Leaders Lose Jobs Amid Agency Shakeup
Nutrition in Early Childhood: A Foundation for Lifelong Health
When children are healthy during the first years of life, they are more likely to maintain a healthy weight throughout their childhood, be successful in school, and achieve lifelong health. Unfortunately, Texas children as young as two are already on track to grow up at an unhealthy weight. With the majority of young Texas children spending significant portions of the day in child care settings, Texas parents need child care providers to be a strong partner in providing healthy food and drinks and plenty of active play time. Fortunately, there are steps state leaders can take to help parents identify healthier child care providers and ensure child care providers partner with parents in supporting healthy kids.
Opportunities to Improve Children’s Mental Health in Texas
Testimony to the House Select Committee on Mental Health
Texans Care for Children is a statewide, non-profit, non-partisan, multi-issue children's policy organization. We drive policy change to improve the lives of Texas children today for a stronger Texas tomorrow. We envision a Texas in which all children grow up to be healthy, safe, successful, and on a path to fulfill their promise. We appreciate all the work that the committee has done to bring attention and discussion to the far reaching effects mental illness has on Texas children, families, adults, and communities and ways Texas can improve the outcomes of those who experience mental illness and the systems that serve them. We thank you for the opportunity to offer recommendations on ways the state can make a positive difference in supporting the mental health of children and youth.