Marissa Evans, Civil Eats

Marissa Evans

Civil Eats

Austin, TX, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Civil Eats
  • Texas Tribune
  • KBTX News
  • NBC News
  • Roll Call
  • Poynter
  • KFF Health News

Past articles by Marissa:

What Reparations Could Mean for Black Farmers

Some 2020 presidential candidates are talking about reparations. Can the conversation turn the tide on systemic racism in U.S. agriculture? → Read More

Texas lawmakers are prioritizing mental health for school safety. But advocates worry about stigma.

The newfound push this session around school safety and preventing mass shootings is reinvigorating ideas about mental health care for Texas children. But advocates often cringe when legislators make the argument that mental health care is the key to preventing mass shootings. → Read More

A Texas legislative session without an abortion fight? Unlikely.

Despite the fact that lawmakers have so far been focused on bipartisan "bread and butter" issues like property taxes and school finance, more than a dozen abortion-related bills are circulating in the state Capitol. → Read More

Nearly 200 immigrants in Texas detention facilities have mumps

The Texas Department of State Health Services says 178 detainees had confirmed cases of mumps as of Feb. 21. Texas detention centers account for 76 percent of mumps cases at such facilities nationwide. → Read More

Voters in four states have approved Medicaid expansion by ballot. Will Texas do the same?

Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah voters approved Medicaid expansion through ballot initiatives. Now Texas legislators have filed bills for a vote over whether the state should expand coverage for the joint federal-state health insurance program. → Read More

House committee says Texas faces "significant challenges" in curbing substance abuse

In a report released Friday, the House Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse wrote that Texas "must remain vigilant" when it comes to ongoing issues around addiction and drug abuse → Read More

Texas has the highest number of uninsured kids in America, report finds

A Georgetown University Center for Children and Families report released Thursday found that Texas had about 835,000 uninsured children in 2017, an increase of 83,000 kids from the previous year. → Read More

Anti-vaccine Texas families may take their fight to day cares next

A leading anti-vaccine group claims that day cares are breaking the law by denying kids who haven't been vaccinated. Experts say the group is misinterpreting the law. → Read More

Anti-vaccine Texas families may take their fight to day cares next

A leading anti-vaccine group claims that day cares are breaking the law by denying kids who haven't been vaccinated. Experts say the group is misinterpreting the law. → Read More

2018 was the year of the woman in Texas. Candidates say it's "not a one-time deal."

Texas women were poised for potential wins after multiple upsets in March primaries. On Tuesday, in race after race, Texas women won up and down the ballot including races for Congress and the Texas House. → Read More

Texas doctors seek more opioid addiction treatment options under Medicaid

The state’s Drug Utilization Review Board is taking public comment on whether to expand Medicaid’s preferred drug list to include medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction besides Suboxone. → Read More

Texas workers caring for elderly feel “treated like a stepchild” as caseload increases, pay stays the same

Staffers are leaving Adult Protective Services because of increased workloads, lack of attention from the Legislature and a significant pay gap between them and their Child Protective Services counterparts. → Read More

Texas Border Patrol agent accused of "serial killing spree" in Laredo

Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, has been accused of killing four women, including one transgender woman, and kidnapping a fifth woman, who escaped and alerted law enforcement. → Read More

Judge strikes down Texas law requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains

The ruling comes after a five-day trial in July at which patients, health providers, state agency officials, bioethicists, cemetery directors and religious leaders got on the witness stand. → Read More

Abbott tabs Nebraska official to lead Health and Human Services Commission

Courtney Phillips currently leads the Department of Health and Human Services in Nebraska. → Read More

After Harvey, questions remain about whether registry helped people with disabilities

Texas has a system in place to identify people with disabilities who will need extra help during a natural disaster. But it's unclear how many people actually received help through the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry, or STEAR, during Hurricane Harvey. → Read More

Texas health building invaded by mold, raising health concerns

Workers have found mold infiltrating their desks, chairs and keyboard hand rests in the Austin State Hospital 636 building. The state has spent nearly $16,000 fighting the mold so far. → Read More

Texas fetal remains burial trial gets underway

The law at the center of the case is Senate Bill 8, passed in 2017, which requires the burial or cremation of fetal remains. → Read More

After Santa Fe shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott sees a West Texas mental health program as a statewide model

A 4-year-old project run by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in a group of West Texas high schools has prevented violent incidents through screenings, according to one Tech official. Could it work in all Texas schools? → Read More

Report: Thousands more Texas women being served in health programs

Despite rising numbers, it's still not known whether the number of women accessing such services has returned to the levels that preceded massive budget cuts during the 2011 legislative session. → Read More