Texas Health Institute

10/29/2026

Approximately 2.5 million Texans live in federally designated dental health professional shortage areas, highlighting a challenge that goes beyond the overall number of professionals trained, but also where they practice and what helps them stay.

Join us to learn what communities, educators, and partners are doing to build an oral health workforce that is connected to the communities it serves.

Register now: bit.ly/txohc11-26

10/23/2026

Behind every statistic about rural maternal health is a mother, a baby, a family, a health care professional, and a community. Join us on October 29 for a conversation that brings the 2026 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan to life through the people and communities at the center of rural maternal health.

Register now: bit.ly/RMHA-10-26

10/22/2026

We are pleased to welcome Ursula Parks to the Texas Health Policy Forum on December 2 in Austin for a session on the impact of the state budget on health policy and reform.

As a fiscal policy and budget expert with over 30 years of experience with the Texas legislature, Parks will provide insight into the process of state budgeting and its influence on health policies that directly impact the health of all Texans.

Learn more and register: bit.ly/THPF26

10/21/2026

Join the National Network of Public Health Institutes and Texas Health Institute for a networking reception at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 1. Enjoy a festive evening of Tex-Mex inspired bites, drinks, and networking with fellow public health professionals at the historic Casa Rio overlooking the San Antonio Riverwalk.
RSVP now: bit.ly/APHA2026

10/16/2026

The Texas Oral Health Universe Data Brief brings together key data and indicators to provide a broader picture of oral health across Texas and the factors that shape it. It highlights the connection between oral health and whole health, illustrating how oral health can influence everyday life, from eating and speaking to education, employment, and chronic disease prevention.
Explore the data on the Texas Oral Health Coalition website:

Oral health and whole health are deeply connected, impacting everything from the ability to eat and speak, to academic success, job opportunities, and chronic disease prevention. When everyone has the opportunity to achieve their best oral health, we see healthier, stronger communities.

10/13/2026

Rural communities across Texas are navigating significant challenges in sustaining maternal health care, including gaps in maternity services, primary care, workforce, and infrastructure. Join us to hear from panelists with perspectives from epidemiology, rural hospital leadership, and frontline clinical care about what rural maternal health challenges look like on the ground.

Bringing Rural Maternal Health to Life: From Rescue to Moonshot | October 29 | 12:00 PM CT

Register now:

Behind every statistic about rural maternal health is a mother, a baby, a family, a health care professional, and a community. Rural communities across Texas are navigating significant challenges in sustaining maternal health care, including gaps in maternity services, primary care, workforce, and i...

10/09/2026

We're honored to welcome Representative James Frank, Chairman of the Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, to the Texas Health Policy Forum on December 2 in Austin for a session focused on health care affordability.

Taking place one month before the 90th Texas legislative session convenes, the forum is an intimate, informal policy exchange where participants can hear directly from legislators, ask questions, make connections, and leave with a clearer understanding of the current health policy landscape and what's ahead.

Register now to join us: https://bit.ly/THPF26

10/08/2026

The Rural Texas Maternal Health Assembly recently released the 2026 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan, calling for a coordinated statewide strategy to strengthen maternal health care in rural Texas. With 60% of rural counties still maternity care deserts and 65% of rural hospitals no longer providing maternity care, the report outlines four new Code Red priorities to strengthen the workforce, sustain local care, and improve coordination. The report also highlights the essential role of primary care and preventive oral health care before, during, and after pregnancy.
Read the plan: bit.ly/RMHA-26

The co-conveners include:
Texas A&M Rural & Community Health Institute (Texas A&M University Health Science Center): Kia Parsi, Jacquelyn Alvarado
Texas Academy of Family Physicians: Tom Banning, Jonathan Nelson
Texas Health Institute: Ankit Sanghavi, Stephanie Ondrias
Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals: John Henderson
Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC): Jana Eubank, Shelby Tracy, Daniela de Luna Oliveras
RMHA Senior Policy Advisor: Helen Kent Davis
Special thanks to the TLL Temple Foundation for generously funding the Assembly's work.

September 2026 by  2026 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan Why Rural Maternal Health? Strong maternal health systems are essential to the future of rural Texas. Yet rural communities continue to face significant challenges in accessing maternal and primary care. These challenges require coordi...

10/05/2026

What happens when a community has enough roads, schools, and jobs but not enough access to primary care? In recognition of National Primary Care Week, the Texas Primary Care Consortium is bringing together primary care voices and community leaders for a webinar to explore that question on a webinar tomorrow.
Register now: https://bit.ly/tpcc10-26

10/02/2026

This week, the co-conveners of the Rural Texas Maternal Health Assembly were pleased to present the 2nd edition of the Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan, From Rescue to Moonshot, to legislative staff.

Rural maternal health care fosters healthy families, sustains strong communities, and promotes economic prosperity. 60% of rural Texas counties are maternity care deserts.

The new edition of the plan builds on the progress of the 89th Legislature, which enacted three of the four Code Red priorities in whole or in part, and outlines 12 priorities to safeguard rural maternal health and measurably improve outcomes within five years.

The co-conveners include:
Texas A&M Rural & Community Health Institute (Texas A&M University Health Science Center): Kia Parsi, Jacquelyn Alvarado
Texas Academy of Family Physicians: Tom Banning, Jonathan Nelson
Texas Health Institute: Ankit Sanghavi, Stephanie Ondrias
Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals: John Henderson
Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC)Health Centers: Jana Eubank, Shelby Tracy, Daniela de Luna Oliveras
RMHA Senior Policy Advisor: Helen Kent Davis
Special thanks to the TLL Temple Foundation for generously funding the Assembly's work.

Read the plan: https://texashealthinstitute.org/rural-texas-maternal-health-rescue-plan/