Who We Are

Our Leadership

Our Board of Directors

Our Providers

What We Do

Our Mission

To strengthen the health and well-being of the communities we serve.

Our Vision

Striving to achieve health equity for all by:

Being the health care home of choice.
Being a teaching center of excellence.
Providing the right care, at the right time, at the right place.

History

In 1970, the Austin City Council partnered with the Travis County Commissioners Court to develop a system of primary care, dental care, and family planning clinics. The goal of this effort was to serve residents of Travis County whose incomes and lack of private health insurance kept them from being able to access health care services in the community. In 1992, the clinic system earned “Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike” status through the federal government. A 15-member Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) board of directors was appointed. The board’s job is to govern the Community Health Center system, and a majority of the board’s members are required to be active patients in the system. These board members represent the populations served by the centers in terms of ethnicity, race, sex, age and economic status.

In 2001, the Community Health Center system received a Section 330 federal grant from the Bureau of Primary Health Care/Health Resources and Service Administration. The Community Health Centers were officially designated a Federally Qualified Health Center system. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) represent a vital safety net in the nation’s health delivery system. A growing nationwide network of more than 1,250 FQHCs serves 20 million people. Congress created the FQHC program to support primary care providers who serve larger numbers of uninsured residents and operate in medically underserved communities. The scope of services offered by FQHCs must meet strict requirements. This includes providing accessible care to uninsured patients and having a board that represents the community.

Central Health (formerly the Travis County Healthcare District) was founded in 2004 as a limited-purpose taxing district. It is responsible for providing health care to indigent persons residing in Travis County. At that time, funding and oversight for the Community Health Center system was under the City of Austin before it was transferred to Central Health. In 2009, the Community Health Center system became a private, nonprofit corporation named CommUnityCare. It currently operates with an annual budget of approximately $100 million and serves about 98,000 patients. Most funding comes from Central Health and the Federal Bureau of Primary Health Care. Public and private grants also support the work of CommUnityCare. In 2010, CommUnityCare was accredited by The Joint Commission, which recognizes quality health care institutions around the world. In 2014, the first of our health centers received PCMH (Patient-Centered Medical Home) recognition; since then, the following locations have become PCMH recognized: Blackstock Family Health Center, David Powell, North Central, South Austin, Rundberg, Southeast Health, and Wellness Center, Pflugerville, Oakhill, Manor, East, Sandra Joy Community Health and Wellness Center, and the ARCH.

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Federally Qualified Health Care

CommUnityCare is a Federally Qualified Health Center, or FQHC. This means our practice has met strict guidelines established by the Federal Bureau of Primary Health Care. These guidelines require that we offer a specific scope of services including care for those without health insurance. The board oversees the governance of our health center operations. We are proud to have earned this designation. We are part of a vital safety net in the nation’s health care delivery system. *As a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C.254b, CommUnityCare receives HHS funding and has federal public health services (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims for itself and its covered individuals.

Federally Qualified Health Centers are eligible to:

Receive enhanced reimbursement (payment) from Medicare and Medicaid.
Participate in the 340B Program that allows us to purchase prescription drugs at reduced prices.
Have access to medical malpractice insurance through the Federal Tort Claims Act. This lowers our cost of operation.

Today, the network of FQHCs nationwide is growing. More than 1,000 health centers across the country serve over 13 million people.

Responding to Increasing Demand in Central Texas

Travis County has an estimated 172,000 uninsured residents, 19.3% of its population. Many of these residents have great difficulty getting access to basic primary and preventive health care. Local “safety net” primary care providers such as CommUnityCare often operate at more than 100% of our capacity. In Travis County, CommUnityCare clinics provide approximately half of all local safety net primary care services. We are the largest provider for these services in the area. CommUnityCare works hard to respond to the increasing need for health care services.

Central Health was formed in 2004. It is a limited-purpose taxing district responsible for providing health care to indigent people living in Travis County. Central Health provides the majority of funding for the operation of the CommUnityCare centers. In addition, Central Health and CommUnityCare are co-applicants for the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) designation.

Roles and Responsibilities of Central Health

Holds the FQHC status.
Owns assets and leases to the FQHC under an equipment and facility agreement.
Jointly approves the FQHC budget with the CommUnityCare board of directors.
Central Health is governed by its own board.

Roles and Responsibilities of CommUnityCare

Employs the physicians and staff.
Manages the operation of all clinical care sites.
Manages all administrative operations associated with operating the clinical care sites.

CommUnityCare is governed by the Central Texas Community Health Centers board of directors. As required by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the FQHC board must be composed of more than 51% patients of the health centers. This ensures the decisions of the board and organization are patient-centered.

In addition to our patient members, our board represents a wide variety of community professions including nursing, law, human resources and pharmacy. Two of the 15 seats on the board are appointed by Central Health. Members are elected to serve two-year terms.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Board

The roles and responsibilities of the FQHC board of directors include, in part:

Selecting services to be provided by the clinics.
Approving the annual budget.
Assuring the clinics are operating in compliance with the law.
Adopting health care policies, including scope and availability of services, locations and hours of services.
Evaluating clinic activities, including services, community needs and community-specific health care initiatives.
Approving grants.
Hiring and evaluating the CEO.