“By partnering with our local community health clinics, who already had infrastructure and resources in place for service and delivery of health care, we leveraged both what they can provide and what we can provide into more than either one of us could do our own.” Bell County Judge David Blackburn The Bell County Indigent Health Care Collaborative received an … [Read more...] about Bell County Indigent Health Care Program Earns National Achievement Award
Commissioners Court
Indigent Health Care
County-Run Programs Provide Basic, Optional Services
The Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act of 1985 found in Chapter 61 of the Health and Safety Code requires counties that are not completely covered by a hospital district or public hospital to provide basic health services to indigent residents through a county-run County Indigent Health Care Program (CIHCP). Texas is home to 113 county-administered CIHCPs that cover … [Read more...] about Indigent Health Care
A Ray of Hope
Diversion Program Changing Lives in Smith County
Editor’s Note: In many counties, the county jail has become a de facto mental institution, housing mentally ill inmates awaiting due process without their medications and/or life-sustaining therapies. The situation is lose-lose-lose; the inmates and their families, fellow inmates and jail staff, and the taxpayers are all affected. Money has been appropriated, and … [Read more...] about A Ray of Hope
Do’s and Don’ts of County Purchasing
When it comes to county government purchasing, the statutes contain many requirements that must be met. These requirements are scattered throughout the statutes – not just in the section known as the County Purchasing Act – and change each time the Texas Legislature meets. It is the duty of every county official to follow these laws. Many counties rely on procurement … [Read more...] about Do’s and Don’ts of County Purchasing
Mentally Ill Inmates
One Family’s Hope and Heartbreak
In many counties, the jail has become a de facto mental institution, housing mentally ill inmates awaiting due process without their medications and/or life-sustaining therapies. The situation is lose-lose-lose; the inmate, fellow inmates and jail staff, and the taxpayers are all affected. The statistics have been quoted for so long that one wonders if they have lost their … [Read more...] about Mentally Ill Inmates