Travis County’s public hospital district that funds medical care for low-income residents plans to accelerate its introduction of new clinical services in its next budget year. Care for psychiatry, endocrinology and rheumatology are among the new offerings on tap in part because of budget reserves that are higher than anticipated. At a community forum on […]
Public Health
Posted inEnvironment
New climate report shows last summer’s record-high temps might not be a fluke
The results are in from researchers at the University of Texas’ Climate CoLab, and those who hoped last summer’s record-breaking temperatures to be a deviation from the norm might want to adjust their expectations. The new Climate Projections report, which hit city desks last week, runs climate models with both static and increasing emissions scenarios […]
Posted inPublic Health
City could revive idled homelessness prevention programs with its next budget
The city will likely look at restarting funding for homelessness prevention programs that were largely shelved in recent years in response to receiving federal funding that prioritized rapid rehousing efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last week, City Council’s Public Health Committee received a presentation from representatives of Best Single Source Plus (BSS+), a coalition of […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County has seen a surge of fentanyl overdoses. A new report shows it’s not slowing down.
Fentanyl-related overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental overdose deaths in Travis County, according to a new report from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office. In 2023, 279 people died from a fentanyl-related overdose – up from 245 the year before. That’s about a 14 percent increase. Travis County Medical Examiner Keith Pinckard […]
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Central Health board focuses on equity as it expands access to specialty care
Following a 2018 performance review, Travis County hospital district Central Health analyzed the county health care system, searching for service gaps among its target safety-net population. The county queried its population’s access to eight lines of service, from primary to specialty and dental care. The report returned checkered in bright red, reporting severe or moderate-to-severe gaps in every […]
Posted inPublic Health
Central Health to spend millions on opioid abatement
Central Health, Travis County’s hospital district serving low-income residents, is due to receive over $3 million from the state’s opioid abatement trust fund this spring. An allocation of nearly $10 million more – largely “front-loaded” – will be disbursed over the next 18 years. In their Strategic Planning Committee Meeting on March 6, administrators, medical […]
Posted inPublic Health
Questions abound over pilot program for mental health diversion
As City Council is set to consider authorizing negotiations on a contract that would include allocating $2 million for a mental health diversion pilot program, a lot of questions remain unanswered. On Tuesday, Mayor Kirk Watson started the work session discussion by asking Robert Kingham, administrator of the Downtown Austin Community Court, about how much […]
Posted inPublic Health
Partners unite in fight against opioid epidemic
On Thursday, the city of Austin, Central Health and community partners delivered presentations to the Travis County Commissioners Court addressing ongoing opioid crisis abatement measures in the greater Austin area. At present, major interventions include the distribution of naloxone (a lifesaving drug that can reverse opioid overdoses), overdose education, harm reduction services, pharmacological treatment and […]
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An Austin-area food bank wants students to get healthy meals, so it opened a food pantry at a school
The Central Texas Food Bank is launching a new program to establish food pantries in schools and opened its first location on Wednesday at Creedmoor Elementary, a Del Valle Independent School District campus. “We are super excited to be a flagship and be leading the way on this front because it is such an important program, especially […]
Posted inPublic Health
Commission questions what Central Health is doing to address persistent disparities in health access
The Austin/Travis County Public Health Commission heard key findings of Central Health’s 2022 Demographic Report at its regular meeting on Jan. 3. Central Health updated the report in February 2023, finding that Austin’s high cost of living and affordability crisis has morphed into a regional one that is impacting Travis and surrounding counties. Austin is […]
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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 […]
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Need for county mental health diversion center grows
Travis County’s mental and behavioral health diversion center is more than five years from opening and needed more every day, the Commissioners Court learned Tuesday. With an epidemic of mental illness and an overcrowded Travis County Jail, commissioners said the county must build the center as quickly as possible while involving relevant community groups. The […]