mental health
San Antonio Area Sees a Boom in Mental Health Providers. But Not Where Scarcity Is Severe.
The number of mental health providers in Bexar County has soared over the past five years, but the growth was heaviest in more affluent northern areas.
special report
Texas Clears the Way for Petrochemical Expansion as Experts Warn of Health Risks
Public Health Watch chronicles, in 13 scenes, a fossil-fuel infrastructure boom that could worsen air pollution in some areas and exacerbate climate change.
impact
‘Fumed’ Found Problems With Houston’s Industrial Permitting Process. The City Changed Its Policies.
Public Health Watch’s podcast highlighted residents’ lack of protection from industrial facilities moving into their neighborhoods — even when deed restrictions were in place. Three months later, the Houston Planning Department addressed the underlying problem.
fumed
The Loosely Regulated Petrochemical Barge Industry Is Commandeering a Texas River
People who live on the San Jacinto fear chemical releases and explosions from the vessels. It’s unclear who’s policing the buildup.
A Weekly Roundup of Public Health News
Insurance Costs May Shape Survival for Cancer Survivors
Patients with high-deductible plans are more likely to die … Discrimination stress may shorten lives for Black Americans … and more.
Read more editions of The Watch
Workplace
As Trump Pushed Mines to Increase Production, Protections for Black Lung Victims Stalled
From federal rulemakers all the way down to Kentucky lawmakers, 2025 was full of regulatory wins for mining companies. Meanwhile, health researchers confirm that deaths from black lung disease are rampant in the mine industry.
Access to Care
Blood Work: ‘Milk and cookies’ Aren’t Enough: Why the US Pays for Plasma
As more people are caught in the economic squeeze of a rising cost of living, many are looking for ways to make extra money. A growing number are turning to selling their blood plasma — an essential ingredient in making many lifesaving medications. In a new series called “Blood Work,” Texas Public Radio’s David Martin…
Climate Change
Texas Workers Keep Dying in the Heat
Despite its blazing temperatures, Texas has no labor protections for heat. That leaves workers, especially immigrants, vulnerable on the job.
A Fumed Bonus Episode:
‘The Scientist Who Refused to be Intimidated’
The latest episode of our podcast, Fumed, tells how a high-profile epidemiologist withstood political pressure and intimidation throughout his career in a quest to protect public health.
Listen to all Fumed episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
stories
A Community Burdened by Chemical Waste Is Demanding Cancer Data. Texas Health Officials Won’t Give It to Them.
Last year, state epidemiologists studied an industrialized region east of Houston. They reported finding high rates of cancer, but refused to release key geographic details — a decision some experts say is irresponsible.
uninsured in america
climate change
What Extreme Heat Is Doing to Your Body
As climate change intensifies, heat health risks from accelerated aging to bad decision-making grow worldwide. Here’s what you need to know.
mental health
For People With Mental Illness, the Path to Disability Benefits Can Be Long and Difficult
A shortage of mental-health providers and other barriers to proving a disabling condition can make qualifying for benefits especially challenging. Federal funding cuts could worsen the picture.
commentary
Insurance Coverage for Obesity Treatment Is Long Overdue
Legislation pending in Congress would eliminate discriminatory rules that bar anti-obesity medications from the same coverage afforded treatments of other chronic diseases. But its fate is uncertain.
Uninsured in America
Having Epilepsy and No Health Insurance Can Exact a Heavy Toll. The Plight Is Likely More Common in Texas.
Nearly 300,000 people in Texas have the life-threatening, life-altering disease. It’s expensive to treat, so health insurance is crucial, though often out of reach.
ENVIRONMENT
Trump Exempts Biggest Emitters of Two Carcinogens from Pollution Rule
Last week, the White House exempted 49 chemical plants from a 2024 rule that would have required them to monitor and control air emissions to reduce cancer risks. One-third of these plants release either ethylene oxide or chloroprene.
Trump Pollution Exemptions Would Shield Lawbreakers, Endanger Millions
Analysis shows EPA rollbacks of the HON rule would put overburdened communities at risk and benefit chemical plants that frequently violate their permits.
commentary
We’ve been here all along
Public Health Watch rarely covers breaking news, but its investigative reporting often foreshadows it. Consider the the push to slash Medicaid coverage for the poor.
uninsured in america
Medicaid Cuts Could Be Devastating for the Delta and the Rest of Rural America
The “big, beautiful bill” would cause 11.8 million more Americans to become uninsured by 2034.
commentary
Uninsured in America
uninsured in america
In the Deep South, Health Care Fights Echo Civil Rights Battles
Sixty years after Medicaid was created, grassroots groups demand accessible, affordable health care in a system that continues to deny it.
uninsured in america
Silicosis Epidemic
environment
California Lead Battery Recycler Admits Violating Permit, State Law in Consent Order
The agreement resolves tank-related violations reported by Public Health Watch last fall.
Commentary
climate change
climate change
Children
‘We Give Manufactured Chemicals More Rights Than We Give Criminal Defendants’
A new paper blames rampant chemical production for a host of illnesses among children.
toxic texas air
New Analysis Shows Channelview Cancer Risk Is Likely Far Higher Than EPA Estimates
The cancer risk from benzene emissions could be up to 2,000 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s current estimate.
‘sweat and blood … and even death’
by Public Health Watch
Two years ago, Public Health Watch’s editor-in-chief got a tip about an unpublicized silicosis epidemic among immigrant workers in the LA area. He quickly grasped what a huge story this was.
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medicaid expansion: ‘the holdouts’
The Deadly Toll of Fine-Particle Pollution in Texas
This interactive map shows how fine-particle pollution impacts the health of communities across Texas.