Stay-at-home orders are expected to be issued in the city of Austin, Travis County and Williamson County Tuesday in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said. The orders would require all nonessential businesses to have employees work from home and further restrict other gatherings. Businesses with essential functions, like grocery stores, […]
Public Health
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Updated: Austin closes bars, prohibits dining in at restaurants and limits gatherings in response to COVID-19
Restaurants are limited to drive-thru and pick-up service, bars must close, and indoor and outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited in Austin effective noon Tuesday. Critical infrastructure, like grocery stores, pharmacies, government buildings, schools and hospitals, are exempt from the order, Dr. Mark Escott, interim director of Austin Public Health, said as […]
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Doctors, first responders see need for more resources – and distancing – before COVID-19 cases rise
As Central Texas prepares for an inevitable spike in COVID-19 diagnoses, medical professionals are calling on local officials to address unmet needs and implement tighter restrictions on public gatherings. In an open letter to officials Monday, nearly 200 doctors asked authorities to “implement mandatory lockdown measures to enforce social distancing.” “Public health officials should not […]
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Public health experts address state of COVID-19, with no plans to scrap SXSW
Tuesday’s Travis County Commissioners Court meeting was virtually a preview of a news conference scheduled for today regarding the region’s response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus. During a presentation to the five-member board, Dr. Mark Escott, interim medical director and health authority for Austin Public Health, said local […]
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With state approval, ATX Helps will take over the homeless campsite at U.S. 183
State officials agreed Thursday to lease state-owned land to an Austin nonprofit for $1 a month to house homeless Austinites, with the goal of ultimately building a shelter on the 6.7-acre tract. The approval from the Texas Transportation Commission will allow ATX Helps, a coalition of business groups and nonprofits, to take over the site […]
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Austinites are not at higher risk of getting coronavirus after first confirmed case in Texas
Austin health officials say the threat of coronavirus has not gotten any worse now that the first case has been confirmed in Texas. Dr. Mark Escott, the interim medical director of Austin Public Health, said there is “virtually a zero-percent chance” of contracting the virus, now known as COVID-19, in Austin. “That’s because the individual […]
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For the first time since 1999, someone in Travis County has rubella
Public health officials on Thursday morning confirmed the first case of rubella in Travis County since 1999. The confirmation comes roughly a month after the first diagnosis of measles, which was last seen in the Austin area in 1999, too. Austin Public Health said in an announcement that the virus, which is less contagious than […]
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Audit: Social services contract rules need update
The city auditor’s team studying the city’s social services contracting process found that even though Austin spends millions of dollars on social services contracts, the city “does not have an explicit definition of ‘social services’ and lacks a formal social service procurement policy.” Members of the team reported their findings to the Council Audit & […]
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Central Health approves $10 million line of credit to facilitate capital purchases
On Wednesday evening, the Central Health Board of Managers unanimously approved a $10 million revolving line of credit through JP Morgan that Central Health can use for future capital purchases of information technology, furniture and equipment. Like a credit card, a revolving line of credit means that the credit is renewed as the debt is […]
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Initiatives at Central Health Enterprise target employee advancement and salary equity
Central Health Enterprise will introduce its Emerging Leader program this fall, designed to train employees in the leadership skills they need to apply for supervisory and managerial positions. All employees of Central Health Enterprise – which includes CommUnityCare and Sendero Health Plans – will have until Dec. 6 to apply for the first iteration of […]
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New Dell Med initiative embeds health interventions in community programs
On Monday, UT Dell Medical School launched Factor Health, a new initiative in Austin and Houston that builds and tests programs to deliver health interventions outside clinics and hospitals, per a Dell Med press release. Social service provider Meals on Wheels Central Texas, youth development organization Youth Rise Texas and managed care payers Amerigroup Texas […]
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Audit says Austin could better track outcomes after it refers people to mental health services
The city of Austin does a poor job of tracking the outcomes of people it refers to mental health services, despite the fact that improving access to these providers is one of City Council’s goals over the next couple of years. “Tracking of referrals to services was informal and varied across and within departments,” Cameron […]