The chair of the Central Health Board of Managers is ramping up the pressure on City Council to reject an applicant to the board due to the applicant’s position with a major hospital. In a lengthy letter sent Friday to Council Member Ora Houston, who chairs the Council Health and Human Services Committee, board Chair […]
Travis County Central Health
Health organization that provides care and improves service for uninsured individuals in Travis County.
Posted inPublic Health
Central Health nominee stirs up policy questions
The chair of the Central Health Board of Managers strongly suggested that City Council may be causing problems for the board by appointing a new member with ties to a major hospital. In an interview with the Austin Monitor Tuesday, board Chair Katrina Daniel said that Julie Oliver, whose appointment to the board Council is […]
Posted inPublic Health
Conflict of interest questions delay Central Health board appointment
City Council postponed a decision on appointing a new member to the Central Health Board of Managers amid concerns over diversity and potential conflicts of interest. The nine-member board of managers oversees the public health authority, which provides a variety of medical services, including two dozen health clinics, aimed at low-income and uninsured people in […]
Posted inPublic Health
Critics call foul on medical school’s spending
The activists who last year hounded Central Health with claims that the hospital district was being less than transparent have now turned their focus on the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, accusing the school of improperly spending millions in taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, Dell Medical officials quickly responded on Wednesday afternoon with vociferous […]
Posted inPublic Health
Medical school outlines spending, outreach for care in eastern ‘Austin crescent’
With Travis County putting more scrutiny on one of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas’ largest financial contributors – specifically Central Health and the $35 million in taxpayer dollars it provides the school annually – leaders of the still-new school issued an in-person community progress report on Monday that focused on its […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Austin/Travis County Central Health
Travis County Central Health president and CEO Patricia Young Brown joins Austin Monitor reporter Caleb Pritchard to chat about her organization, the University of Texas Dell Medical School and the organizations’ role in the community. Post is embedded below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/298485223″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inLocal Government
Commissioners Court could choose critic for Central Health board
The Travis County Commissioners Court is officially thinking about putting an outspoken critic of Central Health on the hospital district’s board of managers. On Tuesday, the court will interview attorney Fred Lewis for the open position along with three other candidates. For months, Lewis has waged an offensive against Central Health and its arrangement to […]
Posted inPublic Health, Travis County
County changes oversight rules for Central Health
The Travis County Commissioners Court has voted to beef up the financial policies it uses to maintain oversight of Central Health. Tuesday’s decision capped off another extended discussion about the hospital district and the transparency concerns raised in recent months by a small but enthusiastic group of activists. The same crew was on hand Tuesday […]
Posted inBudget
Central Health critics turn up the heat ahead of decision
Critics of Central Health have renewed their demand for the Travis County Commissioners Court to require an “independent and comprehensive” audit of the hospital district’s spending. A handful of activists gathered outside of Travis County’s downtown headquarters on Monday afternoon to highlight a new report that accuses the University of Texas’ Dell Medical School of […]
Posted inTravis County
County and Central Health eye reforms
The Travis County Commissioners Court could soon expand its oversight of Central Health in what would be the first significant revisions to the governing financial policy since 2008. According to a draft the court approved on Tuesday, the hospital district’s nonprofit spinoffs would have to conduct annual audits and provide the results to county officials. […]
Posted inTravis County
Central Health critic stirs more trouble
One of the activists who led the charge against Central Health during the recent tussle involving budget transparency has come out swinging against a proposed deal between Travis County and the hospital district. Attorney Fred Lewis called Central Health’s offer to provide the Travis County Commissioners Court with an audit of its $35 million financial […]
Posted inTravis County
Amid transparency anxieties, Travis County approves Central Health’s budget
After nearly four hours of start-and-stop discussion on Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court gave its blessing to Central Health’s proposed tax rate and budget for Fiscal Year 2016-2017. The 4-0-1 vote capped off one of the longest discussions before the court in recent memory and also allayed any concerns that the court would reject […]