Health Center Opens Its Doors At One Of City's Fastest-Growing Sectors

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX -- The community came out in full force this past weekend for the grand opening of a new health care center for one of the fastest-growing parts of the city.

Central Health new clinic is located at the corner of East Oltorf and Montopolis. The new health center is called the Southeast Health and Wellness Center.

It’s the culmination of years of planning prompted by numerous requests from residents for its need, FOX News 7 reported. The $27 million, 73,888-square-foot facility is the dramatic embodiment of those community wishes, health center officials said.

“Whether you’re a child, whether you’re an adult, a woman with OB needs, or if you’re sick, you can find help here,” Isaac Pozos, senior practice administrator for Central Health, said.

The area surrounding the new health center has a high concentration of Medicaid recipients, further heightening the importance in bringing the facility to the neighborhood, Pozos said.

“The Southeast location is a growing area. It’s a high-need area as well.” Pozos said. “It is one of the highest Medicaid service populations in Travis County. For us to be here is key to them.”

The health center houses the full array of health care offerings: A medical clinic, pharmacy, radiology services, laboratory, educational garden, teaching kitchen with healthy cooking demonstrations, zumba classes, and dentist office.

That assortment of amenities will yield a level of convenience for patients who otherwise would have had to travel elsewhere for treatment, Pozos said.

“If you were a patient needing special services, you would need to travel to a different location in Travis County,” he said. “If you needed dental services you needed to travel to another location, if you just needed to pick up your medication you had to go to a different location. Imagine doing that on a bus, imagine the traffic in Austin.”

The health center has been long in the making, and its construction was split into two phases. The first phase began in October 2014, and the second phase was concluded earlier this month.

Given the area’s need, health center officials expect to receive more than 80,000 patient visits this year alone.

The center will be open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.