HOSPITALS

On the same day the Texas Legislature is set to debate Senate Bill 14, a proposed ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for kids, the attorney general files a request to examine documents related to the use of puberty blockers and counseling for trans youth.

A rural hospital hasn’t closed in Texas since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. That could change as federal relief ends.

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, hopes the pilot program will help female veterans get better access to cancer care.

Medical professionals across the state have expressed confusion over what care they can provide amid Texas’ abortion ban, leading to some patients allegedly receiving delayed care or being turned away.

A school, grocery store and medical facility are all public places that have seen deadly mass shootings in recent weeks. Safety and security leaders at area hospitals say they are on high alert and have started changing their training and improving security.

Debate over the waiver was key to the federal government’s push for Texas to expand Medicaid for more working poor.

Hospitals and other health care providers in Texas, which has the lowest rate of insurance coverage in the nation, have gotten some $1.8 billion in federal help for uninsured COVID-19 patients.

Texas got a temporary reprieve on Medicaid funding from the federal government. But that won’t solve underlying problems with high numbers of uninsured Texans and the plight of hospitals in the state — especially those in rural areas.

The money reimburses hospitals for the services they provide to Medicaid patients in Texas.

State lawmakers will tell you they hate property taxes as much as anyone. But the state itself doesn’t levy the tax — local governments do. And lowering it in a meaningful way would require state officials to raise taxes or cut programs. For them, talking about it is easier than doing something.

COVID-19 numbers are plummeting statewide, but on Texas’ southern border with Mexico, Laredo is still battling its fourth surge.

Texas falls short, again, of the pandemic record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, while daily deaths are expected to continue rising for several more days.

Local healthcare systems are battling another COVID surge while simultaneously dealing with shortages with their permanent staff, forcing them to rely on outside help.

A staffing crisis and the surge from the omicron variant have pushed the number of Texas ICU beds to a new record low. The shortage affects not just patients with the coronavirus, but every Texan seeking serious medical care.

Texas will soon surpass its previous COVID-19 hospitalization record. Doctors and nurses say they can’t keep up this pace for much longer and implore people to get vaccinated.

Doctors, patients, and their families are worried after the nation's first-ever blood crisis was declared by The American Red Cross.

“The situation in Texas is that it probably won’t reach the peak [for cases] until the second half of January,” a top researcher said.

Health officials are asking people to stop visiting hospitals for testing and avoid adding an additional strain on the state’s health care system.

Some hospitals are better prepared than they were early in the pandemic, but administrators say staff morale still stands on shaky ground.

Escuche al Dr. Ivan Meléndez disipar la desinformación que corre entre la población de habla hispana.

Stuck between Biden's and Abbott’s competing vaccine rules for employees, public hospitals consider their next move even as most private systems already require vaccination for employees.

Stressed health workers are now confronting volatile visitors and patients. “The verbal abuse, the name-calling, racial slurs … we’ve had broken bones, broken noses,” said one hospital official in Dallas.

So far the state has paid to hire more than 8,000 contract health care workers as hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Texas approach the record set last winter.

Each week, hospitals in Texas report their current ICU bed capacity to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here’s the latest.

The small districts aren’t fighting Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask rules, but fears for staff, students and local medical facilities are driving them to fight COVID-19 with temporary closures.

Bexar County’s mask mandate for public schools is allowed to remain in effect after the latest in a back-and-forth court battle between the county and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

San Antonio and Bexar County officials painted a grim picture of what frontline responders are facing right now during the latest coronavirus surge fueled by the delta variant.

Sheyla Moraes, an intensive care nurse, says this latest surge of the coronavirus pandemic is particularly draining because it was preventable. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.

More children are being treated in Texas hospitals for COVID-19 than ever before, and an unseasonable outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus is adding to the stress on children’s hospitals.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals is rising too fast for hospitals to keep up with, hospital leaders told state lawmakers Tuesday.

"This surge is by far the fastest and most aggressive that we've seen," said the health authority for Austin and Travis County, who urged eligible Texans to get vaccinated.

Dr. Ruth Berggren, an infectious disease expert with UT Health San Antonio, says local hospitals are full amid an influx of COVID-19 patients.

The lack of available nurses has driven up salaries and created a heated, competitive job market as thousands of positions remain open throughout Texas.

As hospitals fill up with more COVID-19 patients, they’re requesting that ambulances take patients elsewhere. But they’re also frequently being told that’s not possible.

Researchers say they’ve learned lessons and gained valuable information from studying COVID-19 responses in the ICU.

Find procedure prices for hospitals in San Antonio and how to find them for other locations.

After years of studying how to practice medicine, they quickly learned how to treat COVID-19 patients, relay difficult news to loved ones and manage their own mental health during a pandemic.

Health care professionals say they’re optimistic the effects of the pandemic will improve by the summer as the number of infections drops in our area, leading to the closure of some COVID-19 units at some San Antonio hospitals.

SAN ANTONIO – It’s a day San Antonio hospitals have been waiting for all year long, and for some, it’s finally here. CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio State Hospital, and Baptist Health System received their first shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Thursday morning. At the Brooke Army Medical Center, the first staff member to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was Army Capt. So far, 110 Texas hospitals have received or will receive their first shipments of the vaccine by the end of this week. RELATED: Keep track of when and where the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed in Texas2nd COVID-19 vaccine set for OK in US with panel endorsement

HONDO, Texas – This week, 110 Texas hospitals have received or will receive a much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine, while many others await word on when theirs will arrive. The board president of the Texas Rural Health Association said that, from what he has heard, rural hospitals are essentially standing by. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine ships in batches of 100 instead of 975. A spokeswoman for CHRISTUS Santa Rosa, though, would not comment on whether its New Braunfels location would eventually receive vaccine doses. UT Health San Antonio administers COVID-19 vaccine to frontline healthcare workers

SAN ANTONIO – A statewide effort to ease the burden on intensive care units in El Paso, currently overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases, is being coordinated by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC). Eric Epley, executive director of STRAC, is coordinating what’s known as “load balancing” to free up beds for incoming patients. Six other El Paso patients were ready to fly out of area hospitals, Epley said, until the border community was hit by snow and ice. “We expect that to clear, and then we’ll start moving those patients again to all parts of Texas,” Epley said. “There is an old saying that many hands makes light work.”Epley said it’s difficult to say how long patients will need to be transferred.

SAN ANTONIO The states tally of Texans hospitalized due to COVID-19 dropped below 5,000 for the first time since June. During that month, the Texas Department of State Health reported hospitalizations had surpassed 10,000. 124 new COVID-19 cases in San Antonio, Bexar CountyMore than 385,000 residents were told to flee Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, and more than 1,450 evacuees have arrived in San Antonio. The state and local governments are fully aware that theyre dealing with a pandemic while theyre responding to Hurricane Laura, Gov. Greg Abbott adds 36 counties to disaster declaration ahead of Hurricane Laura

SAN ANTONIO – Baptist Health System in San Antonio has relaxed its policy for visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting Tuesday, patients in the emergency department, inpatient areas and outpatient areas are now allowed to have one visitor. Previously, only visitors deemed necessary were allowed to visit patients within the hospital system. Those included patients in pediatric care or NICU; patients in labor, delivery and postpartum care; patients with disabilities; and patients who may be at the end of life. Patients who are still in isolation due to the novel coronavirus are still not allowed to see visitors.

SAN ANTONIO – Moments after “Good Morning America” interviewed San Antonio nurse Kristen Knott about her experience working in the ICU, she was getting ready for another day on the job. Her story about working 31 days straight in a local ICU — and her viral Facebook post about 31 things she’s learned during the COVID-19 crisis — was featured on the show’s “Make your Monday” segment. The segment also featured surprise virtual visits from actors Eric Dane and Kate Walsh of “Grey’s Anatomy,” one of Knott’s favorite shows. I need to go somewhere where I can put my skills to work, where help is needed.”Shortly after returning, “everything just hit here in San Antonio,” she said. 22-year-old nursing student dies of COVID-19 complicationsWhen comparing the two coronavirus hotspots, she said the city of San Antonio and hospitals had more time to prepare.

Chicken N Pickle helps San Antonio’s hospital workers during the pandemicPublished: July 28, 2020, 12:19 pmPickleball isn’t new, but it is becoming more and more popular especially during this pandemic.

SAN ANTONIO – Hospitals across the Rio Grande Valley have been at capacity and are making major adjustments to treat COVID-19 patients. Dr. Christopher Romero with Valley Baptist Medical Center said they have to get creative to make space for patients. Romero said EMS units are waiting with COVID-19 patients for a long time because there’s no room in the hospital. “The Rio Grande Valley, we have a lot of obesity. And these are risk factors for having more severe disease and worse outcomes with COVID-19,” Romero said.

SAN ANTONIO – Refrigerated trailers have become a grim reality in San Antonio amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bexar County, two refrigerated trailers are already operational, and three more will be set up by the end of the week, Martinez said. Refrigerated trucks are on standby to hold bodies in San Antonio, officials sayThe trailers can hold between 24 and 36 bodies. Local hospitals have also put in orders for additional refrigerated trailers, Martinez said. Since the pandemic began in March, more than 200 people died of COVID-19 in Bexar County.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas continued to report more than 10,000 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus Monday as the state tries containing the spread in what has become one of America's biggest hot zones. Greg Abbott warns that the worst is yet to come in Texas, state health officials reported more than 40 new deaths and 5,600 new cases following what had been the deadliest week of the pandemic in the state. Texas hospitals are running out of drugs, beds, ventilators and even staffCounty leaders in the hard-hit Rio Grande Valley on Monday asked Abbott to give them broader emergency powers as hospitals exceed capacity. Top officials in Houston have also called for stay-at-home orders, while Abbott has said putting Texas back on lockdown is a last resort. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

San Antonio – It will take weeks before San Antonio Metro Health officials know whether or not there’s been a plateau in the spread COVID-19 cases in Bexar County. Bexar County surpasses 15,000 COVID-19 casesThe city has also made the decision to only test people who are showing symptoms at the city run testing locations. There are still more than 50 testing locations in the county, including private providers who can test asymptomatic people, Kurian said. ‘A little ray of hope:’ Acceleration of COVID-19 spread is slowing down, San Antonio mayor saysThe city reports 48 calls were received regarding violations concerning the public health ordinance. The owner, Greg Barrineau, said he’s concerned about the increasing cases of COVID-19 cases but he’s fighting the ordinance in court for a fair application of the law.

San Antonio The South Texas Veterans Health Care System is gearing up for a surge in the number of Covid-19 related hospitalizations in the coming weeks. The hospital currently has 57 hospitalized patients with Covid-19 and is monitoring another 360 plus positive cases. The 5th and 6th floor of the hospital were renovated to treat Covid-19 patients, and the 7th floor is under renovation. Staff is also being dispatched from other VA hospitals to San Antonio. RELATED: How San Antonio celebrates Fourth of July will impact COVID-19 wave, officials say

SAN ANTONIO – Nicole Miranda, 24, is quarantined after recently finding out she tested positive for COVID-19. On Thursday afternoon, local hospital leaders asked the community to do its part as hospitals inch closer to reaching capacity. “Please, please, please wear a mask,” said Matthew Stone, CEO of Baptist Health System. Allen Harrison, with Methodist Health Care System, said two weeks ago, they had 75 positive COVID-19 patients, and on Thursday, they were at 343. Methodist is currently taking care of 10 COVID-19 patients with this alternative respiratory treatment.

Garland said Sharkey was admitted to Northeast Baptist Hospital on Wednesday afternoon after he experienced a seizure. Sharkey was taken to Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, but his son, Rakim Sharkey, knew something was wrong. Something didn’t seem right,” Rakim Sharkey said. How did he even get there?” Rakim Sharkey questioned. Rakim Sharkey and his family are happy to have their loved one back, but he said they are now living with a broken sense of security.

San Antonio – The surge of COVID-19 cases in San Antonio and Bexar County is causing concerns for hospitalization spikes in surrounding communities. Zamora said a patient looking to be transferred to a San Antonio hospital was turned away earlier this week. “We had a scare where we couldn’t ship someone to a San Antonio hospital,” he said. Eric Epley, the Southwest Texas Advisory Council executive director, said San Antonio hospitals are stressed. San Antonio, he said, still has about a 20-25% ICU capacity, but the problems isn’t beds.

Statewide, there were 14,260 available hospital beds and nearly 1,500 intensive care unit beds as of Tuesday. In the hard-hit Houston region, hospitals have begun moving coronavirus patients from crowded ICUs to other facilities. Abbott spokesperson John Wittman said hospitals in Houston and Austin have been “emphatic” that beds will be available for coronavirus patients. Carrie Williams, a spokesperson for the Texas Hospital Association, also said Texas has enough hospital capacity, though she added that hospitalizations numbers are "definitely a concern." Facilities treating coronavirus patients could face challenges that go beyond bed space — like staffing shortages.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio veterans hospital has confirmed it has admitted 18 patients with COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the VA.Officials said Friday that the South Texas Veterans Health Care System has reported the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the VA Health Care System. The 18 coronavirus inpatients in the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital are in stable condition, officials said. “Within the last week we’ve seen an increase of patients being treated for COVID-19,” Christopher R. Sandles, director and CEO for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, said in a news release. This week, the number of San Antonio and Texas cases have risen dramatically, causing Bexar County to implement a new face mask requirement for businesses. The South Texas Veterans Health Care System states anyone who enters one of their facilities must wear a face mask and should expect to be pre-screened.

Thursday marked the seventh consecutive day that Texas reported a record number of hospitalized coronavirus patients, with 2,947 people currently in hospitals being treated for COVID-19, according to data released Thursday by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The latest seven-day average for the number of people hospitalized is 2,468. There's almost twice as many people hospitalized because of the coronavirus than there was on Memorial Day. The new coronavirus has killed more than 2,000 people in Texas. On Wednesday the state reported 3,129 new cases.

SAN ANTONIO Hospital officials across Bexar County said theyre ready to face a second wave of the coronavirus should there be a need for hospital space and supplies to treat patients. Tents set up for overflow outside hospitals have been taken down, but they can be installed in just hours. We were lucky in that we did not get hit with a very high number of patients very early on, Bird said. We feel good about keeping our patients safe, she said. I mean, whether youre in the hospital or when youre outside, wearing this does help.

SAN ANTONIO – Micro-hospitals are built in areas where there’s a need but not a big enough demand for a traditional hospital. Baptist Health System is opening a micro-hospital called Baptist Emergency Hospital near Cupples Road and Highway 90. Micro-hospitals are good for minor emergencies, like if someone breaks a leg or if someone thinks they are having a heart attack. Stone said micro-hospitals are cheaper than full-service hospitals because they’re not as large, and they aren’t set up to treat everything. The Baptist Health System micro-hospital will open by the end of the month.