In 2014, Central Health made its first annual payment of $35 million to support training new physicians at Dell Medical School.[/caption]More Travis County residents have health insurance, minors are further restricted from purchasing tobacco and a new medical school is preparing to train physicians to serve Austin and Central Texas for years to come.
Central Health released its 2014 annual report, “Planning a Health Community,” on July 9, highlighting the public entity’s accomplishments during the past fiscal year.
According to the report, one of the body’s primary accomplishments was promoting the federal Health Insurance Marketplace. The Central Health Board of Managers allocated more than $1.3 million in 2014 to support an awareness and education campaign about the marketplace, which included the 2-1-1 Health Connect program. More than 3 million media spots ran on television, radio, print and digital media in multiple languages, thanks to 2-1-1, the report stated.
Travis County had an estimated 42,600 marketplace enrollees in 2014. Central Health’s goal for the five-county region was only 32,000 enrollments, according to the report.
Christie Garbe, Central Health vice president and chief strategy officer, said having insurance is a step in the right direction toward better health outcomes.
“We had a great success here in this region,” she said.
Central Health also supported the creation of The University of Texas Dell Medical School, which announced June 29 it had begun student recruiting its first class. In 2014, Central Health made its first annual payment of $35 million to support training new physicians at the school, according to the report.
Monica Crowley, Central Health director of communications, said the body also started a master planning process for the redevelopment of University Medical Center Brackenridge, located directly across from the new medical school. Crowley said Central Health will hold a community event in the fall to rollout some master plan ideas, and the health agency will continue to reach out to the community about how residents want to see the space used.
In its health promotion efforts, Central Health partnered with the Austin Health and Human Services Department and Travis County Health and Human Services to purchase a web portal to collect community health data, according to the report. Central Health expects to launch the portal Aug. 19, Garbe said.
A new program, Healthy ATC, will accompany the data portal and focus on four areas of improvement and prevention: tobacco, obesity, diabetes and HIV, Garbe said.
“This is where we see the most chronic disease,” she said.
Central Health and Austin City Council also worked together in 2014 to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors, according to the report.
In the 2015 fiscal year, Garbe said Central Health will continue enrolling uninsured residents in the federal marketplace, enhancing specialty care patients, by collaborating with Dell Medical School and reaching out to the community.
“More of the same, but more progress,” she said.
Read the entire 2014 annual report here.
