https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neelam-bohra/The latest news by Neelam Bohra.enFri, 19 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/19/texas-medicaid-private-nursing-children/Some children who receive private duty nursing, a more continuous type of medical care in their homes, could lose their ability to live at home if an HHSC rule change goes into effect.By Neelam BohraFri, 19 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/19/texas-medicaid-private-nursing-children/JaReen Williams adjusts an iPad for her 16-year-old daughter, Lydia, so she can watch one of her comfort shows "Charlie Brown" in preparation for the treatment she undergoes three times a week by a nurse.JaReen Williams adjusts an iPad for her sixteen year old daughter, Lydia, as Lydia navigates to one of her comfort shows, Charlie Brown, in preparation for her triweekly treatment by a nurse on Friday, April 12, 2024, in Katy.Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/01/texas-cows-bird-flu-human-infection/The person had contact with infected cattle, state health officials said. It's the second recorded human case in the U.S.By Neelam BohraMon, 01 Apr 2024 13:30:09 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/01/texas-cows-bird-flu-human-infection/Cattle stand in the burn scar from the Smokehouse Creek fire on March. 3, 2024Cattle stand in the burn scar from the Smokehouse Creek fire on March. 3, 2024 in Hemphill County.Justin Rex for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/29/texas-disabled-asylum-seekers/The CBP One phone app, which most migrants use to begin the U.S. asylum process, isn’t accessible to those who are blind, deaf, have mobility issues, or have intellectual disabilities, according to a complaint.By Neelam BohraFri, 29 Mar 2024 13:09:10 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/29/texas-disabled-asylum-seekers/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/28/texas-medicaid-disability-hospital/Staffing shortages and mismanaged care can delay when Texans on some Medicaid programs are discharged from hospitals. This can cost the state more and take a toll on patients and caregivers.By Neelam BohraThu, 28 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/28/texas-medicaid-disability-hospital/Kaitlyn Cunningham sits in her wheel chair in the hallway of Cedar Park Regional Medical Center in Cedar Park, Texas on March 13. Cunningham and her mom Kathy Cunningham would walk down the hallway to look outside of the hospital windows at the birds.Kaitlyn Cunningham sits in her wheel chair in the hallway of Cedar Park Regional Medical Center in Cedar Park, Texas on Mar. 13, 2024. Cunningham and her mom Kathy Cunningham would walk down the hallway to look outside of the hospital windows at the birds.Maria Crane for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/22/texas-medical-exception-board-abortion-guidance/The guidance was disappointing to reproductive rights advocates who were seeking more specificity and a list of conditions that could qualify.By Neelam BohraFri, 22 Mar 2024 10:27:40 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/22/texas-medical-exception-board-abortion-guidance/Executive Director of the Texas Medical Board Stephen Brint Carlton, J.D., speaks prior to the start of the board meeting in the George H.W. Bush Building in Austin on March 22, 2024.Executive Director of the Texas Medical Board Stephen Brint Carlton, J.D., speaks prior to the start of the Texas Medical Board Full Board Meeting in the George H.W. Bush Building in Austin, Texas on Mar. 22, 2024. The meeting was postponed 15 minutes from the original start time of 8 a.m.Maria Crane/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/11/Texas-disability-services-abortion/Texas’ fertility rose after new abortion restrictions, raising concerns that special education and specialized health care will be stretched even thinner.By Neelam BohraMon, 11 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/11/Texas-disability-services-abortion/Debbie Wiederhold talks with her 31-year-old son Daniel at their home in Hutto on Feb. 29, 2024. Though Daniel was born with a rare brittle bone disorder, he lives an active life with support from state services.Debbie Wiederhold tallks with Daniel on Feb. 29, 2024. They talk about his favorite artist, Taylor Swift.Maria Crane/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/05/panhandle-texas-farmers-ranchers-recovery/Ranchers have likely lost thousands of cattle in the wildfires, according to some preliminary estimates.By Joshua Fechter and Neelam BohraTue, 05 Mar 2024 21:05:40 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/05/panhandle-texas-farmers-ranchers-recovery/Christy Oats, left, talks at a U.S. Department of Agriculture informational meeting for farmers and ranchers affected by the Panhandle wildfires at the Hemphill County Exhibition Center in Canadian on March 5.Christy Oats, left, talks to the farmers and ranchers attending a USDA informational meeting at the Hemphill County Exhibition center in Canadian on March 5, 2024.Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/20/texas-abortion-disabled/Few organizations track the number of disabled individuals trying to access abortion, but abortion providers and groups that help assist Texans obtain out-of-state abortions say they are falling through the cracks.By Neelam BohraTue, 20 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/20/texas-abortion-disabled/An empty exam room at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.An empty room at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/06/texas-special-education-doj-students-jailed/The complaint claims Bonham ISD and a city court discriminated against both Black students and disabled students by creating a hostile environment at school. The groups also filed a separate complaint against Corpus Christi ISD with the Texas Education Agency.By Neelam BohraTue, 06 Feb 2024 11:14:32 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/06/texas-special-education-doj-students-jailed/Students and teachers walk between classes at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.Students and teachers walk between classes at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/19/texas-blind-merchants-program/The Business Enterprises of Texas program offers visually impaired vendors food service contracts in government buildings.By Neelam BohraFri, 19 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/19/texas-blind-merchants-program/Jerry House and his partner, Dannine, purchase inventory at Sam's Club in San Antonio on Jan. 17, 2024. House manages several vending machines in the area through the Business Enterprises of Texas program, an initiative to advance the careers of blind people.Dannine helps Jerry House grab snacks needed for his vending machines from Sam's Club on Jan. 17, 2024. They grab a variety of nuts, chips, pastries and candy to fill the machines.Maria Crane/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/13/henry-cuellar-texas-border-eagle-pass/The U.S. Department of Homeland Security fires off cease and desist letter to Texas after three migrants drown crossing Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.By Neelam Bohra and Sneha DeySat, 13 Jan 2024 16:54:09 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/13/henry-cuellar-texas-border-eagle-pass/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/12/texas-power-grid-conservation-arctic-blast/Public Utility Commission said conservation would help lower demand during peak times and help avoid emergency conditions.By Alejandro Serrano, Emily Foxhall and Neelam BohraFri, 12 Jan 2024 11:37:54 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/12/texas-power-grid-conservation-arctic-blast/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-medicaid-unwinding/Texas has booted the most people from Medicaid of any state in the country. A majority of those removed lost their health insurance coverage because of procedural reasons.By Neelam BohraThu, 14 Dec 2023 17:11:36 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-medicaid-unwinding/Dr. Rose Okoro, a nurse practitioner, who owns Daystar Family Clinic in Katy, is shown on May 12. 2014. She says she has struggled to treat a greater number of Medicaid patients because of state regulations.Dr. Rose Okoro, a nurse practitioner, who owns Daystar Family Clinic in Katy, is shown on May 12. 2014. She says she has struggled to treat a greater number of Medicaid patients because of state regulations.Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-emergency-abortion-lawsuit/Kate Cox, 31, at 20 weeks pregnant, has learned her fetus has a lethal abnormality that is almost always fatal at birth.By Eleanor Klibanoff and Neelam BohraThu, 07 Dec 2023 10:06:28 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-emergency-abortion-lawsuit/Kate Cox of Dallas is asking a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy.Kate Cox of Dallas is asking a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy.Courtesy of Kate Coxhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-medicaid-thymus-transplant/Gabe Nolasco was born without a vital immune system gland. His family spent years in quarantines and advocating to state insurance so they could keep him alive.By Neelam BohraThu, 07 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-medicaid-thymus-transplant/Gabe Nolasco makes a spider web gesture, mimicking his favorite superhero, Spider-Man. In his left hand, he holds onto Thymie, an orange plush thymus, in the yard in front of the Ronald McDonald House at Cook's Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth on Dec. 2, 2023. Gabe Nolasco, 4, is currently recovering from a thymus transplant as treatment for his congenital athymia.Gabe Nolasco makes a spider web gesture, mimicking his favorite superhero, Spider-Man. In his left hand, he holds onto Thymie, an orange plush thymus, in the yard in front of the Ronald McDonald House at Cook's Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 2, 2023. Gabe Nolasco, 4, is currently recovering from a thymus transplant as treatment for his congenital athymia.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/13/texas-disabled-covid-vaccine-ban/The ban applies to all private businesses, including health care facilities like hospitals, which can jeopardize the health of those with compromised immune systems or other underlying conditions.By Neelam BohraMon, 13 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/13/texas-disabled-covid-vaccine-ban/Alice Barton looks through a rack of homemade masks in her South Austin home on Nov. 10, 2023. A bill signed on Friday, which bans vaccine requirements on all private businesses, could risk the health of groups like organ transplant recipients, cancer patients and those with underlying conditions as common as severe asthmaAlice Barton looks through a rack of homemade masks in her South Austin home on Nov. 10, 2023. Barton, a retired physician, continues to take COVID precautions such as masking.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-school-vouchers-disabled-students/The few private schools that offer special education for disabled students have strict conditions and are clustered in metropolitan areas.By Neelam BohraThu, 26 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-school-vouchers-disabled-students/Two window decals are shown on van on Sep. 9, 2023. The stickers reference the occupant’s wheelchair.Two window decals are shown on Laurie Sharp's van on Sep. 9, 2023. The stickers reference Logan's wheelchair.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/12/texas-long-covid/Long COVID clinics in Texas are few and far between, often with months-long waitlists. But these centers can provide care that validates stigmatized patients, offers unique treatments and teaches physicians more about the new condition.By Neelam BohraThu, 12 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/12/texas-long-covid/Health care workers wheel portable oxygen tanks to patients in the COVID care unit of Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 19, 2021.Healthcare workers wheel portable oxygen tanks to patients in the COVID care unit of Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 19, 2021.Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-hhsc-medicaid/Texas Democrats in Congress are urging the federal government to audit the state’s Medicaid eligibility systemBy Neelam BohraThu, 28 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-hhsc-medicaid/Yesenia Alvarado holds her daughter, Medicaid patient Melanie Almaraz, 2, while waiting to see Dr. Alberto Vasquez for treatment of a fever at Su Clinica Familiar in Harlingen, Texas on Jul. 9, 2013. (Yesenia Alvarado holds her daughter, Medicaid patient Melanie Almaraz, 2, while waiting to see Dr. Alberto Vasquez for treatment of a fever at Su Clinica Familiar in Harlingen, Texas on Jul. 9, 2013.Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/20/texas-accessible-disabled-parking/How have new laws changed accessible parking? How are violations enforced? Here’s what you need to know about parking for people with disabilities.By Neelam BohraWed, 20 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/20/texas-accessible-disabled-parking/A car with a disabled veteran license plate sits parked in a disabled parking zone outside the Capitol Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 in Austin.A car with a disabled veteran license plate sits parked in a disabled parking zone outside the Capitol Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 in Austin.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune