Fort Worth City Council votes 8-1 in favor of smoking ban

12/14/2017

The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday voted 8-1 to approve updates to the city’s smoking ordinance. Beginning March 12, customers in Fort Worth bars and bingo parlors will no longer be able to smoke within the buildings. Fort Worth was one of the last major cities in Texas to still allow smoking in bars. The new law also prohibits … Read More

DFWHC to be present at tonight’s FW vote on city smoking ban

12/12/2017

The Fort Worth City Council will vote tonight on a proposed smoking ban that would extinguish cigarettes in bars and bingo halls, and limit where smoke shops can be located within the city. If the vote passes, it could take effect within 90 days. DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) President/CEO W. Stephen Love will be present prior to the vote and … Read More

Health insurance for Texas children expected to be extended

11/30/2017

In a story in this morning’s Dallas Morning News, Texas officials received some good pre-holiday tidings. They may not have to send out health insurance cancellation letters to nearly half a million kids three days before Christmas. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Wednesday said it’s very likely to give Texas enough additional money to keep its … Read More

A Christmas to remember? Could 400,000 children lose health coverage?

11/29/2017

More than 400,000 Texas kids might lose their health coverage right before Christmas, according to The Dallas Morning News in a report yesterday. The state needs $90 million more in federal funding or else it will cut off the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) on January 31, and will send notices about the program’s end to families on December 22. … Read More

Let’s hope contagious compassion becomes an epidemic

11/17/2017

Blog by W. Stephen Love, President/CEO of the DFW Hospital Council A study by Elizabeth Bradley and Lauren Taylor found the U.S. spends a small amount on social programs like retirement, disability benefits, employment programs and housing when compared to other nations. The U.S. spends nine percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on social services assisting the population. If … Read More

Children’s Health report reveals hunger issues for North Texas children

11/15/2017

Children’s Health released on November 14 the 15th edition of Beyond ABC: Assessing the Well-Being of Children in North Texas, a 98-page report examining the quality of life for children in Dallas, Collin, Cooke, Denton, Fannin and Grayson counties. Produced in collaboration with the Institute for Urban Policy Research at the University of Texas at Dallas, Beyond ABC is a … Read More

DFWHC to participate in Nov. 6-7 Healthier Texas Summit

09/20/2017

DFW Hospital Council President/CEO W. Stephen Love will be moderating a panel during the Healthier Texas Summit, November 6-7 at the Hilton Downtown in Austin, Texas. The panel includes Freddy Warner, vice president government affairs at Memorial Hermann Health System, and David Tesmer, senior vice president community engagement and advocacy at Texas Health Resources discussing “Public Policy, Public Health and … Read More

DFWHC raises serious concerns about Graham-Cassidy bill

09/19/2017

In a blog posted yesterday in State of Reform, DFW Hospital Council President/CEO W. Stephen Love expressed concern about the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson bill introduced last week. The bill is the latest attempt by Republicans in Congress to pass health care legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, widely known as “Obamacare.” Republicans have on at least four occasions tried … Read More

DMN’s extensive feature on healthcare includes comment from DFWHC’s Love

04/25/2017

The Dallas Morning News ran an extensive feature on national healthcare over the weekend with none other than the DFW Hospital Council’s President/CEO W. Stephen Love providing commentary. Penned by Sabriya Rice, the story was titled “Health care reform like a house of cards, and the consequences are high.” “People’s lives are affected,” said Stacey Pogue, senior policy analyst with … Read More

The single most preventable cause of death

11/25/2014

I am a native Virginian and proud of my heritage. I remember as a small boy visiting the warehouses where flue-cured tobacco was auctioned to the major companies for processing into cigarettes. John Rolfe, a young man from Jamestown, was the first colonist to grow tobacco in America. He secured the initial seeds from Trinidad and in 1612 produced his … Read More