Most Recent News

Central Health's New Year Update

Thank you again for your confidence in Central Health and our plans to upgrade the local healthcare system for our low-income uninsured neighbors. When voters approved Proposition 1 last November, Central Health accepted the responsibility of moving forward with our plan to transform the local healthcare system. We intend to keep our community updated along the way as we create an innovative model for local healthcare delivery that increases funding, coordination and accountability.

We have been very busy over the holidays working at a feverish pace to implement a new transformative model that will lead to better value for local taxpayers, better patient care and better community health.

1115 Waiver Plan Submitted

On December 31, 2012, Central Health, serving as anchor entity for our Regional Health Partnership (RHP) in the 1115 waiver program, submitted a comprehensive plan (over 1,000 pages long) that includes 68 projects describing how the performing providers, will transform the healthcare delivery system in Central Texas. You can view the plan and projects online at the RHP Web site.

Community Care Collaborative (CCC) under development

The CCC is a public/private partnership created by Central Health and Seton Healthcare Family in order to better manage the healthcare of low-income uninsured residents. Recently, Austin Travis County Integral Care (ATCIC) joined the CCC to add their expertise in behavioral and mental health services. Central Health will remain the controlling entity with 51% ownership even as further partnerships are explored.

The CCC is still in a formative stage. The bylaws and strategic plan are currently under development. However, the state did acknowledge the CCC as a performing provider for the 1115 waiver and as such the CCC submitted 14 projects as part of the plan. Projects were chosen based on a community needs assessment, which meant they had to improve access, quality, coordination and cost-effectiveness of care for patients and families.

An operational board will provide oversight of the CCC. This body is administrative in nature, tasked with oversight of the providers and to implement the goals stated in the plans. It will not be responsible for making any policy or funding decisions.

The Central Health Board of Managers will continue to provide the policy direction and fiscal accountability for the local tax dollars that will fund healthcare services through the CCC.

Next Steps

The regional and local plans need approval from the state and federal government and we expect to receive that approval in the early spring. However, we continue our planning and development work convening numerous work groups which will literally re-shape our local system and move it from an inadequate, antiquated, and disjointed system of care to a cutting-edge integrated delivery system. In our next update, we will highlight a few of the projects included in the plan to give you more specifics on our new model. Thank you for your interest in our progress. We will bring you additional updates as planning progresses.

Christie Garbe

VP, Planning and Communications Central Health

10 Tips for Creating a Healthier Workplace

Central Health, in partnership with Forefront Austin, has created a list of 10 things you can do in your workplace to improve your health and the health of your coworkers.

Feel free to download the PDF, print copies and place them around your workplace, or encourage your coworkers to adopt these 10 easy to implement tips!

Download it here

If you are with the media and would like to speak with someone at Central Health, please contact:
Christie Garbe
Chief Communications and Planning Officer
512-978-8153

For general questions or additional information about Central Health, please use the form below and someone will respond as quickly as possible.