Central Health, Travis County’s taxpayer-funded health district, is transforming the historic Rosewood-Zaragosa health center into a multispecialty care clinic, slated to open in fall 2023, to serve low-income residents and those without health insurance.
The new clinic and additional specialty physicians are expected to provide 25,000 to 40,000 visits annually once operational. In the coming year, Central Health plans to hire several full-time healthcare providers across six specialties: cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, podiatry, and pulmonology.
“The renovated Rosewood-Zaragosa Clinic will go a long way into filling gaps identified by our Healthcare Equity Plan,” said Mike Geeslin, Central Health President & CEO. “The clinic will expand our goal to improve the health of Travis County residents with low income.”
The Health Care Equity Plan identified a significant gap in specialty care for Central Health patients, with service levels meeting less than 50% of the current need. In particular, the six specialties identified for the new clinic have extensive wait times, from two to six months.
“If your primary care doctor believes you might have a heart condition, waiting six months for an appointment with a cardiologist is not only stressful, but could also have serious health implications,” said Dr. Alan Schalscha, Central Health Chief Medical Officer. “Central Health is actively building its direct patient care infrastructure so more of our MAP members can access the care they need, when they need it.”
