Central Health Expands Access to Care for Travis County Jail Inmates with Virtual Visits 

AUSTIN, Texas — Central Health is expanding access to health care for people incarcerated in Travis County jails through virtual medical appointments. The virtual visits increase the level of available services while also reducing costs associated with transportation that can strain county resources and taxpayer dollars.

Virtual appointments offer access to specialty care services through a secure and HIPAA-compliant tele-medicine platform. New patient consultations are available depending on the patient’s needs, the level of urgency, and the type of service required.

“Everyone in our community deserves access to quality health care,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown. “This new virtual care program is a smart, compassionate solution that improves patient outcomes while saving taxpayer dollars. It reflects the kind of innovation and collaboration we need to build a healthier and more equitable Travis County.”

How it Works:

• The need for specialty care services is identified during an initial in-person visit with Travis County Jail medical staff. The staff then submit a request for specialty care services.
• Central Health reviews the request and uses standard clinical criteria to determine if the appointment should be in-person or virtual.
• Virtual appointments are conducted through a secure tele-medicine platform, while the patient is accompanied by Travis County Jail medical staff. Central Health’s team completes the check-in, appointment, and follow-up documentation, which is then shared with the jail’s medical staff.

“The quality of care remains the same as it would be in person. We’ve simply transitioned the experience to a fully virtual format to ensure coordinated support and accessibility,” said Daja Elhariri, Central Health’s virtual care program manager. “We’re truly optimistic about the positive impact this could have on patient care.”

Central Health currently offers the following specialty care services to justice-involved patients through virtual care: podiatry, supportive and palliative care, infectious disease, cardiology, nephrology, rheumatology, and endocrinology. Additional specialty care service lines are expected in the future.

A Model for What’s Possible

This initiative exemplifies what Central Health’s Fiscal Year 2026 “Year of Access” budget aims to achieve. Central Health is focused on reducing wait times to access care for all Travis County residents, including those in the justice system.

“When you think about an incredibly vulnerable population with so many barriers to care, it’s exciting to work in an organization that sees there’s a need, and fills it,” said Amber Hillanbrand, Central Health’s justice-involved health senior operations manager. “Providing high-quality care to people who need it most, in one of the hardest situations, is exactly what Central Health is here to do.”