December 14, 2022
City of Austin Council Member Ann Kitchen, local physician Dr. Manuel Martin will join the Travis County Hospital District’s board in January
(Austin) – Central Health will welcome two new members to its board of managers in January. The Travis County Commissioners Court appointed outgoing Austin District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen to the Central Health Board, while the Austin City Council named Dr. Manuel Martin as their appointee.
Both will be sworn in as new board of managers members at the Jan. 25 board meeting.
About Kitchen
Ann Kitchen, an attorney and healthcare consultant, was appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court to replace outgoing Central Health Board Manager and Past Chairperson Sherri Greenberg.
Kitchen has served on the Austin City Council since 2015 and will step down on Jan 5. She currently chairs the Mobility Committee and serves on the Austin Energy Committee, Public Utilities Committee, and vice chairs the Housing & Community Development Committee.
Kitchen also serves on several intergovernmental committees including the Regional Affordability Committee, the Psychiatric Services Stakeholder Committee, the Capital Metro Policy Board, and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), the regional transportation planning body for Central Texas. She is a former assistant attorney general in the consumer protection division and a former Texas state representative.
“The opportunity to access healthcare is fundamental to staying healthy, holding a job, and raising a family,” Kitchen said. “I am excited about helping Central Health transparently improve healthcare in Austin – with attention to equity and social factors that impact health like housing and transportation.”
About Martin
Dr. Manuel Martin is a family medicine doctor practicing in Austin. He was appointed by the Austin City Council to replace departing Central Health Board of Managers Treasurer Julie Zuniga. Martin received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine, where he was named the Ida Green Scholar, and has been in practice for more than 30 years, affiliated with St. David’s Medical Center and St. David’s South Austin Medical Center.
Martin began his career in emergency medicine at Seton Medical Center in Austin and assumed a faculty position with the Central Texas Medical Foundation, where he was given the Weinberg Award for excellence in post graduate medical education. He was also invited to the founding board of Project Access by the Travis County Medical Society. He returned to family medicine this year, opening his own solo practice focusing on the Hispanic community.
“I’m honored and excited to join Central Health,” Martin said. “My 30-plus years as a medical practitioner in public, charity care, and private settings have afforded me tremendous opportunities to understand systems of medical delivery. My direct experience, and insight into shortcomings I have seen as an active member of the medical community, will inform my work as a board member. It is my hope to be able to increase our ability to provide care to a greater number of Central Texans and to do so in a cost-efficient, humane, and equitable manner that recognizes and respects the diversity of our community.”
The Central Health Board of Managers is an all-volunteer, nine-member body. Four members are appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court, four by the Austin City Council, and one is appointed jointly by both bodies. Members serve four-year terms but may be reappointed — historically members are replaced after serving a second four-year term.
“It’s always great to welcome fresh perspectives to the Central Health Board of Managers,” said Dr. Charles Bell, board of managers chair. “Council Member Kitchen and Dr. Martin bring unique and extensive experience to the board, and I look forward to working with them.”