The city of Austin has begun dispatching a team that includes both mental health experts and police to address mental health emergency calls coming from the downtown area. The Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team, or Austin FIRST, includes an Austin-Travis County EMS paramedic, an Integral Care mental health clinician and an Austin Police officer […]
Olivia Aldridge, KUT
Posted inBudget
Travis County signs off on Central Health’s new budget — with a tax rate increase
Travis County commissioners approved an $875 million annual budget for local public hospital district Central Health, along with an increased tax rate that local officials said was influenced by federal funding changes. Around 5% of a Travis County homeowner’s property tax bill goes to Central Health. Those taxes must support health care for low-income and […]
Posted inPublic Health
CommUnityCare announces new CEO following leadership conflict with Central Health
CommUnityCare, a chain of clinics that serve low-income Austinites, has a new CEO after a monthslong leadership conflict with its public partner, Central Health. With the hiring announcement, the two organizations signaled they had come to a common understanding of their complex working partnership, which some 134,000 patients in the Austin area rely on for […]
Posted inPublic Health
Second measles case reported locally, Austin Public Health says
A Travis County adult is isolating after testing positive for measles, Austin Public Health officials announced Friday. It is the second confirmed local case of the virus this year. APH representatives said the sick individual may have been exposed to the virus while traveling in the United States. “The patient visited a state outside of Texas that […]
Posted inPublic Health
Amid ongoing measles concerns, Austin ISD’s vaccination rate is below target for its youngest students
As a measles outbreak in West Texas continues to raise concerns throughout the state, Austin ISD’s vaccination rate for incoming kindergarteners remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Public health experts say around 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated against measles to ensure “herd immunity” and prevent outbreaks of the highly contagious disease, which […]
Posted inAustin
What does homelessness in Austin look like in 2025? A new census will shed some light.
Lee esta historia en español On a single night in late January, volunteers from around the city will conduct a census of Austin’s most vulnerable residents, counting as many people experiencing homelessness as possible. This biennial point-in-time count is overseen by Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, which hopes to recruit some 1,200 volunteers to canvass […]
Posted inCourts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues nonprofit that serves homeless in South Austin
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued an Austin nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness. The lawsuit accuses Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center of fostering drug use, violence and other activities that endanger nearby residents. Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center has operated out of Sunrise Community Church in South Austin since 2015. Its primary hub at the church provides care for […]
Posted inBudget
Central Health sends 2025 fiscal year budget to Travis County for final approval
Central Health leadership gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a $884 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The budget will go before Travis County commissioners for a final vote in September. As Travis County’s public hospital district, Central Health is tasked with funding health care for low-income and indigent residents, primarily through tax revenue. The […]
Posted inPublic Health
Requests for abortion pills surged amid threats to reproductive rights, UT-based study shows
Advance requests for abortion medication surged when the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, a new study has found. The study in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at requests for the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol from the telemedicine service Aid Access between September 2021 and April 2023. Specifically, it tracked what are called “advance […]
Posted inPublic Health
Huston-Tillotson University wants to improve maternal health outcomes by training more doulas
Huston-Tillotson University is launching a program that will train doulas, midwives and lactation consultants in an effort to combat Texas’ high maternal mortality rates, especially among Black women. The historically Black university announced the new partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas on Thursday. Known as Boldly B.L.U.E. (birthing, learning, understanding and empowering), […]
Posted inBudget
Central Health approves budget with a Hail Mary provision to halt layoffs at Integral Care
Travis County’s public hospital district, Central Health, voted Wednesday to approve its Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which includes a last-minute line item giving $7 million in emergency funding to Integral Care. Central Health’s budget still needs final approval from Travis County commissioners. Integral Care is the largest provider of mental health services in Travis County. […]
Posted inBudget
Integral Care, Austin’s largest mental health care provider, approves 48 layoffs in next budget
Integral Care, the mental health authority for Austin-Travis County, voted Thursday to approve a budget that eliminates nearly 10 percent of its positions. Along with the 48 individuals who were identified for layoffs, 67 vacant positions were also cut. Employees in the union United Workers of Integral Care said layoffs would further strain staff already struggling […]