Contents tagged with Public Health Committee
-
Alpine FP tells Public Health Committee to invest in rural health care
By Jonathan Nelson
Last week, Adrian Billings, MD, PhD, traveled from his home in Alpine, Texas, to Austin to testify on behalf of TAFP and the Texas Medical Association at a hearing of the House of Representatives Public Health Committee. The hearing focused on assessing the challenges rural Texans face when trying to access health care.
“I stand before you today privileged to advocate on behalf of rural patients and communities. I do not want to fail these incredibly resilient rural human beings,” Billings said.
more -
Physicians tell House committee: Independent practice for nurse practitioners is the wrong answer for Texas primary care shortage
By Jonathan Nelson
The House Public Health Committee took up several bills that would expand the scope of practice of nurse practitioners on a long day of business on Tuesday, April 25. The hearing had stretched into the evening before TAFP member Emily Briggs, MD, of New Braunfels was called to the podium to speak against House Bill 3395 by Rep. Four Price (R-Amarillo). The bill would grant nurse practitioners independent authority if they practice in a rural area that doesn’t currently have a physician.
“I’m a family physician in Comal County, which means I see patients in my office,” Briggs told the committee. “I also take care of them in the hospital, I deliver their babies, I take care of their babies after delivering them and I also take care of the rest of their family.”
more