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(Update) – We are now administering COVID-19 booster shots to eligible patients who completed their primary Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine series. (We do not have J&J boosters).

The CDC’s new recommendations allow for mix and match dosing for booster shots. While booster vaccines are available at all CommUnityCare locations, the type may vary depending on location. CommUnityCare is reaching out to patients via phone, text and MyChart to encourage them to make an appointment for a booster if they meet the criteria.

We are also preparing to provide recently approved pediatric doses for patients age 5 to 11 once federal and state guidelines for vaccination are finalized. Appointments will be made available once that work is complete.

CommUnityCare and Carousel patients can receive their booster and children’s vaccines at their home clinic; the broader community can receive their boosters at the following sites:

North Central Health Center
1210 W. Braker Lane
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Southeast Health & Wellness Center
2901 Montopolis Drive
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

More information and appointments are available by calling our Patient Navigation Center at 512-978-9015.

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(Blog) – Nurses are the heart of CommUnityCare Health Centers and are often the first providers that patients engage with. Listen to Marion Douglas, long time nurse and The DAISY Award winner talk about why she loves working at CommUnityCare and what the DAISY award means to her.

 

 

 

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(Blog) – The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH)  is a homeless shelter in downtown Austin that can house up to 100 individuals on any given night. Our ARCH clinic, dedicated to patients experiencing homelessness, is located on the first floor of the lobby.

On October 14th, 2021, the ARCH clinic team hosted a special event for women experiencing homelessness, to encourage health screening and improve health engagement. The event was open only to women, and they were warmly welcomed into the waiting room for snacks, tea, and free goodies like purses and nail polish. Many women participated, some of who had not had any regular healthcare for over 10 years. Pap smears (cervical cancer screening) were collected, mammograms were ordered, flu and Covid vaccines were administered, and screening labs (for diabetes, STDs, etc) were performed. The women had a chance to meet the whole team, including our behavioral health counselor and case manager, to discuss their needs and struggles. Many women shared that, through the event, they felt loved and cared for; our hope is that our team at the ARCH will continue to support these women to promote their health and well-being.

 

 

 

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(Blog) – View the latest blog post from CommUnityCare Health Centers about dealing with stress, especially as a healthcare provider, and how to provide self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember, help is just a phone call or click away.

Self-Care during the COVID-19 pandemic

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(Austin) – Central Health-affiliated CommUnityCare Health Centers announced guidelines and eligibility requirements for COVID-19 booster shots for patients and non-patients who received their second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, to be eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot, individuals must have completed their primary Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine series at least six months ago AND are either:

  • 65 years of age and older
  • residents of long-term care facilities
  • aged 50-64 with an underlying medical condition
  • aged 18-49 with an underlying medical condition who want a booster vaccine based on individual assessment of benefit and risk
  • aged 18-64 who are in an occupational or institutional setting where the burden of COVID-19 infection and risk of transmission is high (including but not limited to healthcare workers, first responders, and teachers)

Studies have shown that after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, protection against the virus, including the delta variant, may decrease over time.  COVID-19 vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent severe disease, although data suggests that mild disease may still occur, especially with the delta variant. Based on clinical trial data, a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot improves protection against COVID-19, including the delta variant.

“We strongly encourage recommended groups who got their second COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine more than six months ago to get a booster shot now,” CommUnityCare CEO Jaeson Fournier said, while noting that, “Eligible CommUnityCare patients can schedule their booster shot by calling 512-978-9015 or they can stop by our Rosewood Zaragosa Vaccine Clinic,

North Central Health Center, or the Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center to get their booster without an appointment.”

CommUnityCare will also be providing the COVID-19 boosters to anyone from the community who is eligible to receive their COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech booster at the walk-in sites mentioned above.

Consistent with CDC guidance, CommUnityCare will only be providing the Pfizer-BioNTech booster to people already vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. People in the eligible groups who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine might also see enhanced protection from a booster shot but will need to wait for further study and analysis from the CDC and authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Vaccines are the most important protection against COVID-19, but we must do even more,” Central Health President & CEO Mike Geeslin said. “As long as COVID-19 continues to spread in our community, even vaccinated people should be cautious about indoor and outdoor gatherings, and while shopping, eating out, and traveling. Masks are an added level of protection and we should keep wearing them as continue to work on getting everyone in our community fully vaccinated.”

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About Central Health
Central Health is the local health care district that connects 1 in 9 Travis County residents with low income to quality health care. We work with a network of partners to eliminate health disparities and reach our vision of Travis County becoming a model healthy community.

 

About CommUnityCare Health Centers
CommUnityCare’s vision is to improve the health of the community by increasing access to the best care possible. Today, CommUnityCare provides services at 27 locations in Travis County. Each year, its health centers provide care to almost 125,000 individual patients through 400,000 plus medical and dental patient appointments.

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It is with distinct pleasure that Central Texas Community Health Centers (dba CommUnityCare) announces Dr. Nicholas Yagoda as our chief medical officer (CMO).

As CMO, Dr. Yagoda is responsible for the overall clinical leadership, provider practice, and overall performance and advancement of a diverse provider group that has the privilege of caring for underserved residents of Austin and its surrounding areas.

Yagoda joined CommUnityCare in 2014 and throughout his tenure with us has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to strengthening the health and well-being of the patients and families we are so privileged to care for. He currently serves as CommUnityCare’s associate CMO and has been intimately involved in our response to the coronavirus pandemic and our recent implementation of Epic systemwide.

Yagoda has also been a physician champion with several other initiatives including the continued evolution of our care model and is a demonstrated champion for health equity. Since 2014, he has continuously cared for our communities as a family medicine physician with a focus on HIV and addiction medicine. He further helped develop the region’s first treatment program for uninsured people with opioid use disorders and is a founding member of the Fast Track Cities/Getting to Zero task force to end the HIV epidemic in Travis County.

Yagoda is also an assistant professor of population health at The University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School, and his writing has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the Annals of Family Medicine, The Journal of Family Practice, and Nature. A native of New York’s Brooklyn borough, he completed his medical education at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, and his postgraduate training at the FQHC-based Lawrence Family Medicine Residency in northeastern Massachusetts.

“We are very much looking forward to our continued efforts at CommUnityCare in advancing health equity for all within Central Texas, but especially for the low-income and underserved communities we are so privileged to serve,” said CommUnityCare’s president and CEO, Jaeson Fournier. “Dr. Yagoda is an exceptional physician, but more importantly an extraordinary individual with a steadfast commitment to enhancing the lives through the delivery of robust, evidence-based, and high-quality primary care.”

 

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CommUnityCare Health Centers welcomes Tara Trower as our new chief strategy officer (CSO) effective June 14, 2021. As CSO, Trower will assist CommUnityCare in leading and advancing strategic initiatives and planning efforts, overseeing community engagement and communications, expanding the development and philanthropy footprint, and continuing to foster strong relationships with community partners.

Trower brings more than 20 years of experience in communications and operations and is a highly regarded, data-driven leader. She most recently served as the chief of staff for The University of Texas at Austin’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, where she planned and managed strategic initiatives for a portfolio of 44 operational units and consulted on communications and media relations strategy for several departments. Trower also spent more than 18 years as a journalist, covering education, politics, government and community issues in Central Texas, most notably as senior editor for opinion and commentary (Viewpoints) for the Austin American-Statesman.

“We are very much looking forward to Trower joining our team as we continue our mission to strengthen the health and well-being of the communities we serve, working diligently to increase health equity within the medically underserved communities of Austin and surrounding counties,” CommUnityCare CEO Jaeson Fournier said.

 

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These are unprecedented times, touched by fear and uncertainty.  As coronavirus and its resultant disease COVID-19 continues to spread within our community, our employees at CommUnityCare, continue to be there for our patients, day in and day out. We are on the front line of providing care to Austin and its surrounding communities with over 120,000 lower income individuals served annually.

Our staff is deeply committed to serving our patients and today is no different despite their higher risk of exposure to coronavirus as healthcare workers. During this time, our nurses, our receptionists, and our medical assistants continue to answer the call to serve and put themselves on the front line of providing compassionate, quality care to all who need it without question. While we are all confronting the uncertainty of our future, the impacts of these decisions are forcing our front line healthcare workers to choose between their family’s needs or continuing to serve the patients that need those most.As an organization, CommUnityCare has committed to maintaining full staff capacity and employment of our team during these challenging times. However, and due to the extenuating circumstances of the current crisis, this support is not enough for our care team members, especially those with modest incomes or who are single parents.

In order to help, CommUnityCare has established a Staff Assistance Fund to provide direct cash relief to our employees who need it most and who have new or increased expenses because of the crisis.  By way of example, many of our frontline team members are struggling with the additional and unexpected cost of childcare associated with school closures. The rationale for this fund is simple – we need to support our employees so that they can continue to support our patients and our community. While CommUnityCare does have a longstanding program to help with emergent childcare needs, it is not enough during these difficult times.  That is why every member of CommUnityCare’s Executive Team has committed a donation to the Staff Assistance Fund. We are asking you to join them in donating to our Staff Assistance Fund.

Thank you for your consideration and please know that 100% of your tax deductible donation will directly support the unanticipated financial needs of our team members with incomes less than $70,000 with a donation of $75 paying for a full day of childcare.

Your charitable donation can be made at the link below:

You can also mail us a check directly to:

CommUnityCare Staff Assistance Fund
2115 Kramer Lane, Ste. 100
Austin, TX 78758

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(Austin) – To ensure medication needs are met, CommUnityCare Health Center’s Central Pharmacy is now offering curbside service at the Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center.

“We will do whatever we can to make sure no one goes without their medications,” CommUnityCare Pharmacy Director Cristie Pelligrini said. “We encourage our patients to use home delivery first if possible, or their regular pharmacy to ensure they have at least a 30 days’ supply of medications on hand. If those aren’t options, we will fill and deliver medications curbside.”

CommUnityCare patients who need assistance with pharmacy refills may call 512-978-8139 if their regular pharmacy or home delivery isn’t an option.

The Central Pharmacy fills approximately 4,500 prescriptions a month (approximately 300 per day). Thirty-day (30) supplies will be filled and delivered curbside, but CommUnityCare prefers to deliver via United States Postal Service (USPS).

Central Pharmacy: Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center
2901 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741
Pharmacy Days/Hours: Monday – Friday; 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Curbside Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
30-day supplies filled curbside.