Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) raised its COVID-19 threat level to orange, or “extreme caution,” on Monday after hospitalizations and infections continued to rise over the weekend.      DCHHS reported an average of 1,002 cases per day, a 33% increase from the average 2 weeks ago.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, … Read more

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) will launch 988, the country’s new mental health crisis line, on July 16th. The 3-digit number will replace the previous 10-digit number (1-800-273-8255), making it easier to remember and access for people in need.      Despite the Saturday launch date, nationwide staffing shortages have authorities concerned that the … Read more

HHSC received the 2022 Texas Emergency Management Agency of the Year Award from the Texas Division of Emergency Management during the Texas Emergency Management Conference held May 31–June 3 in San Antonio.     The award recognizes outstanding support provided by an agency to Texas communities during disasters. Previous winners include the Texas Department of State Health Services … Read more

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) held a public hearing on the Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program, its Medicaid managed care program on Thursday, sharing updates with and collecting feedback from the public.     The commission sought stakeholder feedback on a State Plan Amendment to House Bill 133, a bill … Read more

The Texas Department of Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced last month that it will request a one-year “good faith effort” (GFE) extension on the federally mandated implementation of its electronic billing system for home health caregivers. Known as Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), the technology verifies where and when a caregiver begins and ends … Read more

On Dec. 3, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) published its 2022-2023 Strategic Plan for the Aging Texas Well (ATW) initiative. The plan is meant to serve as a guide for HHSC and other state agencies to support strategic planning to serve the approximately 9,245,560 adults aged 50 and older in Texas.    … Read more