February 21, 2025
Beloved Austin musician supported by Central Health and its Transitions of Care team after emergency situation
Life had always come at Kevin Gant fast, but perhaps this was a bit much. The long-time Austin musician, once the focus of a South by Southwest documentary by filmmaker Jay Duplass, felt like he was dying on a park bench.
Something was wrong with his legs. He couldn’t move.
“Before I had time to really worry about it,” he said of his medical issue nearly two years ago, “I was taken upstairs in the emergency room.”
An ambulance picked Kevin up, whisked him to the ER and began operating on his legs, which needed immediate treatment. But then, just as fast as he was admitted, there he was again, discharged and out on his own, without a plan.
What he needed was support.
The central question in his story became, what happens next?
“I needed health care for an ongoing basis,” Kevin said, “and I needed a place to stay for an ongoing basis.”
That’s when Central Health stepped in.
Through its Medical Access Program (MAP) and its Transitions of Care team, Kevin found exactly what he was looking for: A roadmap back to livelihood.
Enrolling in MAP, a critical health care option for Travis County residents with low income, and then working with Central Health’s Transitions of Care team, a specialty service line which provides patients with needs such as housing assistance, transportation and food security, Kevin was able find his footing and piece together the next phase of his journey.
“We have a fragmented system where patients often fall through the cracks, so we’re ensuring we’re communicating with all of the providers and our patients along the way,” said Dr. Snehal Patel, Central Health’s Associate Director of Post-Acute Care and Care at Home. “We’re making sure we’re assessing our patients’ social needs and addressing those needs as we’re able to.”
In many ways, Kevin was able to reclaim his life through these programs.
But to achieve those feats, he also took ownership of his health care choices. With access to a skilled nursing facility, Kevin found a system which empowered him forward.
He could stand. He could walk. He could even sing again.
“For all of these things to come together for somebody like me, who lives as a songwriter, everything always works out,” Kevin said. “I believe everything works out for a reason. I am able to walk now, which I couldn’t do then.”
Today, Kevin can do what he enjoys most – playing music, telling stories and living life to the fullest.
He’s also mindful of the organization that brought him to health again, of the health care system which gave him hope.
Years ago, Kevin had written “The Destiny Song,” never realized how prescient his words would define his journey in 2025.
Yesterday reminded me of a long time ago …
We need to smile and realize, we are only here for a short time.