Texas Standard For August 3, 2021

A call out for more nurses to respond to a health care crisis in the Coastal Bend, as hospital reach a critical point in caring for COVID patients. We’ll hear from the judge of Nueces County issuing an all call for nurses, and from a doctor in Temple who says she’s seeing more severe cases among pregnant women than at any time in the pandemic. And: An effort to deal with food insecurity through food literacy. Also: The search for true history of the battle of Medina. All those stories and more.

By Texas StandardAugust 3, 2021 9:30 am

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, August 3, 2021.

Coastal Bend Nurse Shortage/COVID Hospitalizations Rising

A shortage of nurses in hospitals servicing South Texas’ Coastal Bend has made the area’s spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations difficult to handle. Hospitals in the region are unable to staff enough beds for the number of patients who need them. Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales is calling on all nurses looking for work to apply to jobs at hospitals in her region. Judge Canales joins us today for an extended conversation.

Food Literacy

Food insecurity in the Houston region more than doubled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Children are particularly at risk. As Houston Public Media’s Camilo Hannibal Smith reports, a local non-profit is providing one solution through food literacy.

Colonias Flooding

For most people, a rainy day is a minor inconvenience. But that’s not the case for many residents of colonias in Texas. As Texas Public Radio’s Carolina Cuellar reports, the neighborhood’s lack of infrastructure creates a big problem for residents of one Rio Grande Valley colonia every time it rains.

COVID Hospitalizations Rising Among Pregnant Women

Central Texas doctors say there’s been an increase in pregnant women being hospitalized with COVID-19. Some have had to be put on ventilators. Others are on life support. Doctors who specialize in maternal and fetal care are urging pregnant women who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so – now. Here to tell us more is Dr. Jessica Clay Ehrig of Baylor Scott and White in Temple, a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine

Bug Bites: Spittlebugs

Search for the Battle of Medina

August 18 is the anniversary of the Battle of Medina. The 1813 battle near San Antonio was one of the largest and bloodiest battles in Texas history, yet little is known about it – including its precise location. Texas Public Radio’s Jerry Clayton reports that a group of military veterans is working to find it.

Walmart Shooting 2 Years Later

It’s been two years since the worst attack on Latinos in modern U.S. history. This week, El Paso residents recall the lives of the 23 people killed during the mass shooting at a Walmart on August 3, 2019. The accused gunman came to the border city from North Texas after posting online how he wanted to stop the “Hispanic invasion” of the state. As KTEP’s Angela Kocherga reports, there’s concern conditions in Texas could result in more violent hate crimes.

All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.

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