Where is the health clinic for low-income residents in Del Valle?

Nearly four years ago, the Del Valle community was promised a health center that would offer dentistry, primary care, mental health services, and a pharmacy. This clinic, a collaboration between Central Health and CommUnityCare, aims to expand access to health care for low-income residents in Eastern Travis County.

Construction workers broke ground on the Del Valle Health and Wellness Center back in 2022, with plans for it to open by the end of last year. However, the center remains unopened.

“It’s been really hard to build things ever since Covid,” said Mike Clark-Madison, public relations manager for the Central Health system. “And when you’re building things that require a lot of specialized stuff, like a health clinic, it’s been even harder to do that.”

He expressed confidence that the clinic will open in December.

The idea for the clinic emerged after years of community requests for more resources. Del Valle is considered a health and food desert. There is a small health center, but it only offers family medicine and pediatrics, leaving the area without a pharmacy and maternal care. No other doctor offices are nearby.

Patricia Grimmer has watched the new building stand empty for a while and is tired of waiting.

“Our whole life we’ve lived here in Del Valle and we’ve been promised all these things,” Grimmer, 47, said. “God knows we’ve paid … to get those things here.”

Accessing a pharmacy has been challenging, especially as a mother.

“I had a baby at 21, at 28, at 29, and then again at 39. All four of those births required me to travel into Austin,” Grimmer shared. “That was 28 miles from our house.”

Tara Trower, CommUnityCare Health Center’s chief strategy officer, emphasized the need for more services.

“The needs are very, very great and they’re continuing to grow,” she stated. “We work with Central Health and the Del Valle school system to create a safety net system where lower-income individuals can receive the primary care they need.”

With nearly 85,000 students enrolled in Del Valle ISD—20,000 more than just 10 years ago—the construction of a Tesla factory and rising housing costs in Central Austin have driven significant growth in the area.

Grimmer’s family, along with others in Del Valle, continues to wait. She has considered moving, but acknowledges the difficulty of such a decision.

“’It’s coming.’ We’ve always heard this our whole lives. For 20 years, we’ve been told, ‘Oh, don’t worry. You’re going to get that in your area,’” Grimmer lamented. “We’re ready to move out of this area.”

Clark-Madison expressed appreciation for residents’ patience.

“We just got to cross our fingers and get across the finish line,” he remarked.

This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.

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Posted In: Public Health, District 2