REGULAR MEETING OF THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2026, AT 2:30 P.M. CITY HALL, BOARD & COMMISSION ROOM, ROOM 1101 301 W. 2nd STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the [Commission Name] may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote remotely, contact Daniela Romero, participation by daniela.romero@austintexas.gov or Juanita Jackson at Juanita.jackson@austintexas.gov. telephone. To to speak register CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS OR COMMISSIONERS: Natalie Poindexter, Chair Enrique Lin Shiao, Vice Chair Jawad Ali Chris Crookham Cara Dahlhausen Jacob Whitty Martha Lujan William Rice EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Adrienne Sturrup, Director, Austin Public Health Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin/Travis County Public Health Authority Ana Almaguel, Division Director, Travis County Health & Human Services Perla Cavazos, Deputy Administrator, Central Health AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 5 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Public Health Commission Regular Meeting on January 7th, 2026. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. 3. 4. Presentation by One Voice regarding work on food insecurity. Presentation by Sam Woollard, Peter Arellano and Lynne Skinner. Receive updates from commissioners on assigned action items. Discussion of draft recommendation “Bridging Public Health Funding” created by Commissioner Chris Crookham. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. 6. Discuss and approve goals for the 2026 fiscal year. Approve a recommendation to Travis County Council titled “Harm Reduction Outreach Expansion”. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please contact Daniela Romero at Austin Public Health, at daniela.romero@austintexas.gov, or Juanita Jackson at Juanita.jackson@austintexas.gov to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Public Health Commission, please contact Daniela Romero at daniela.romero@austintexas.gov or Juanita …
Presentation to Austin/Travis County Public Health Commission February 4, 2026 This presentation is a high-level preliminary representation of the information gathered in our survey. This is not a formal or complete public reporting of our findings. Coalition to Assess Federal Funding Impact SVP Austin One Voice Central Texas United Way of Greater Austin Austin Community Foundation St. David’s Foundation Sooch Foundation Austin Public Health Travis County Central Health I Live Here, I Give Here Nonprofit Austin at ACC Austin/Travis County Public Health Commission Also sponsored by: Georgetown Health Foundation, Austin Together and Mission Capital Current Funding Landscape • Instability in ALL levels and areas of funding • Individual donors concerned about possible recession • Businesses are pulling back and revising community giving plans to meet new federal policy mandates • Governments are facing tightened budgets (and related cuts) • Foundations are overwhelmed with demand • Volunteerism is not keeping up About the Survey • January 27 – Federal Grants Frozen • One Voice Central Texas (OVCT) quickly surveyed members • February 18 – Gathering of cross-sector organization leaders • July 1 – First Coalition meeting • Split into teams: 1) Survey Design 2) Communications Plan 3) Analytics • October 1 – Survey opened • Coalition members worked together with shared messaging to distribute survey via email, social media • November 21 – Survey closed • Initially almost 100 responses, after de-duplication and clean up, a solid 82 Service Areas 70% served the combined geographic region (TC+ MSA+ Broader Region) Snapshot of Respondents ANNUAL INCOME RANGE Total # Served 180,313 Total # Employed 6,391 Total # Employees Supported by Federal Funds 1,374 Primary Focus Areas Majority (37) Human Services, followed by Education (17) Secondary Focus Areas Federal Funding Profile RECEIVE DIRECT OR INDIRECT FEDERAL FUNDING?* IF NO FEDERAL FUNDS, WILL YOU BE IMPACTED INDIRECTLY? *Only 1/3 of respondents received federal funds before 2025. Those Indirectly Impacted Say… “Larger organizations who are impacted by loss of federal funds will need more support from the general public. Smaller organizations like ours will be faced with donors who have already maxed out: Our donations will be down, and that will impact our ability to do our work.” “When our fellow nonprofits, who once COULD qualify for government funding no longer can, or that funding no longer exists, the other funders (individual, foundations, corporate) become their primary funding source. Competition for dollars gets steeper.” “We …
. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Austin Travis County Public Health Commission Recommendation Number: [YYYYMMDD-XXX] Bridging Public Health Funding: This recommendation seeks to address the public health inequities exacerbated by the construction of Interstate 35, which divided communities and reenforced segregation. With public health funding at risk across the country, we recommend that a portion of tax revenues generated from businesses and activities on Cap and Stitch elements be dedicated to Austin Public Health to address the direct and indirect health inequities caused by Interstate 35. WHEREAS the City of Austin 1928 Master Plan designated then East Avenue as the dividing racial line between East and West Austin. WHEREAS Interstate 35 later replaced East Avenue, serving as a reinforced physical barrier between East and West Austin. WHEREAS Interstate 35 traffic and congestion have exacerbated health disparities of those living in East Austin, leading to less access to quality care and healthy foods, increased rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes and infectious disease, poor maternal health outcomes, and increased socioeconomic inequities. WHEREAS Interstate 35 creates chronic stressors such as traffic noise, heat, and pollution, leading to poor mental health and stress of those living nearby. WHEREAS City Council has touted Cap and Stitch as a once in a generation opportunity to repair the physical divide created by Interstate 35 and assist in repairing over 100 years of segregation. WHEREAS City Council has welcomed the creation of new public spaces for civic participation and unlocking long-term economic and community benefits, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin Travis County Public Health Commission recommends that City Council: Reserve and dedicate a percentage of tax revenues generated from businesses and activities that take place on the Cap and Stitch elements of Interstate 35 to a public health fund to be used by Austin Public Health to intentionally address the various health inequities that Interstate 35 has directly and subsequently inflicted upon the residents of Austin, specifically in East Austin and other areas where East Austin residents have been pushed to. These dedicated funds generated from a once in a generation opportunity that aims to repair the harm created by the interstate are a concrete action that . City Council can take to ensure steps are made to truly address these health inequities while also providing a sustainable funding source for Austin Public Health. Date of Approval: Motioned By: Seconded By: Vote: (Add the number …
AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION Wednesday, January 7th, 2025 AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 The Austin Travis County Public Health Commission convened in a regular meeting on Wednesday, January 7th, 2026, at 301 West 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Natalie Poindexter called the Austin Travis County Public Health Commission Meeting to order at 2:32 pm. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Natalie Poindexter, Chair Jawad Ali Chris Crookham Cara Dahlhausen Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: None Enrique Lin Shiao, Vice Chair William Rice Martha Lujan Jacob Whitty Board Members/Commissioners Absent: Larry Wallace, Jr Ex-Officio and Staff in Attendance: Adrienne Sturrup, Direcor, Austin Public Health Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin/Travis County Public Health Authority Daniela Romero, Staff, Austin Public Health Juanita Jackson, Staff, Austin Public Health Ex-Officio and Staff in Attendance Remotely: Perla Cavazos Ana Almaguel Ex-Officio and Staff Absent: NONE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None Megan Cermak, Director of Public Health Strategy, Policy and Disaster Response, Central Health APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Austin Travis County Public Health Commission regular meeting on January 7th, 2026. The minutes for the regular meeting of November 5th, 2025, were approved on Commissioner William Rice’s motion, Commissioner Chris Crookham second on a 5-0 vote. (Abstaining: Commissioner Jawad Ali, Off-Dais: Vice Chair Enrique Lin Shiao & Commissioner Martha Lujan, Absent: Commissioner Larry Wallace, Jr.) DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Received updates from commissioners on assigned actions items. The Commission reviewed the status of several ongoing projects and action items. UT & Harm Reduction, Commissioner Dahlhausen and Commissioner Whitty: Item has hit a wall with UT due to lack of response from them. Item is being tabled for now but will revisit in the future. “Cap & Stitch” Project, Commissioner Crookham: A draft is being developed to advocate for using tax revenue from the project to address public health funding gaps. Commissioner aims to complete a draft recommendation by next month’s meeting. Sexual Health Funding Recommendation, Commissioner Whitty: A draft recommendation is in progress. Commissioner is waiting on specific data and fiscal information from APH to justify the requested dollar amounts. Capital Metro/Del Valle Transportation, Commissioner Martha Lujan: Currently waiting for a response from CapMetro. Goal is to coordinate a multi-agency meeting in addition to scheduling a presentation from CapMetro on a future agenda. 3. Discussed revised Harm Reduction Outreach Expansion recommendation. Commissioners expressed general support for the …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Austin Travis County Public Health Commission Recommendation Number: 20260204-006 Harm Reduction Outreach Expansion: This recommendation seeks to prevent overdoses in the Austin, Travis County area through outreach programs and peer support specialists that provide life-saving services directly to high- risk populations using awarded opioid abatement funds. This recommendation directly addresses priorities identified by Travis County Health and Human Services and community members including outreach, peer support capacity, and reducing the stigma surrounding substance use disorders. WHEREAS Travis County declared opioid overdoses as a public health crisis in 2022 and extended the declaration in 2024 to stay in e(cid:431)ect until October 1, 2026. WHEREAS The City of Austin has declared a need for increased e(cid:431)orts to address the opioid overdose crisis in RESOLUTION NO. 20220616-053. WHEREAS Travis County recorded more than 400 accidental drug-related deaths in 2023. In 2024, Austin-Travis County reported 1,058 EMS calls and dispatches and 831 emergency department visits due to drug overdoses, highlighting the current crisis. WHEREAS Travis County has received three opioid abatement fund disbursements over the course of the next 15 years aiming to prevent, treat, or reduce overdoses and opioid use. WHEREAS an increased capacity for community outreach was identified and presented as a priority in 2024, facilitated by Travis County Health and Human Services, in collaboration with Austin-Travis County community providers WHEREAS harm reduction outreach e(cid:431)orts focused on opioid overdose prevention help expand access to life-saving interventions such as naloxone distribution and training, connection to community services and peer support, especially among high-risk populations such as unhoused individuals, who may face significant barriers to care due to stigma, social determinants of health, and other challenges. WHEREAS peer recovery support services is the best practice associated with improved health outcomes, increased likelihood to engage in recovery services, and reduction in stigma around substance use. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin Travis County Public Health Commission recommends that Travis County Health and Human Services: 1. Invest opioid abatement funds for organizations that provide Harm Reduction to expand outreach programs in Travis County. 2. Renew and increase existing opioid abatement–funded harm reduction contracts totaling $525,000 that expire September 30, 2026, and allocate additional funds to create new contracts so organizations can hire sta(cid:431) and expand and maintain outreach e(cid:431)orts. 3. Prioritize awarding opioid abatement funds to support and expand outreach for organizations that provide Harm Reduction that employ individuals with lived …
