April 28, 2022
New Fund Will Help Address Health Inequities in Travis County
(Austin) — Central Health is seeking Requests for Proposal (RFP) for its new program, the Community Health Initiative Fund. The fund will create new or increase existing healthcare services for Travis County residents below 200% Federal Poverty Level.
The fund will support community groups, nonprofits, and private businesses working to address health inequities in Travis County among residents with low income. All interested parties need to register with BidSync for free via the Central Health website at www.centralhealth.net/purchasing. An information session will be held May 10 for interested parties to learn more and ask questions.
Central Health is aiming to partner with local organizations or agencies addressing health inequities and service gaps in our community to support the newly adopted Equity-focused Healthcare Service Delivery Strategic Plan (Healthcare Equity Plan). The successful proposals for non-clinical interventions will address the wellness and prevention service priorities of Central Health’s Healthcare Equity Plan, such as:
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Diet, nutrition and exercise
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Health literacy and communication
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Disease prevention and screening
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Community health service provider organizational capacity building
Data shows about 80% of an individual’s health is determined by social factors outside a clinic such as lack of access to healthy food; safe housing; quality education; and jobs paying living wages. Central Health developed the fund to address these factors by supporting existing health care service delivery strategies.
“Health inequities are reduced when interventions are tailored to the specific contexts and conditions that populations experience,” Central Health President & CEO Mike Geeslin said. “Through the Community Health Initiative Fund, we’re looking to see if there are organizations we can partner with to develop programs that deliver positive impacts to the lives of the patients we serve, beyond the clinical setting.”
For more information about the RFP process, visit www.centralhealth.net/purchasing or contact Balena Bunch at Balena.Bunch@centralhealth.net
To join the pre-proposal information session at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 via Microsoft Teams visit BidSync then click the “Pre-bid conference” tab.