Task force urges McLennan County to expand primary care, weigh health-district option to shore up hospitals

A community coalition known as the Partnership for Accessible Care and Economic Sustainability (PACEs) presented its phase 1 findings to McLennan County commissioners and Waco city officials, urging coordinated investment in primary care and behavioral health and asking leaders to consider a permanent organizational structure or a health-district model to stabilize local health systems.

"Health care is not just a cost center, but it's an essential part of our economic infrastructure as a community," said Glenn Robinson, a PACE presenter and health-care consultant, as the group outlined why local leaders should act to prevent further erosion of hospital capacity and services.

The report says roughly 20.5% of working-age adults in Waco are uninsured, a rate the presenters described as nearly double the national average and a major driver of avoidable emergency-department use and uncompensated care. "When 1 in 5 working age adults in our community does not have health insurance, the emergency department becomes the front door for too many people," said Chris Lancaster, president of Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest, describing how delayed treatment increases hospital costs and reduces capacity for specialty care.

Ryan Adams, CEO of the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network and the local mental health authority, emphasized behavioral health as a pressure point: "Behavioral health is one of the most critical…