Details of the Texas State Health Plan

By Kristin Jenkins, President of the DFWHC Foundation

In November of even-numbered years, the Texas Statewide Health Coordinating Council (SHCC) updates the Texas State Health Plan and submits their work to the governor. This legally-required plan seeks to ensure health-planning activities and that healthcare is provided in a cost-effective manner. The 2019-2020 update addresses many issues related to access to care and health literacy. The SHCC recommends:

• Health Literacy: Legislature should charge an existing committee or council, or create a new entity, to develop a plan to promote health literacy in the state.

• Clinical Training Sites: Legislature should charge colleges and universities with health profession programs to develop clinical training site availability. Plans should identify how the programs will incorporate teaching strategies and incentivize the participation of local healthcare.

• Oral Health: Legislature and executive branch should continue to support programs to improve rural access to oral health care and seek to maximize outcomes.

• Trauma System: Legislature should require the development of report on the adequacy of the state’s trauma hospitals, particularly regarding access to Level I and Level II trauma centers in a timely fashion.

The 60-page report can be found at:
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/legislative/2018-Reports/2019-20StateHealthPlan.pdf.

At the DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) Foundation, we will consider each recommendation in the context of our Workforce Initiative, Community Health Collaborative and our newly formed Health Literacy Collaborative. Our goal is to inform the actions of the legislature, executive branch and advisory committees to bring best practices from North Texas to the forefront of state discussions.

Please take time to review the SHCC report, and if you have an interest in joining our work in the current collaboratives at the DFWHC Foundation, please reach out to me at kjenkins@dfwhcfoundation.org.