On Thursday, the Conference Committee Report for the 2023-2025 biennium was released. Again, the Permian Basin and House District 82 will see Texas dollars invested in our communities. State Rep. Tom Craddick’s reported the following funding was secured to directly alleviate needs and to continue ongoing work by the State of Texas.
The legislation includes the following funding, according to a release from Craddick’s Office:
New Funding
– $86.7 million for a 100-bed expansion for Permian Behavioral Health Center: West Texas has a dire need for quality mental health care and this funding will allow the construction of an additional 100 beds to serve the Permian Basin region at the Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center. The first 100 beds were partially funded in October 2021 by the Texas Legislature with a one-time appropriation of $40 million. The Permian Basin Behavioral Health Hospital broke ground on April 28.
– $15 million for Rural Health Initiatives: West Texas is in need of quality health care, and this funding helps increase access to care and the challenges presented in rural Texas. This effort will be led by the Texas A&M Health Sciences Center in Martin and Dawson counties.
– $6 million for The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) “Healthcare Workforce Training”: This funding will help strengthen the quality of health workforce education and enhance the skills of Permian Basin health care workers. The funding will be used to enhance programs such as the nursing and counseling programs already in place at UTPB.
– $1.75 million to create a “Mental Health Workforce” Training Program at Midland College: These funds will be used to establish a mental health workforce training program. This funding is a big step in Rep. Craddick’s initiative to ensure the workforce is trained and ready to work in the Permian Basin Behavioral Health Hospital under construction in Midland.
– $61.969 million to develop a Keeping Texas Prepared Strategy: This builds our statewide network of emergency response professionals. Across the five agencies of AgriLife Extension Service, Forest Service, Engineering Extension Service, Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and the Texas Division of Emergency Management we can count on a professional trained response network in the event of an emergency. These individuals live and work amongst us and are vital in the event of an emergency such as fires, wind storms and other natural disasters. I am proud to help fund this important network of response professionals across Texas and specifically the Permian Basin.
The Sustained Funding
– $2.301 million for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center “Midland Medical Residency”: This funding allows the Midland Medical Residency program to continue. This program is vital to the continued success in attracting the best health care opportunities for West Texans.
– $1.676 million for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center “Permian Basin Surgical Residency”: The Surgical Residency Program has been very successful in the Permian Basin, and this funding allows the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center to keep attracting the finest healthcare professionals to West Texas. The residency was established after in 2021 and seen continued growth and success in our local communities. These funds will allow the program to continue to grow and recruit the best surgeons to the Permian Basin.
– $615,707 for the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum: The Permian Basin accounts for about 40% of all oil production in the United States. This funding will allow the Petroleum Museum to continue its education and preservation of 230 million years of history for generations to come.
– $139,800 for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services “Chronic Disease Prevention”: This funding is essential in keeping West Texans safe and prepared from chronic diseases. These agents work in our communities, providing education and resources for a variety of chronic diseases including diabetes, how we can all lead a healthy lifestyle and more.
