Health

Last week, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against a group of women seeking clarifications on the state’s prohibition on abortions. Texas Public Radio’s Kayla Padilla reports that Catholics for Choice denounces this ruling. And TPR's Pablo De La Rosa has more on the World Health Organization confirming the first fatal case of bird flu in Mexico.

May is Women’s Health Month and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is raising awareness for cardiovascular disease. It is the number one killer for men and women, but may present differently based on sex.

With summer just around the corner, our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on a free event hosted by the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center where members of the public can get screened for signs of skin cancer.

One Lubbockite who has fought terminal cancer with relief through the Texas Compassionate Use Program says changes in the narrative around marijuana can educate and bring savings for many struggling Texans — when you take the politics out.

Spring is in full swing, triggering allergies for many. Our reporter Olivia O’Rand has more on why a person’s reaction to this time of year may change over time. And one law professor says the DEA's move to reclassify marijuana could benefit medical marijuana businesses under Texas' Compassionate Use Program.

The Texas Medical Board is receiving public comment until June 1, Texas Public Radio’s Kayla Padilla has more on their new rule on “medical emergencies” relating to the exceptions to abortion bans. And Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says commercial milk supply is safe after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration discovered bird flu particles in some commercial grocery milk samples.

Texas Public Radio's Paul Flahive has more on the private company which says it has solved the children without placement problem there in just one month of running much of the foster care system in North Texas. And a year after Medicaid unwinding began in Texas, KERA’s Elena Rivera reports more than two million people have lost coverage.

Conversations around the proposed ordinance to decriminalize marijuana possession in Lubbock have voters asking questions about what's true, but one Lubbock addiction researcher says the politics are diverting attention from current substance use issues in the city, especially among Lubbock youth.

The City of Lubbock Public Health Department met with health experts, local leaders and community members to collaborate and exchange ideas regarding current and future health needs in Lubbock. The department is also taking input from an online survey which can be found at bit.ly/lubbocksurvey. Meanwhile, KERA's Elena Rivera has more on a new report showing Texas has more severe racial and ethnic health disparities than other states in the Southwest.

KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo has more from agriculture experts who say a recent bird flu outbreak among Texas livestock probably will not impact egg and dairy prices or production. Texas Public Radio's Marian Navarro has the details now that Opill, the over-the-counter birth control pill, is available at H-E-B stores and other retailers across Texas.