Karen Brooks Harper
Texas Tribune
Austin, TX, United States
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Past articles by Karen:
State leaders won’t commit to specifics about how much they might invest in children’s mental health
As public debate intensifies over how the state will divvy up billions in new money, community groups that treat children for mental illness fear they’re not a priority. → Read More
Republican Glenn Hegar defeats Janet Dudding to keep his state comptroller job for third term
During the campaign, Hegar touted his work on lowering taxes and expanding broadband in Texas, reforming the tax code, reducing regulations on agriculture and pushing for government transparency. → Read More
Texas diverts $359.6 million from prisons to keep Greg Abbott’s border mission operating
The latest infusion was among $874.6 million in “emergency” budget transfers requested by the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which is composed of GOP state leaders and budget writers. → Read More
Tesla among surge of companies rushing to take advantage of Texas’ expiring tax incentive program
The Chapter 313 program was designed to draw business to the state, but critics say it lacks accountability and unduly burdens taxpayers. Tesla and other companies hope to take advantage of the tax incentive ahead of the program’s expiration at the end of the year. → Read More
Monkeypox is spreading in Texas. Here’s what you need to know about causes, symptoms and treatment.
The virus isn’t airborne, so it isn’t as easy to contract as COVID-19. But experts say it shouldn’t be ignored. → Read More
Wealth will now largely determine which Texans can access abortion
The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade will not fall equally. Texans most likely to seek out abortion care in the past are now the least likely to be able to afford it. People of color will be most disproportionately affected. → Read More
Uvalde was a mental health desert before a school shooting prompted Texas to respond with resources
After the May 24 school shooting, mental health help is now pouring into Uvalde, where a fourth of residents are uninsured and counseling options are few and far between. → Read More
Texas was building a program to find troubled students and prevent school shootings. It hadn’t reached Uvalde yet.
Created in 2019, the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium identifies distressed students and refers them to mental health services. → Read More
Abortion restrictions threaten care for pregnant patients, providers say
Women’s health care providers are holding back when counseling pregnant patients about treatment options, doctors report pharmacists are hesitant to distribute some prescriptions, and OB-GYN training is diminishing for Texas medical school students. → Read More
How Texas’ powerful but fractured abortion opposition helped bring down Roe v. Wade
Texas’ anti-abortion movement is on the cusp of achieving a goal 50 years in the making. Now, it’ll be up to the old guard and new torchbearers to decide what’s next. → Read More
If Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Texas will completely ban abortion
Politico said it obtained a draft Supreme Court majority opinion indicating the landmark abortion ruling will be overturned. → Read More
Texas hospitals prepare to pick up the tab for uninsured COVID-19 patients as federal funds dry up
Hospitals and other health care providers in Texas, which has the lowest rate of insurance coverage in the nation, have gotten some $1.8 billion in federal help for uninsured COVID-19 patients. → Read More
“Light at the end of the tunnel”: Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations down as omicron wave appears to crest
Texas falls short, again, of the pandemic record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, while daily deaths are expected to continue rising for several more days. → Read More
Omicron pushes Texas ICUs to the brink
A staffing crisis and the surge from the omicron variant have pushed the number of Texas ICU beds to a new record low. The shortage affects not just patients with the coronavirus, but every Texan seeking serious medical care. → Read More
For Texas children, COVID-19 hospitalizations are outpacing vaccinations
Last fall, just as younger Texans received the green light to get vaccinated, omicron came rushing in, sending more of them to the hospital. → Read More
Omicron on track to shatter Texas' COVID-19 hospitalization record
“The situation in Texas is that it probably won’t reach the peak [for cases] until the second half of January,” a top researcher said. → Read More
COVID-19 hospitalizations double in Texas as omicron strains staffing
The number is surging, though it is still much lower than the peak one year ago. → Read More
Fewer patients, smaller staff, an uncertain future: abortion providers await court decision on Texas law
For two months, providers have had to work in a sort of limbo as they wait to see if the new law passes the Supreme Court's review. → Read More
Unvaccinated Texans make up vast majority of COVID-19 cases and deaths this year, new state data shows
The new state survey is the first time Texas health officials have been able to statistically measure the vaccine's true impact on the pandemic. → Read More
Major Texas abortion providers wary about next move as judge’s ruling offers no protection from lawsuits — yet
The ruling late Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman doesn’t protect providers who perform those services during the legal pause on enforcement while the law makes its way through the higher courts. → Read More