Health insurance plans are in for significant changes with the filing of HB 711, which allows employers to steer employees to higher-performing health centers and tier hospitals based on performance within health insurance plans.

Currently, if an employer wants a specific hospital to be in its insurance network, the insurance plan has to include all of the hospitals in that network, even if some are lower performing. Additionally, the plans cannot incentivize employees to go to certain hospitals over others by offering more coverage at higher-performing facilities. But that is all about to change. Even though Abbott didn’t sign the bill, it was filed without his signature and is effective immediately.

HB 711, introduced by North Texas legislator and business owner Rep. James Frank, passed 146-0 in the Texas House of Representatives and received only one “nay” vote in the Senate from Charles Schwertner, a physician legislator. For Frank, this bill brings market competition to the healthcare industry.

“House Bill 711 is a step in the right direction to fix anti-competitive practices and encourage market competition,” said Rep. Frank. “Prohibiting certain unfair contract provisions will enable employees and employers to get the highest quality care for their healthcare dollars.”

Frank is motivated by his experience as a business owner and the increasing price of healthcare, which he hopes the competition will improve. Incentivizing employees to go to higher-quality hospitals will reduce hospital readmissions and mistakes that make a trip to the hospital even more costly.

HB 711 was originally written to remove the “all or nothing” clause in insurance contracts that says that if an employer wants to have one hospital in a network, it must have every hospital, even if those hospitals are more expensive or have worse results than others. Hospital prices vary significantly from one side of town to the other, even in the same network. This section of the bill was removed during the legislative process.

It would also eliminate the “anti-steering” allowing insurance plans to guide patients to a particular provider and eliminate “anti-tiering” clauses that don’t allow insurance carriers to put providers into tiers based on outcomes or price and communicate those tiers to members.

Nonprofit Texas Employers for Affordable Healthcare played a crucial role in advocating for this bill, meeting with legislators and talking them through the changes the bill would provide, says Chris Skisak, the group’s executive director. Texas 2036 and the regional and statewide State Business Groups on Health were also part of the on-the-ground lobbying efforts.

Since the bill is effective immediately, brokers and benefits managers can factor the legislation into their next health plan. But the anti-steering and anti-tiering provisions in contracts remain in effect until the end of the year.

After the new year, plans can use incentives such as no deductibles or copays to steer patients to higher quality hospitals, but it is up to employers to push for the changes, Skisak says. “If employers don’t take advantage of tiering and steering, a reasonable person would ask what the rationale is for not being more fiduciary about this,” he says. “The bullseye is on their back, but this legislation gives them the tool to make a change.”

Skisak says The Leapfrog Group’s ratings are a great quality measure, as they prioritize safety. Other rankings weigh expertise and complexity more heavily. “Spina bifida surgery in-vitro is great, but it’s not what most people go to hospitals for,” he says. “Leapfrog combines safety and quality while others are based on upcoming innovation.”

Skisak highlighted the National Academy for State Health Policy’s hospital pricing dashboard to check the profit margins for different hospitals. Employers in Texas are paying a median of 315 percent of Medicare reimbursement rates for hospital procedures, while NASHP data says that most hospitals break even at 110 percent of Medicare rates. For Skisak, building networks is about balancing margin and quality when selecting a hospital. “By no means are we saying that hospitals should break even.”

Time will tell if employers and brokers take advantage of the bill, build narrower networks, or steer patients. It can be precarious to tell employees that their preferred hospital is not part of the network or isn’t part of the incentive plan. “We are well aware of HB 711, and our only comment regarding this bill or other bills regarding steering patients always allows patients to make a choice and have a voice in their health treatment,” said DFW Hospital Council President and CEO Steve Love. “Please have providers sit down at the table, discuss the concerns and be part of a workable solution before filing bills that could produce unintended consequences.”

As transparency and competition bills move forward through different states, the Texas bill stands out. We will see if employers use the tool they now have to make a change. “In terms of the content of House Bill 711, we are now considered a national leader,” Skisak says.

The post Texas Health Insurance Set for Massive Steering and Tiering Shakeup appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Why Dallas Surgeon Dr. Brian Williams Is Running for Congress appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Money, Mailers, and Messaging: How a PAC Is Trying to Sway North Oak Cliff’s Council Race appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Know Before You Vote: A Primer to Dallas and Dallas ISD Candidates Ahead of Election Day appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Mayor Eric Johnson Digs Leather appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Podcast: Mayor Eric Johnson’s Twitter Game appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post An Election Postmortem: How Turnout and Apathy Shaped Tuesday’s Outcome appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Dallas County Remained Predictably Blue, but the Math Didn’t Work for Statewide Races appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Should Lauren Davis Even Be on the Ballot? appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Watch Ron Kirk Interrupt This Couple’s Meal appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post In New <I>EarBurner</I>, John Creuzot Says His Opponent Peddles ‘QAnon Crime Numbers’ appeared first on D Magazine.

Williams is bringing decades of experience working in public hospitals as a trauma surgeon. He spent time in Washington, D.C. in a policy role prior to announcing his candidacy. He made headlines in 2016 as the surgeon in charge of the emergency room trauma team on the evening of July 7, when Micah Xavier Johnson shot and killed five Dallas police officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians during a downtown protest about past police shootings. Three of the officers died at Parkland that night.

The July 7 shooting came after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Journalist Jamie Thompson wrote about Williams in an engaging feature about the doctor and his confrontation of racism for D Magazine in 2016. “You realize that no matter what you do—your accomplishments, your accolades, your titles—that you can easily be dehumanized based on the color of your skin,” he told her.

He hadn’t planned on speaking during the press conference after the shooting. But as the only Black trauma surgeon on staff, he felt he needed to. “This is much more complicated for me, personally,” Williams said then. “I understand the anger and frustration with law enforcement. But they are not the problem. I want the Dallas police officers to see me, a Black man. I support you. I will defend you. I will care for you. That doesn’t mean I do not fear you.”

The event set him on his current trajectory. “July 7 was the moment that ignited that feeling in me that there was something more,” he says.

Later, he brought his nuanced view of policing and safety to his role as chairman of the Community Police Oversight Board, a civilian group that examines misconduct complaints against Dallas Police Department employees. Williams began to see how different sectors of society work together and how they impact each other as well as the well-being of residents.

“I came to realize there was more I needed to do about the systemic issues in the community that continue to put my patients at risk,” he says. “What can I do to affect things outside the hospital?”

Williams’ path to medicine and politics was a winding one. He is an Air Force brat born in Massachusetts but has lived all over the world, including Japan and Hawaii. “All the people I met across the world gave me a global view of what it meant to be a citizen,” he says.

He grew up with an interest and proficiency in math and science and attended the Air Force Academy, where he majored in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force as an engineer on classified projects for six years, an experience that left its mark. “The Air Force was transformative,” he said. “I learned about service above self and that there is no challenge we cannot meet without some degree of success.”

He later felt called toward a career change and moved into medicine, enrolling in medical school at the University of South Florida. He completed his residency at Harvard, and a fellowship in trauma surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Then he made his way to Dallas.

His experience in public life continued to grow after July 7 and his time on the police oversight board. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as a special advisor for health equity to County Judge Clay Jenkins to ensure the county’s response to the pandemic was equitable throughout the community. He left Dallas to work at a hospital in Chicago and then moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a health policy advisor to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where he worked to pass one of the most significant gun safety laws of the last 30 years.

He ended his time in Washington as an advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but his family had remained in Dallas. He knew it was time to come home. Last month, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced he would be challenging Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate and wouldn’t be running for Texas’ 32nd District again. Williams said he saw an opportunity to have the broad impact he had been looking for.

“To have sustainable change and improve on death and suffering, there are systemic issues that aren’t going to change with me in a white coat, but through policy,” he says.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Williams would likely be joined in the race to replace Allred in the Democratic primary by state Rep. Julie Johnson. Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua is another name that has been mentioned. The election is still more than a year away. After redistricting, the 32nd is considered to be safely Democratic. Whoever makes it out of the primary will likely win the seat.

He would be the first trauma surgeon and first Black doctor to vote in Congress. As a Black man in medicine, Williams has acutely felt how identity impacts how people move through the world. “When patients see their doctor is Black, it is meaningful to them and their families,” he says. “I see my family in them. Presence is important.”

Williams shares more of his story of how his military service, medical career, and policy experience have helped shape his worldview in his memoir The Bodies Keep Coming. Williams says it touches on racism and violence and provides a blueprint for addressing the path to healing. It will be released on September 26.

“I now have a more global view of the systems we can improve to allow people to achieve the best versions of themselves. We need more leaders with real-world experience in Congress,” he says. “After all I’ve done so far, it has all been great preparation for what I want to do next and serve the community.”

The post Associated Press: Paxton’s Office ‘Has Come Unmoored by Disarray’ appeared first on D Magazine.