Central Health is the public healthcare district serving the residents of Travis County. Central Health’s core objective is to provide vulnerable Travis County residents experiencing low-incomes and are uninsured with access to quality health care coverage and services. The healthcare district is also indebted to the taxpayers of Travis County—who fund the majority of Central Health’s budget—to operate in a fiscally responsible and transparent manner.

Central Health is a separate political subdivision of the State of Texas created in 2004 by a vote of Travis County residents. The boundaries of its health care service area and taxing jurisdiction are contiguous with Travis County.

The Central Health Enterprise includes CommUnityCare Health Centers and Sendero Health Plans. CommUnityCare Health Centers is a separate but affiliated 501(c)(3) organization of Central Health that provides medical, dental, behavioral health and prescription services through Travis County’s largest network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Sendero Health Plans is the local nonprofit, community-based health maintenance organization (HMO) of Central Health designed to serve the unique needs of Central Texas residents.

Central Health’s work also includes:

• Ensuring timely primary care, specialty, behavioral health and dental access for the safety net population;
• Partnering with Ascension Seton to support Travis County’s safety-net hospital system and only Level 1 Trauma Center;
• Improving and redesigning the local safety-net health care system through community partnerships;
• Providing financial support to the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin to better train doctors, improve residency programs and serve Central Health patients;
• Leveraging local taxes to draw down federal matching funds which support Travis County’s safety-net health care system;
• Enrollment assistance in MAP and MAP-BASIC as well as Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare and Affordable Care Act insurance plans.