On Dec. 17, the Austin City Council approved the appointment of Richard K. Yuen to the nine-member Central Health Board of Managers. The Council’s Health and Human Services Committee recommended Yuen’s appointment Dec. 11. Yuen will be sworn in to the volunteer position in January, at which time he will begin a four-year term.
Yuen is a licensed psychologist with more than 15 years experience as a mental health care provider. He is an adjunct faculty member at Austin Community College and also serves on the city of Austin’s Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission.
“I believe my cultural competence, years of working within collaborative and multidisciplinary healthcare models, public and social policy research and advocacy, as well as my experience as a direct mental health care provider and professor, are critical qualifications in aiding the Central Health Board of Managers in achieving their mission,” Yuen said. “Of particular interest to me … is to ensure proper advocacy for traditionally underserved communities within the health care field.”
Yuen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Carleton College; a Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology from Southern Illinois University; and Doctoral degree in applied social psychology from Loyola University Chicago.
Yuen takes over the seat formerly held by Dr. Thomas B. Coopwood, a member of Central Health’s Board of Managers since the healthcare district’s creation in 2004.
The Central Health Board of Managers is an all-volunteer board composed of four appointees from the Austin City Council, four appointees from the Travis County Commissioners Court and one joint appointee. Board members are appointed to four-year terms.