{"id":207515,"date":"2026-08-21T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/?p=207515"},"modified":"2026-08-20T15:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T20:36:00","slug":"reaching-new-heights-with-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/reaching-new-heights-with-map\/","title":{"rendered":"V\u01b0\u01a1n t\u1edbi nh\u1eefng \u0111\u1ec9nh cao m\u1edbi c\u00f9ng MAP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mckayla Leonares finds accessible health care and an unexpected path back to the sport she loves<\/h2>\n
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Mckayla Leonares has loved the sport of climbing since she was 20 years old. Whether outdoors on a rockface or pushing upward on an indoor climbing wall, the discipline has given her strength, mobility, confidence, and best yet, good health.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to figure out how to move myself up a route,\u201d the 28-year-old Leonares says, \u201cit\u2019s mentally invigorating.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, it hasn\u2019t always come cheap. <\/p>\n

Climbing, like most other sports, has not been immune to rising inflation. There are shoes, belts, carabiners, chalk bags, harnesses, and helmets to buy. Then there might be the monthly membership to a climbing gym. Nowadays, climbers in Central Texas looking to train consistently in a gym (and avoid the hot sun) are looking at costs anywhere from $950 upfront for a year to $95 if paying month-by-month. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Mckayla<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As a service worker in the restaurant industry who arrived in Austin two years ago, she\u2019s always prioritized needs like health care first and extracurriculars last. But finding a connection to health care hasn\u2019t always been easy, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to find a provider out-of-pocket,\u201d she said. \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t even know how to go about scheduling most things out-of-pocket without insurance.\u201d <\/p>\n

In February, though, Leonares found peace of mind with MAP (the Central Health Medical Access Program), a health care coverage plan for Travis County residents with low income. She enrolled in February. <\/p>\n

Then, even better news followed. <\/p>\n

One day while perusing the website of Crux Climbing Gym, a Central Texas-based climbing center with two locations in Austin and another in Pflugerville, Leonares was shocked to learn her MAP coverage could connect her to a monthly climbing membership. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand that everyone comes from different backgrounds with different incomes, and we also understand systems of oppression have long-term impacts that contribute to an individual\u2019s financial stability,\u201d the line on Crux\u2019s website read. \u201cOur hope is that with this model, we can challenge those systems and work toward a community that fully represents everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n

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A Low-Cost Climbing Program<\/h3>\n

In late 2023, Crux Climbing Gym launched \u201cSend What You Can,\u201d a membership program aimed at broadening access to climbers with low income. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always strived to make climbing accessible for all,\u201d said Grace Nicholas, Crux Climbing Gym\u2019s chief operating officer. <\/p>\n

Nicholas said the gym was first motivated by Museums for All, a national initiative which accepts reduced rates to museums for individuals on federal assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Locally, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Zilker Botanical Gardens are among the Central Texas entities that provide free admission or reduced rates to MAP members through the Museums for All initiative. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Mckayla<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that idea of, \u2018Health is wealth,\u201d Rudy Ybarra, vice president of business development at Sendero Health Plans, part of the Central Health system, said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just going to the doctor that will protect your physical health, but it\u2019s also your physical activity and your mental health. Getting out in those spaces will prevent you from having to go to the doctor more often \u2014 they will save you instead for the times when it\u2019s really needed.\u201c <\/p>\n

Crux’s program requires members to be enrolled in MAP, SNAP, STAR (State of Texas Access Reform Medicaid Program), CHIP (Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program), or WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and requires a $10 sign-up, proof of eligibility, and then an agreed upon rate.<\/p>\n

So far, Nicholas said, a little less than two dozen members are enrolled. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized gyms across the nation were increasing rates, and because of rent increases, we were also looking at needing to increase our rates,\u201d Nicholas said. \u201cBut something about that didn\u2019t settle with me, because we were essentially moving up our bracket of who our clientele could be.\u201d <\/p>\n

Leonares was grateful for the opportunity. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been the most consistent time in my life that I\u2019ve been able to climb,\u201d she said. \u201cThe memberships are pretty expensive, so it has been really affordable and allowed me to do it more often.\u201d <\/p>\n

Crux Climbing Gym\u2019s discounted memberships are just one piece of the organization\u2019s promise to bring more access to people in Travis County, too. It\u2019s also matched community donations to raise more than $12,000 for the NAACP, Austin Justic Coalition, Campaign Zero, and Black Lives Matters; it\u2019s hosted adaptive climbing days for people with greater needs; and it\u2019s worked with nonprofit organizations to provide discounted rates to summer camps and those in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. <\/p>\n

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\u201cI know how hard it is to find resources like this. And I know how discouraging it can be to navigate the health care system.\u201d – Mckayla Leonares<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Getting Health Care<\/h3>\n

While being able to climb consistently is a value-add in Leonares\u2019 life, having access to comprehensive health care has been transformational. <\/p>\n

After learning about MAP online, she filled out an application, got approved, and then had a MAP card within days. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe application process was so easy,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know that something like that was available.\u201d <\/p>\n

Next came a primary care appointment at the CommUnityCare Health Centers South Austin Health Center, a multi-discipline health care facility on South 1st Street which offers family medicine, internal medicine, and women\u2019s health\u2014among other specialties. CommUnityCare is part of the Central Health system. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Mckayla<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHonestly, this was some of the best care that I have received,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the surprising part was how comprehensive it was, how willing (physicians) were to answer my questions and give me resources for my next appointment. I never felt any of my questions were breezed over.\u201d <\/p>\n

Understanding the full breadth of her health care coverage was a vital step forward for Leonares, who hadn\u2019t always been guaranteed that right working inside restaurants. Sometimes, that concept felt impossible. Some years, she went without it. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know how hard it is to find resources like this,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I know how discouraging it can be to navigate the health care system.\u201d <\/p>\n

But she never gave up. <\/p>\n

She spends much of her free time researching and learning about public programs. In the case of MAP, she will have to re-apply in August and confirm her eligibility after her first six-month term ends. <\/p>\n

Whatever knowledge she picks up, she often tries to pay it forward. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always talking about MAP,\u201d Leonares said. \u201cI\u2019m always telling people, \u2018If you live here in the city, you will qualify.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

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The Future Ahead<\/h3>\n

Nicholas says Crux Climbing Gym\u2019s long-term goal is to make the sport of climbing more accessible. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoing somewhere to get physical health totally helps your mental game and life in general,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a luxury to go to a gym and work out. So, if there are any barriers we can take down to allow for more of our community members to benefit, we\u2019re going to try.\u201d <\/p>\n

On a recent midweek morning, Leonares slipped on her climbing shoes, stepped on the mat, and put her chalky hands to the wall. <\/p>\n

A tough climb was next. <\/p>\n

No doubt, it was a difficult route, full of inverted walls and shifty holds. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Mckayla<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThat route has been the bane of my existence,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

That being said, \u201cI keep coming back,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s very interesting to see the progress in that sense.\u201d <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mckayla Leonares finds accessible health care and an unexpected path back to the sport she loves Mckayla Leonares has loved the sport of climbing since she was 20 years old. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":207516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207515"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207533,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207515\/revisions\/207533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}