In this newsletter, free-to-republish reports on:

• Texas Legislature’s new property tax plan and how it likely leaves renters without relief

• Firefighters’ health risks and what’s being done in Texas to prevent heart attacks

Texas Community Health News (TCHN) works with local news organizations to produce journalism that illuminates public health topics and builds resilient communities.

Our work is free to republish. Learn how.

Hot topic: Renters unlikely to benefit from property tax proposal

Renters make up more than a third of Texas households, but they were largely overlooked as state legislators battled over which plan is best for Texas property tax relief.

This timely report provides a quick update on recent developments in the legislature as well as customizable charts that help readers understand how their community might be impacted.

Read the report.

Localize this: Medical tests may help save firefighter lives

Firefighters are dying on the job from heart attacks more than any other risk they face, but researchers and firefighting professionals say increased focus on physical fitness with annual medical and fitness testing could increase their resiliency.

This evergreen report includes an overview of firefighters’ health risks and causes of death, as well as expert commentary on the challenges of maintaining health among volunteer and professional firefighters. Publish the report as-is or localize it with information from Texas Fireconnect, a resource of Texas A&M Forest Service that lists every fire department, including volunteer, career and combination departments.

Read the report.

Simple republishing

Our visualization library and county profiles include localized charts on everything from race and education to drug-related deaths and diabetes rates.

You can republish our reports or add visualizations to your stories with just a few clicks.

Need help or want training? Email dcarter@txstate.edu to setup a session.

Journalism ethics and credible data

Credibility is a journalist’s currency, and our team includes journalists with almost 100 years of collective experience. Our data contains more than 100 public health variables collected from state and federal agencies along with careful documentation. Download our dataset and start exploring.

Texas Community Health News is a program of Texas State University's Translational Health Research Center, in coordination with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All the content we produce follows the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics.