She cited a desire to pursue other interests, including finishing a master's degree in spiritual formation at the Episcopal Church-affiliated Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. Young Brown said she also wants to spend more time with her family after having experienced the deaths of two of her four sons during her nearly 12-year tenure at Central Health. Her final day will be Dec. 31.
Central Health Board Chairperson Katrina Daniel, right, talks with Patricia Young Brown and board member Clarke Heidrick on Wednesday after Young Brown announced she will leave her position as Central Health's president and CEO at the end of year.[/caption]"There's a lot of other areas of interest I have and have had for awhile," Young Brown said. "I think it's time for me to take a little bit of my life back."
Young Brown was hired in 2005.
She is the only person to have held the position of president and CEO at Central Health since the district's creation through a 2004 voter referendum to provide better access to health care for low-income and uninsured Travis County residents.
Katrina Daniel, chairperson of the health district's board of managers, praised Young Brown's leadership and said Central Health's board will begin searching for a successor.
Young Brown notified the board in writing Monday that she planned to not renew her contract. Her employment agreement requires her to give at least 90-days notice, according to Central Health.
Young Brown said she told her staff about her decision Wednesday morning.
With less than three months until Young Brown leaves her job, the board may decide to name an interim CEO before a permanent successor is found, Daniel said.
Board Member Clarke Heidrick said Young Brown has been invaluable to Central Health, having helped essentially build the organization from the ground up. He described her legacy as "one of humbled and excellent service, and of building."
"She has built a vision for transformative change that I think is excellent," Heidrick said.
In a statement Wednesday, state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, called Young Brown a "transformative leader at Central Health."
"All of us who care about the health and the health care of our neighbors, who care about the wise use of tax dollars or who care about government being willing to think creatively to provide better services owe a debt of gratitude to Trish," Watson said.
Young Brown oversaw a number of initiatives at during her time at Central Health, including a partnership with Seton Healthcare Family after Travis County voters approved Proposition 1 in 2012 in order to replace University Medical Center Brackenridge with a new teaching hospital, set to open in May 2017, at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas campus.
Central Health also faced some criticism during Young Brown's leadership, including recent calls from some residents for an audit of the district's finances and greater transparency with the $70 million that Central Health has paid in the past two years to Dell Medical School.
Young Brown defended Central Health's budget transparency during an interview Wednesday. She said the organization is on solid financial ground and has the support of the community.
"Honestly, I think there's a lot of noise out there. but when you get past the noise, I don't think there's a lot of substance," she said. "I think we have been more than transparent."
Daniel said she expects Central Health's board members will begin laying out details of their replacement search during the board's next regular meeting Oct. 26.
