Central Health reports Del Valle clinic opening, Bridge clinic outreach and Sendero enrollment growth

Central Health officials told the Commissioners Court on Tuesday that patient care has begun at the Del Valle Health and Wellness Center and that a new bridge clinic model is serving people who have repeatedly cycled through emergency services, shelters and the carceral system.

"We saw our first patient at the Del Valle Health Center," Dr. Lee said, announcing the site's opening and the center's services, which include primary care, dental, integrated mental health and a retail drive-through pharmacy.

Central Health described a three-phase bridge clinic model developed last year: a physical intake site at the Capitol Plaza location that can enroll, medicate and connect high-need individuals to follow-up care; tighter handoffs with Austin-Travis County EMS to bring people who need rapid wraparound services directly to the site; and a mobile outreach component that brings services to shelters and service providers including the Eighth Street (Salvation Army) shelter, diversion centers and community organizations.

The briefing covered additional initiatives: a forthcoming Colony Park Health Center design completion, a growing general surgery presence and a medical-weight-loss program; an active solicitation for a community health initiative fund to address food insecurity among MAP/MAP-basic patients (proposals requested for mobile food pantries, medically tailored meals and workforce components); and plans for a downtown medical-respite program to open this summer in the former Children's Hospital clinical education center.

Central Health also reported that Sendero Health Plan membership has grown from roughly 6,000 in 2023 to about 29,000 in 2025. Chief executives described administrative improvements and an approach to manage risk for high-cost patients to preserve the plan's financial stability while expanding access.

The board's consultant Mazars produced 115 recommendations in its recent performance review; Central Health said it has analyzed every recommendation and will circulate an updated implementation matrix. Monica Crowley, senior counsel, told the court that 34 recommendations are implemented, 63 require documented policies or standard operating procedures, six are in the red (work planned but not started and some related to affiliation agreements with the University of Texas), and 12 were deemed not applicable to Central Health.

Why it matters: Central Health is the primary safety-net health system partner in Travis County. The Del Valle site and the bridge clinic aim to provide urgent and wraparound services for individuals at high risk of returning to emergency services, reducing costly cycles through multiple public systems.

What the court heard: Commissioners praised the outreach and coordination. Commissioner [Howard] and Judge Brown praised the collaboration with EMS, integral care and other partners and urged continued performance measurement. The Central Health board chair asked for continued mutual respect and a structured process to work with CommuniCare and other partners on a shared vision.

Next steps: Central Health said it will send an updated Mazars implementation spreadsheet to the court, pursue community conversations across precincts, and continue to refine partner-agency deliverables and reporting.