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Public Health
City, county moving ahead with long-range local food plan
The city will implement the joint Austin/Travis County Food Plan under a new interlocal agreement approved by City Council last week, formally launching a 42-month process to build a more sustainable and equitable local food system. Under the agreement, Travis…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • May 13, 2025
Austin Public Health urges Council to prioritize frontline jobs amid federal funding cuts
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) continued slashing of federal funding for critical services is coinciding with and compounding an already dire budget crunch for Austin, which will force Council to make tough decisions on where to tighten the…
Public Health • By Lina Fisher • May 9, 2025
Second measles case reported locally, Austin Public Health says
A Travis County adult is isolating after testing positive for measles, Austin Public Health officials announced Friday. It is the second confirmed local case of the virus this year. APH representatives said the sick individual may have been exposed to the virus…
Public Health • By Olivia Aldridge, KUT • Apr 28, 2025
UT Austin professors fear Trump administration's funding cuts will derail life-saving research
Andrea Gore, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at UT Austin, knew from a young age that she wanted to be a scientist. She said she always loved watching birds and bugs. “Even as a kid, I would watch the…
Public Health • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Apr 21, 2025
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716,000 meals canceled for Austin-area food bank as federal funding is cut
The Central Texas Food Bank is feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s funding cuts after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed more than a billion dollars in funding for programs that support food banks and help schools buy goods from local…
Public Health • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Apr 17, 2025
Public Health Commission looks at curbing heat illnesses, promoting drug counselor training
The Austin-Travis County Public Health Commission is fine-tuning recommendations on two initiatives aimed at expanding harm reduction services and protecting outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses. During the latest meeting, commissioners reviewed draft recommendations on both issues but took no votes,…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 8, 2025
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Council gets early look at public health cuts caused by federal funding losses
Austin Public Health leaders are working to manage an ongoing budget crisis caused by federal funding cuts that have destabilized programs across the city. City Council’s Public Health Committee heard last week that APH has already lost approximately $15 million…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 7, 2025
Audit throws shade at city's efforts to mitigate extreme heat
A new report from the Office of the City Auditor concludes that, while the city has made notable progress in preparing for extreme heat, challenges in coordination, funding and measurable planning continue to undermine long-term resilience. The audit, released this…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 1, 2025
City intensifies efforts to encourage vaccination amid state’s worst measles outbreak in decades
Last Thursday, Austin city leaders marked the 30th anniversary of a program that provides free vaccines to children as Texas faces its worst measles outbreak in over three decades. Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can spread through…
Public Health • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Mar 31, 2025
Central Health opens long-awaited Del Valle Health Center
Last week, Central Health announced at a Travis County Commissioners Court meeting that it has finally opened its Del Valle Health Center, the long-awaited collaboration with CommUnityCare that will expand access to health care for low-income Eastern Travis County residents.…
Public Health • By Lina Fisher • Mar 20, 2025
City IDs progress, funding needs to carry out area food plan
A pair of recent city memos shows progress and the need for additional funding sources to implement the first comprehensive food plan for the Austin area. The two memos were released last week, outlining nine goals and 61 strategies aimed…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 18, 2025
Council adds funding to bolster Integral Care’s mental health efforts
Responding to the need for more mental health workers to staff Integral Care’s Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, City Council on Thursday voted to allocate additional funding to the program. The action will inject more than $1.4 million into the…