Travis County

City of Austin and Travis County deepen their relationships with communities across the region. Importance of incorporating community-based leaders and community voices into planning processes for a range of issues that affect health and health equity. Conduct an asset map of organizations leading health equity work in the region and bringing those organizations to the planning table. Include long-time residents in the planning processes. Improve quality of outreach.

To build collective strategies and action and coordinate efforts. Leverage collaborative planning spaces. Creating a shift from a competitive environment to a collaborative one among nonprofits.

Inequitable funding relationships between community-based organizations and the City and County and identified the need to shift how funding operates to improve health equity. Re-hauling the current reimbursement model to enable the City and County to meaningfully partner with smaller organizations who have smaller reserves and who cannot wait for reimbursement. Be more transparent about how funding priorities are made.

The need to “lead with race” and address systemic racism in criminal justice, education, and healthcare sectors and build capacity to counteract hate.

How do we get social services, food grocers, food providers, more options for community?” Residents also suggested expanding community gardens programs, food pantries, and farmer’s markets.

Need to expand Medicaid and expand health insurance coverage for low-income residents. Improve the capacity of clinics that currently serve low-income residents to expand their hours and days of operation. A short-term solution could be mobile clinics. Work with hospitals to coordinate discharge so patients have continuity of services out of the hospital. Community-based mental health models. Coordinate health care across specialties in order to strengthen chronic disease management.

Support older adults and keep them out of assisted living and nursing homes for as long as possible.