Austin Chronicle Opinion By Nelson Linder and Frank Ortega: When It Comes to Health Care in Austin, There Can Be No Equity Without Accountability. It’s time for the Travis County Commissioners Court to order an independent performance audit of Central Health

NAACP and LULAC Release Central Health 'Red Flag' Report

NAACP AUSTIN ANNOUNCES SXSW LAUNCH OF ‘HEALTH EQUITY FIRST’ CAMPAIGN

In November 2012, Austin voters were asked to approve a proposition that promised to expand health care for the poor. They approved a ballot measure creating a pool of $35 million in tax money each year for the nonprofit Central Health, an agency charged by the state with funding indigent health care and hospitalization in Travis County. Voters were told that the money would go to a new medical school at the University of Texas, where the poor would be treated. But in 2017, Travis County taxpayers filed a lawsuit claiming that voters had been duped and that little or none of that money had been spent for clinical care; instead it was funding UT administration, research and support salaries. That lawsuit is ongoing. A short documentary, called “Inquest: An Examination of Central Health,” has now been released on YouTube. The Observer spoke with attorney and activist Fred Lewis, who with Austin filmmaker Steve Mims and Brian Rodgers, co-produced the 30-minute film that raises tough questions...