Summary
TEXAS DSHS STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE, WORKFORCE AND DATA SYSTEMS - THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES (DSHS) CONSIDERS THE CDC STRENGTHENING U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE, WORKFORCE, AND DATA SYSTEMS GRANT AS A KEY OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH IN TEXAS. ALL TEXANS MUST HAVE ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES. ENSURING ACCESS IS CHALLENGING BECAUSE TEXAS IS VAST IN GEOGRAPHY WITH A LARGE AND DIVERSE POPULATION. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS CHALLENGE IS A GROWING POPULATION CHARACTERIZED BY DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STATUS DIFFERENCES, AND THE DYNAMIC PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENT NECESSARY TO ADAPT TO A POST-COVID PANDEMIC WORLD. DSHS’S PURPOSE, CONSISTENT WITH THE FUNDING FOCUS, IS TO BUILD A STABLE FOUNDATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN TEXAS BASED ON ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, AND HIGH-QUALITY PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES. DSHS WILL ENSURE THAT OUR POPULATION—REGARDLESS OF LOCATION, DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL STATUS, OR ANY OTHER
