About the Organization
In 1970, the Austin City Council partnered with the Travis County Commissioner's Court to develop a system of primary care, dental care, and family planning clinics. The goal of this effort was to serve residents of Travis County whose incomes and lack of private health insurance kept them from being able to access healthcare services in the community.
In 1992, the clinic system earned "Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike" status through the federal government. In 2001, the Community Health Center system received a Section 330 federal grant from the Bureau of Primary Health Care/Health Resources and Service Administration. The Community Health Centers were officially designated a "Federally Qualified Health Center" system. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) represent a vital safety net in the nation's health delivery system. A growing nationwide network of more than 1,250 FQHCs serves twenty million people.
About the Community
Today, CommUnityCare provides services at 23 locations in Travis County and is considered the largest FQHC in Texas. Each year, our health centers provide approximately 300,000 medical and dental patient appointments. This number represents more than 80,000 individual patients. CommUnityCare provides outpatient primary healthcare, dental care, limited specialty care, lab, radiology including mammography, a full service pharmacy, and behavioral health services. We also provide HIV/AIDS treatment at our David Powell location, and care for the homeless with a location at the ARCH. These services are provided to all Travis County residents including those whose incomes and lack of private health insurance qualify them for enrollment. Two of our locations, Hancock and the Southeast Health and Wellness Center, were designed to expand access by providing walk-in services to patients in our system. These clinics offer extended hours and weekend care.