Total funding for DSHS was $5.7 bil- lion for 2012–13, compared with $6.1 billion for 2010–11.
Given the leaner budget DSHS has to work with for 2012–13, Dr. Lakey says the department will continue providing essential services to Texans while refo- cusing some of its activities. “We’ll have as big of an impact as we can with the resources we are given. We also will continue to maintain and en- hance our partnerships with key organi- zations such as TMA, the Texas Public Health Coalition, and other health or- ganizations. We will also work hard to position Texas well for any additional funding opportunities,” he said. While Dr. Lakey says funding reduc-
tions could have been deeper, they are still significant, especially in the depart- ment’s regulatory, chronic disease, tobac- co, and family planning services. “The reality is these reductions will have an impact. Our challenge is to ad- dress that reality. Physicians may also feel the effect of funding reductions as they work with patients who have chron- ic diseases and try to promote wellness and physical fitness to families,” he said. Funding for DSHS’s mental health
services emerged from the session “rea- sonably well,” according to Dr. Lakey. Lawmakers maintained many of the community mental health programs and increased funding in some instances. “Funding for mental health hospitals has increased, which means we’ll be able to maintain the status quo and even make improvements in capacity and in recruiting and retaining psychiatrists.” DSHS also received funding for its pa- tient safety, preventable hospitalizations, and healthy babies and infant mortality reduction initiative. Dr. Lakey says these interventions help improve health out- comes and save Medicaid dollars. “And though our request for addi- tional funds for HIV medications was not granted, the legislature provided a mechanism for us to work with HHSC to ensure this need is met,” he said. Support from the Texas Public Health
Coalition, TMA, individual physicians, and other health organizations played a vital role in communicating public health issues this session, Dr. Lakey says.
“We appreciate their support of the de- partment and of our programs. We are aligned in our ultimate goal of improv- ing the health of Texans. We’ll continue to work with them and to be good part- ners in our shared mission of making Texas healthier,” he said.
turn 18. If that consent isn’t given by age 19, the childhood records are removed. For more information, visit www.dshs
.state.tx.us/immunize.
Texas immunization registry now covers adults
ImmTrac, the Texas immunization reg- istry, has expanded to include adults. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) says the tool that has been keeping track of children’s immu- nizations since 1997 will help all Tex- ans know exactly which immunizations they’ve had. With adults able to enroll in ImmTrac, patients who provide consent can have their vaccine information stored elec- tronically in a secure, confidential reg- istry. ImmTrac allows people to request a copy of their record at any time, and doctors and schools can look up a per- son’s immunization history on the spot, avoiding unnecessary vaccinations. “Most people associate immunization
records with enrolling kids in school, but adults may need their records, too,” said Adolfo Valadez, MD, DSHS assistant commissioner for Prevention and Pre- paredness. “ImmTrac keeps records in one place, making it easy to know when you need an additional immunization and when you don’t.”
Adults often need copies of their re-
cords for work, travel, or school or due to concerns about an illness. Over time, immunization records may be lost and can be difficult to piece together quickly. Doctors or other health care profes-
sionals registered to use ImmTrac can enroll patients of any age and confirm the consent necessary to have records stored in the system. People who were enrolled in ImmTrac as children must provide consent as adults for their re- cords to remain in the registry once they
Obama administration releases national prevention strategy
Members of the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, including Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, announced the release of the national prevention and health promotion strategy, a comprehensive plan that will help increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.
The national prevention strategy rec- ognizes that good health comes not just from receiving quality medical care, but also from clean air and water, safe work- sites, and healthy foods. “This strategy, called for under the Af-
fordable Care Act, will help us transform our health care system away from a fo- cus on sickness and disease to a focus on prevention and wellness,” said Secretary Sebelius.
The national prevention strategy in- cludes actions public and private part- ners can take to help Americans stay healthy and fit and improve the nation’s prosperity. The strategy outlines four strategic directions that, together, are fundamental to improving the nation’s health: building healthy and safe com- munity environments, expanding quality preventive services in clinical and com- munity settings, empowering people to make healthy choices, and eliminating health disparities. For more information, visit www
.HealthCare.gov/center/councils/nphp phc. n
Crystal Conde is associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1385, or (512) 370-1385; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
crystal.conde@
texmed.org.
August 2011 TEXAS MEDICINE 47
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