Williamson County Health, TX

July 23, 2021 -- Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) was one of six awardees to receive part of the $8 million multi-year initiative funding from the Episcopal Health Foundation to participate in the Texas Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (TACHI), and one of the organizations to receive a grant from the $24 million St. David’s Foundation funding to provide support for research efforts to determine the feasibility of the implementation of a Pathways HUB model in Williamson County.  

WCCHD will work closely with partnering agencies to create long-term, community-led, financially-sustainable strategies to improve health. Partnering agencies for TACHI include Georgetown Health Foundation, United Way of Williamson County, Lonestar Circle of Care, and Ascension Seton Williamson. 

"We are excited for the opportunity to plan for these important initiatives that complement one another, and are grateful for the support from the Episcopal Health and St. David’s Foundations to entrust us with making our vision a reality,” said Kelli McGuire, WCCHD Community Partnerships Manager. “By working closely with partner agencies that serve our community, our goal is to build sustainable initiatives to help address the real needs that we see every day." 

The funding will establish the County as an Accountable Community for Health – a community-based partnership formed by local organizations from different sectors to address underlying, non-medical community health needs like safe housing, food security, safe places to exercise, and the potential implementation of a Pathways Community HUB model. The model is a data driven community wide system that connects low-income residents to needed medical care and social services to improve health outcomes. 

Grant funding for TACHI will expand over a four-year period, the initial award of $210,000 was for 18 months of training and planning. The St. David’s Foundation award of $112,000 will be used for planning and to hire Health Management Associates for consultant services. 

Learn more about the Texas Accountable Communities for Health Initiative at: www.txachi.org, and the Pathways Community HUB model at: https://pchi-hub.com. 

For more information about WCCHD, visit www.wcchd.org or call 512-943-3600