Everything about health care seems to be changing quickly.

And I mean everything: Technology. Legislation. Ownership.

To make sense of it all, we’re dedicating space in this month’s edition to everything you need to know about health care right now. June is our annual health care edition, and as you can see from our front page, we’ve dug deep into the issue of primary care doctor shortages in Austin.

And inside you’ll find even more in-depth coverage: stories on vaccine exemptions, Southwest Austin birthing centers and alternative birthing options as well as a senior resources guide, to name a few.

For the past few weeks, our team has also been contacting local hospitals, clinics and physicians to compile an in-depth medical directory that you can find inside (see Pages 35 and 43-45). We’ve created a useful map where you’ll discover doctors and practices for the following specialties: family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics and OB/GYN as well as the status of Medicare and Medicaid acceptance for every medical business listed.

We believe both the stories and directory listings will help you not only learn about health care trends in our community, but they will also aid you in understanding what health care professionals you may consider visiting in the future.

As always, thanks for reading Community Impact Newspaper.