Sophie Novack
By Sophie Novack:
The Last Nurse in Memphis, Texas
Driving My Life Away
As physicians leave small towns, rural Texans must travel farther and farther for health care.
Critical Condition: Part 2 Driving My Life Away As physicians leave small towns, rural Texans must travel farther and farther for health care. + + + by Christopher Collins and Sophie Novack November 18, 2019 Yolanda Narvaez knew something … Read More
‘You Can Only Take So Much’: Low-Income Hurricane Harvey Survivors Sue Over ‘Discriminatory’ Recovery Process
The lawsuit accuses state and federal officials of favoring wealthier, white homeowners over poorer black and Hispanic renters.
Former city council member John Beard has a term to describe Port Arthur residents. In his Gulf Coast city of 55,000, people have all but given up on getting the help they need to recover from the storm that damaged … Read More
Scenes from a Rural Hospital’s Final Day
Chillicothe Hospital closed its doors on July 22. Its closure reverberated through the community in both expected and surprising ways.
This story is part of “Critical Condition,” a series investigating Texas’ rural health care crisis. Read Part 1 here. Inside a tiny frontier hospital at the Texas Panhandle’s southern boundary, Judy Borton is hunched over the same gas stovetop that … Read More
State Investigators Identify ‘Serious Contractual Violations’ by the Heidi Group
A new report from the health inspector general says the Heidi Group, an anti-abortion group tapped to replace Planned Parenthood in state family planning programs, misused taxpayer funds, and calls for an expanded investigation of the group’s contracts.
State investigators now say an anti-abortion group tapped to replace Planned Parenthood in Texas’ reproductive health programs must repay nearly $1.6 million amid “serious contractual violations.” That tab could still go much higher. In a long-awaited report released Thursday, investigators … Read More
Critical Condition
Rural health care is in crisis around the country, but Texas is suffering the most. At least 20 small-town hospitals have closed since 2013.
a Texas Observer Special Investigation Critical Condition Rural health care is in crisis around the country, but Texas is suffering the most. At least 20 small-town hospitals have closed since 2013. More than one-fifth of Texas’ 254 counties have only … Read More
A Dying Town
When a rural hospital dies, the community around it starts to follow suit.
Critical Condition: part 1 A Dying Town When a rural hospital dies, the community around it starts to follow suit. + + + by Christopher Collins and Sophie Novack November 4, 2019 On the evening of December 28, 2014, … Read More
The Supreme Court Taking Up Louisiana’s Abortion Case ‘Flies in the Face of Precedent’
Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, won a major victory against a Texas anti-abortion law at the U.S. Supreme Court three years ago. In an interview, she talks about the recent case coming out of Louisiana and what it means for abortion rights in the U.S.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case against a Louisiana law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital—nearly identical to requirements under Texas’ House Bill 2 that the Supreme Court struck … Read More
Some Small Texas Towns Are Declaring Themselves ‘Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn’
Frustrated with the Legislature, Texas city officials are taking on abortion rights through local policy measures.
Update, September 25, 2019: This story, originally published on September 18, 2019, has been updated to reflect news that additional towns have passed citywide abortion bans. When it comes to the Texas Legislature’s actions on abortion restrictions this year, virtually … Read More
American Health Care is Broken, Especially in Texas. What Can We Do About It?
Physician Marty Makary’s new book shows how sky-high medical bills can ruin patients’ lives—but puts the burden on individuals to demand change.
Add yet another first place health care ranking no one wants for Texas: We have the highest hospital bills in the country. A new study has found that Texas prices (before insurance) were on average 6.4 times higher than the … Read More
