Texas Human and Health Services

Texas Human and Health Services (HHS) – Overview

The Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) Commission is an agency under the Texas Health and Human Services system. In 2003, Texas began transforming its delivery of human and health services to make the HHS system more efficient.

With the new system in place, the HHS has accomplished the following:

  • This makes it easier for people to learn about the services or benefits they are eligible for.
  • Improved integration of programs by removing bureaucratic bottlenecks and combining similar programs and services.
  • Creating clearly defined accountability within the HHS organization.
  • Including well-defined and objective performance metrics for all organizational ideas.

As of the latest reorganization, the Texas Health and Human Services system is streamlined into a single agency, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), with the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) functioning under its umbrella.

Texas HHS Benefits and Services

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) provides the following benefits and services to eligible individual residents of the state:

  • Long-term care for seniors and disabled residents
  • Medicaid for low-income families and special needs children
  • SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) food benefits for children and families
  • TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) is cash assistance for families
  • Behavioral health care services
  • Services that help and sustain seniors and the disabled in their homes or communities
  • Services for women and people with special care needs

Besides these services and benefits, the Texas HHS also performs the following regulatory functions:

  • Licensing child care providers
  • Licensing and credentialing long-term facilities (assisted living, nursing homes, etc.)
  • Managing the daily operations of state-sponsored hospitals and living centers

Texas DHHS Grants

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) manages grant opportunities for health and human services programs within the state.

The Texas HHSC is a source of grants for projects and programs that aim to improve Texans’ health and human services outcomes. Grants support critical recovery programs, innovative research, and similar programs.

The Texas HHS offers grants for:

  • Behavioral Health Services
  • Health, Developmental, and Independence Services
  • Access and Eligibility Services, etc.

Here is a list of Texas DHHS grants that are offered for different purposes:

1 – Abstinence Education Program

The Title V State Abstinence Education Grant Program offers sexual risk avoidance education material and programs that focus on teaching positive youth development methods. This is an effort to prevent adolescent pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and AIDS/HIV using contracts with community-centric non-profit organizations.

Direct services contractors offer 5th to 12th-grade students easy access to education classes and over 20 hours of service learning opportunities. In addition, the program curriculum aims to empower youth to choose to delay having sex.

2 – Autism Program

The Autism Program aims to excel in delivering services to families with children who have autism.

The HHS offers these grants through contracts with local community agencies and organizations. These organizations use applied behavior analysis and other positive behavior support strategies. This program aims to improve the quality of life of children on the autism spectrum and their supportive families.

3 – Behavioral Health Services

Here are some of the major Texas HHS grants for behavioral health services research and development efforts by non-profit and educational organizations in Texas:

  • Grants from the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program reimburse state mental health authorities and tribal with 100% coverage of research-related expenses.
  • HB 13 – Community Mental Health Grant Program supports programs that provide treatment and services to those who suffer from mental illness and unmet behavioral health needs.
  • SB 292—To decrease recidivism and the overall wait time for patients with mental illness in a state hospital, the Mental Health Grant Program for Justice-Involved Individuals offers matching grants for county-based community collaboration.
  • The Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs grant aims to raise awareness about the harm of sharing prescription medications and collaborate with medical and pharmaceutical communities on the risks of over-prescribing medications to young adults.
  • Texas Veterans + Family Alliance Grant Program aims to fund local community efforts to improve the quality of life of Texas-based veterans and their families. This is achieved by expanding availability and increasing access to enhanced delivery of mental health treatment and other supportive health care services.

Visit the official website at https://www.hhs.texas.gov/ for information and details on additional grants and services offered by Texas Health and Human Services.

Conclusion

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) works to improve service standards and facilitate service delivery to those in need. The HHS also funds non-profit and government entities’ community-based health and safety efforts.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) assists tens of thousands of Texan families, including seniors, individuals with special care needs, and the disabled. Find out more about Texas Health and Human Services programs, services, and grants through the official website at https://www.hhs.texas.gov/

See Also

Texas Board of Nursing

Texas Nurse Aide Registry

Texas Small Business Grants

Can Undocumented Immigrants Get Medicaid

Signs That You Will Be Approved for Disability

Current Version
April 6, 2024
Updated By
Andrea Morales G.
December 1, 2022
Written By
Shubham Grover
March 15, 2024
Updated By
Andrea Morales G.

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