“The number of folks that we’re serving that need our system is growing,” Central Health CEO and President Patricia Young Brown said. “Austin is very prosperous, but it’s not prosperous for everybody.”
Since its inception in 2004, Central Health has aimed to create what Young Brown calls a “system of care” that provides access to health care for low-income and uninsured residents in Travis County.
Central Health leverages federal funds through a system called intergovernmental transfer that involves matched dollars for every local dollar of tax revenue. The proposed tax rate for FY 2016-17 is 11.0541 cents per $100 of valuation, a decrease of the FY 2015-16 tax rate of 11.7781 cents per $100 of valuation. Central Health discussed its five-year outlook at a May board meeting and expects to spend more money as the vulnerable population in Travis County rises over the next five years.
Budget feedback
Upcoming public hearings are scheduled to gather input on the proposed Central Health budget.
- Aug. 31—first public hearing
- Sept. 7—second public hearing
- Sept.14—final budget presented to Central Health board of managers for approval
- Sept. 20—final budget presented to Travis County Commissioners Court for approval
Some Travis County residents and representatives of local organizations attended the Aug. 23 meeting to provide their initial feedback. Among them was activist Teresa Perez Wiseley, who said a local district of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, is concerned that the health care district is at risk financially and wants the commissioners court to scrutinize Central Health’s spending and performance.
“[LULAC members] are calling for a performance audit that focuses on its commitment to our community—uninsured, underinsured and underserved,” she said.
Commissioners also heard from Reenie Collins, executive director of Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, or HAAM, which helps provide access to affordable health care services for Austin’s low-income and uninsured musicians.
“One of [HAAM's] biggest concerns when everything started happening with the [Affordable Care Act] ... was that musicians would just totally opt out," she said. "Thus, they would end up in the emergency rooms sicker and utilizing health care at the highest cost.”
She said Central Health has been instrumental in helping the nonprofit connect its members with health care they can afford.
For more information on Central Health, visit www.centralhealth.net.
