Contents tagged with public health
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Coalition affiliations
Coalition affiliations
Texas Public Health Coalition
TAFP is a charter member of the Texas Public Health Coalition. Created in 2006, the coalition is a collection of organizations that share an … more
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Public Health
Public health
Behavioral Health Integration ToolkitInterested in integrating behavioral health into your primary care practice? In this toolkit, you will find resources, guides, and articles … more
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Sign up to hold a Brain Injury Awareness Month bike helmet giveaway this March
Sign up to hold a Brain Injury Awareness Month bike helmet giveaway this March
posted 01.24.12
Brain Injury Awareness Month, previously held in October, has moved to March. Physicians can use … more
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San Antonio educator appointed to AAFP public health commission
San Antonio educator appointed to AAFP public health commission
TAFP past president Kaparaboyna Ashok Kumar, M.D., F.R.C.S., has been appointed to the AAFP Commission on Health of the Public and … more
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Benefits of Membership
Benefits of Membership
As a TAFP member, you unite yourself with Texas’ largest subspecialty organization and the only organization that solely represents family physicians. Because we are … more
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Practice Resources
Practice resources
Managing a busy practice is no simple task, whether you have one physician or a large group practice. TAFP is here to help. We’ve assembled a set of resources to provide you … more
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Good News, Bad News: TAFP’s recap of the 82nd Texas Lege
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Good News, Bad News:TAFP’s recap of the 82nd Texas Lege
By Kate Alfano
For health care reform advocates, the 82nd Texas Legislature will go down as the session of what might have … more
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Capitol Update: Family medicine residency programs face massive cut in budget agreement
Capitol Update: Family medicine residency programs face massive cut in budget agreement
posted 05.24.11
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Bills to expand scope of nurse practitioners fail
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Some wins, some … more
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Capitol Update: House committee hears testimony on IMG licensure bill
Capitol Update: House committee hears testimony on IMG licensure bill
posted 03.10.11
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Family doctors gather to advocate for specialty
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TAFP CEO testifies on health care financing … more
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The family physician’s role in smoking cessation
In testimony before the House Public Health Committee on March 2, Dallas physician John Carlo, M.D., put forth his support for a statewide smoking ban that would prohibit smoking in public places and workplaces. Advocates tried to pass similar legislation last session and failed, for various reasons. Now as it comes up again as House Bill 670 by Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, and Senate Bill 355 by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, public health groups are gearing up for another push.
Dr. Carlo said that physicians and the public at large have known conclusively since 1986 that secondhand smoke is dangerous to children and adults, and that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. As medical professionals, you understand the biological explanation why secondhand smoke exposure causes damage to blood vessels and the heart. Study after epidemiological study demonstrates an increase in cardiac disease and mortality with increasing exposure to secondhand smoke.
While 33 Texas municipalities have passed some type of smoking ban in public places, including the largest cities in the state, many rural communities haven’t. Some say a smoking ban is an infringement on an individual’s right to smoke; others say it will hurt local businesses like bars and restaurants (which, by the way, isn’t true according to a January 2011 survey by Baselice and Associates, Inc.).
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