Healthy Neighborhoods
Leaders from a cluster of Central Texas Interfaith (then known as Austin Interfaith) institutions zeroed in on several opportunities to improve the health of children and families in South Austin.
In 2005, there were zero public health facilities in Southeast Austin (particularly in the 78744 Dove Springs area). Leaders in Dove Springs organized to hold Central Health to the public health needs of the area.
In 2006, came the first victory in the form of an urgent care unit at William Cannon and IH-35. This victory was a first step in an organizing campaign that led to the expansion of the William Cannon facility to include a medical home.
Two years later, driven by the critical healthcare needs of area residents, Austin Interfaith leaders continue to fight for public healthcare infrastructure. This led to the subsequent construction and opening of the Austin-Travis County Integral Healthcare Facility at IH-35 and Terry Road, which has the capacity to serve up to two thousand patients.
The following year, in 2014, the Southeast Austin community celebrated a historic wall-breaking of the VA facility which will in future years serve as a Southeast hub for Austin’s public healthcare services. This third center, in conjunction with the previous two, represents a radical departure in public healthcare priorities and marks the beginning of a transformational change in the quality of healthcare provided to some of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in Central Texas.