What role can Austin play to improve access to affordable healthcare?

Linda O’Neal

City Council, District 9

I am all for Dove Springs getting a health center.  I teach in that area and it’s time that we started to care about these students and their families.  However, I demand that the city has better oversight on where our money is going. For example, in 2012, taxpayers agreed to pay $32 million dollars to Central Health so that UT Dell could give medical services to those without insurance.  The money instead went to the Dean’s faculty salaries, admissions, and advertising. The money didn’t even go to the doctor’s salaries who were helping the poor. This is terribly dishonest. Austinites believe in affordable healthcare, we will agree to pay higher taxes to give to those who are in need, but when that money goes to the Dean and not it’s intended purpose, we should all be infuriated.  And we should demand better oversight.