Texas Children's Health Plan will be closed on Thursday, December 25th and Thursday, January 1st in observance of the holidays. In our absence, you can reach our after-hours nurse help line at 1-800-686-3831. We will resume normal business hours on Friday, January 2nd. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season!
Texas Children’s Health Plan estará cerrado el jueves 25 de diciembre y el jueves 1 de enero en observancia de los días festivos. Durante este tiempo, puede comunicarse con nuestra línea de ayuda de enfermería fuera del horario de atención al 1-800-686-3831. Reanudaremos nuestro horario normal de atención el viernes 2 de enero. ¡Le deseamos una temporada de fiestas segura y feliz!
SNAP Update and ResourcesActualización y recursos de SNAP
On November 1, 2025, the requirements to receive and apply to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have changed. To see the new policies to request SNAP benefits, click here and/or call 211 for SNAP assistance. Learn more
El 1 de noviembre de 2025, cambiaron los requisitos para recibir y aplicar para los beneficios del Programa de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP, por sus siglas en inglés). Para consultar las nuevas políticas para aplicar para los beneficios de SNAP, haz clic aquí o llama al 211 para obtener ayuda de SNAP. Aprende Más
Transportation UpdateActualización de transporte
SafeRide Health (SRH) is the new provider for all NEMT rides to doctor appointments and pharmacy visits.
Depending on your needs, rides may include wheelchair-lift-equipped vehicles, stretcher vans, minivans, or ambulatory vans. Please let SRH know what type of ride you need when scheduling.
SafeRide Health (SRH) es el nuevo proveedor de todos los servicios de transporte médico que no son de emergencia (NEMT, por sus siglas en inglés) hacia consultas médicas y farmacias.
Según tus necesidades, los servicios de transporte pueden incluir vehículos con elevador para sillas de ruedas, camionetas con camilla, minivans o camionetas ambulatorias. Por favor, informa a SRH qué tipo de transporte necesitas al programar tu traslado.
Call to action: Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) would like to inform providers of an important public health issue from our partners at the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding infant botulism linked to powdered infant formula (and related formula recall).
ByHeart Powered Formula/ Infant botulism information
Multi-state outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart powdered infant formula
12 states and case numbers: Arizona, California (2), Illinois (2), Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas (2), and Washington.
As of November 11, 2025, this outbreak includes fifteen (15) infants with suspected or confirmed infant botulism.
All 15 infants were hospitalized and treated with BabyBIG® (Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous medication). No deaths have been reported.
Patient/caregiver guidance when ByHeart formula was used:
Do not use any ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula. This includes formula sold in cans and single serve packets.
If possible, take a picture or record the lot number and best by date.
If you have leftover ByHeart powdered formula, label it "DO NOT USE" and keep it stored in a safe place for at least a month.
If your infant develops symptoms of infant botulism, your state health department may want to collect it for testing. If no symptoms appear after a month, throw the leftover formula away.
Monitor for symptoms of botulism such as poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing, or decreased facial expression, seek medical care immediately if symptoms appear. Early intervention is critical.
Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the formula using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
Institutions, hospitals, clinical labs, and public health partners:
Do not use or distribute any of the recalled ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula. Remove it from inventory and inform relevant staff.
Clean and sanitize feeding areas and equipment that may have been exposed.
Ensure clinical labs and pathology services are aware that infant botulism is a reportable condition and laboratory confirmation is critical for case investigation; ensure timely specimen collection and consultation with the state or local health departments for information on specimen collection and confirmatory testing.
Participate in trace-back, leftover product collection, and laboratory testing as requested by state health departments, CDC and the FDA.
Next Steps
CDC and FDA, along with state and local health departments, are working to determine the contamination source and to issue further guidance as information becomes available. For clinicians and health‐care systems, preparedness means:
recognizing the signs and symptoms of infant botulism promptly
having protocols in place for consultation and treatment
ensuring awareness of case notification procedures
providing caregivers with clear instructions when feeding concerns arise
Reporting instructions
Please report suspect cases immediately to your state and local health department.
For health departments, CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases at botsurveillance@cdc.gov is available to answer questions and receive case reports.
For public health and investigation inquiries, please contact the CDC Emergency Operations Center at 770-488-7100 (after hours) or your state or local health department.
