Austin Public Health has experienced
some federal and city budget cuts
this year and the failure of
Proposition Q means some of those
holds won't be filled.
A look at the public health
landscape in Austin.
And you know the old Fox Central
Library in downtown Austin?
It became the Austin History Center
and has been redone after a
renovation that was eight years in
the making. We'll hear about what's
new in a place showcasing
The Austin Signal is a production
of KUT News, hosted by
Jennifer Stayton.
Plus we'll hear from the Black
Austin Matters podcast and their
guest, Pastor Galen Clark
of Greater Mount Zion Baptist
Church.
All of that is coming up on Austin
Signal.
Stay with us.
Hello everyone and thanks for
joining us for Austin
Signal.
It's Monday, December 15th.
I'm Jennifer Stayton, very
happy to be with you.
Sitting in for Jerry Kehano who's
enjoying a bit of a holiday
breather, but don't worry, he'll be
back with you before the year is
out.
The holiday season is staring
a smack in the face and that means
hopefully some time off for you,
a little break and.
Maybe some gatherings with friends
and family, and that can mean an
increased risk of getting or
spreading illnesses like the flu or
COVID. And of course, that's not
even to mention allergies this time
of year in Central Texas.
So with all of this swirling, it
seemed like a good time for us to
check up on public health in Austin.
A lot has happened in that arena
this year.
And here to do that is KUT's health
reporter, Olivia Aldrich.
Hi, Olivia.
Hi, Jen.
Thanks so much for coming in.
So, Olivia, Austin voters rejected
proposition Q this fall,
which would have allowed the city of
Austin to raise property taxes
above the state mandated ceiling to,
in addition to some other things,
plug some holes in Austin's budget.
How did that defeat impact
Austin Public Health?
And its programs.
So if Prop Q had passed, there would
have been around $1.3
million more in Austin Public
Health's budget.
There was some rearrangement of
the budget to fill certain holes,
but in terms of stuff that we
saw just totally go, that includes
$800,000 for HIV
and STI testing and prevention,
some funding to help with
vaccination efforts, and then
other various one-time funding to
help, with grants that were lost or
at risk.
That HIV funding loss and how it
could affect vulnerable people is
something that local activists spoke
to this month on World AIDS Day
amid cuts at the federal level for
this as well. This is Paulette
Soltani of the group Vocal TX.
Cuts like this mean fewer tests,
means fewer outreach workers,
fewer case managers, more people
falling through the cracks.
So Olivia, you mentioned,
we're hearing about cuts at the
local level, but you also mentioned
cuts at federal level.
So all of this locally is happening
after federal cuts earlier
this year to some public health
initiatives. Remind us how
awesome public health was impacted
by those.
Yeah, you know, this funding they
missed out on with Prop Q, it's
not a huge amount compared to the
agency's total budget, but it's in
this broader context of a tough year
for local public health agencies.
APH lost millions of dollars in
federal grants this year, which
resulted in cutting more than two
dozen full-time staff members.
There could be more.
This is stuff like HIV funding.
There were a number of COVID-era
grants that were or were
not renewed.
So less funding for vaccination
programs, lost funding for
a refugee clinic that does a lot of
tuberculosis prevention and testing.
That one appears to still sort of be
in limbo right now because there's
litigation going on, but
also some funding used for disease
surveillance that was cut.
So detection of potential outbreaks.
So Olivia, sort of looking at
all the things that have been
impacted, you mentioned among other
things, vaccines, vaccinations,
refugee health clinics.
Are there any other ways to
fund or provide
those services that have been cut,
any way to keep those going?
Tricky because Austin Public Health
has traditionally relied a lot on
federal grants.
Around 50% of their staff are
supported by grant funding, which is
different from a lot of city
departments.
They did work to address some things
during this past budget season, and
throughout the year folks at APH
told me about, you know, taking
staff from one program that's
been cut and plugging them into
another to problem-solve
and also save some people's jobs.
So it depends.
But the fact is those federal
funding losses continue to be tough
to adjust to.
Austin Public Health gave a
statement to me after Prop
Q basically saying this one time
funding change that Prop Q would
have provided wouldn't have solved
the critical issue facing
the department, which is disruptions
in federal funding.
So Olivia.
Overall, if you sort of were to take
a step back, how would you say that
public health in Austin has been
impacted then by the cuts
you've been describing?
I think there's still so much
uncertainty and we're still sort
of waiting to see what the potential
impacts are going to be.
So for like, for instance, Austin
public health leaders have warned
that reduced funding for their
immunization unit could result
in fewer people getting vaccinated
for serious stuff like measles.
And that could mean more
hospitalizations and strain on the
healthcare system if we see an
outbreak here in central Texas.
So Olivia, I want to pivot just a
little bit in the minute or so we
have left. There's another public
health issue on a lot of people's
minds today.
It's the deadline for open
enrollment for health insurance in
the Obamacare marketplace.
Remind us what's happening with
today's enrollment deadline.
Yes, today is the last day to
enroll in an Affordable Care Act
plan via healthcare.gov.
If you want that coverage to begin
on January 1st, you can still
technically go in and enroll through
January 15th, but if you wait, you
might have a gap in your coverage.
And especially if you were enrolled
in one of those plans this year,
today's the day to go check the
portal to avoid being re-enrolled
automatically because your plan
may be more expensive this year.
There have been some significant
premium increases, so it's smart to
give that a check.
There's still some congressional
potential action on what those
subsidies may or may not be, kind of
waiting to hear what's happening
there. I know you're watching this
and a lot more.
KUT's health reporter, Olivia
Aldridge. Thanks, Olivia.
Thank you.
As the capital of Texas,
Austin's influence has helped shape
the world beyond its city limits.
The Austin History Center has been
the steward of the city story,
and after years of renovation work,
officially reopened last week.
For more, we're talking with
Executive Director for the Austin
History Centers Association,
Adam Powell.
Adam, thanks so much for talking
with us on Austin Signal.
Oh, thank you so much for having me.
So Adam, first of all, just briefly,
in case there are people who don't
know, tell us about the Austin
History Center.
What is it and what does it do?
I'm so glad you asked, you know,
so the Austin History Center
Association we're
the nonprofit that supports the
Austin history center meaning that
a lot of the work we do
is advocacy and for lack of
a better term, just cheerleading and
being spokespeople and helping
get the word out about the Austin
Histories Center.
And so the awesome history center is
truly our city's municipal archives.
It's part of the city of Austin,
it's part the public library system
and it is home to literally
millions of documents
and audio recordings,
video recordings, artifacts,
maps, architectural archives,
really, you name it.
It is the place
to find documentation about Austin's
history and what we're happy to
support.
So you're saying millions of
documents, I'm picturing like stacks
and stacks of boxes of documents.
Is that really what's in there?
What's in there?
You are picturing correctly.
And it's really relevant to this
occasion right now.
The newly renovated space
that the Austin History Center is in
is really a generational
improvement because there's so much
space that's needed.
And we know archives don't get
smaller. They only get bigger.
Well, and so you mentioned the
history center is part of the
awesome public library system.
Talk about the site of the
center, where it is and what's
special about that particular
building.
Oh, you've done your research.
Hey, when I was in high school here,
I got sent there a lot to do
research papers at what used to be
the central library.
So yeah, tell us about that
building.
That's what I love to hear.
That's why I love it here.
So really we're nowadays
referring to as a two building
campus.
And both of these buildings are
critically important to the history
of our city and really the history
the library system.
So the Austin History Center was
first established in the early 1980s
in what was Austin's first permanent
public library.
So if you've been downtown off
9th and Guad next to the Moon Tower,
next to Woldridge Square Park and
the old Travis County courthouse,
You've seen before this beautiful
building that was constructed in
1933 and it was Austin's
actual first permanent central
library.
It remained that way until 1979
when obviously nowadays
the John Henry Falk Library opened
but at the time it was just the new
Austin Central Library.
And that's actually what formed our
association because the mayor and
city council at the time were
considering the idea of tearing
down the original building.
And there was a small group of
Ausnites who came together and said,
hey, we're not okay with that.
We wanna preserve this building, the
history within it, and ultimately
establishes our city's archives,
which is what they did.
And 46 years later, our association
is still doing the same work
advocating for the history center.
So it sounds like that this
renovation work took about
eight years, cost about $14.5
million.
What was done to the facility?
Oh yeah, so the John Henry Falk
Library building,
the way I like to tell folks for
people like yourself who maybe grew
up going to the central library
there, it looks familiar,
but definitely modernized.
And thankfully the building itself
was set up really
well to house something like an
archive. It was very innovative for
its time and open floor plans.
Libraries have large stacks and
all sorts of things there
to hold the books.
Archives. It's the same situation
with the shelves and the stacks and
the units.
So when you go in, you'll see less
carpet, you
won't see it.
You'll feel updated HVAC
and heating and plumbing
and modern bathrooms.
But really, the sole and the core
of the building has been maintained
while making it a frankly
world-class facility for an archive.
And how was the renovation funded?
Primarily, almost entirely through
bond monies, mostly 14
and a half million from a 2018 bond.
So Adam, what can the Austin History
Center do and provide now
that it couldn't do and provide
prior to the renovation?
That is a really great question.
So first and foremost, what I tell
folks again, is archives don't get
smaller, right?
They just continue to expand.
And in the 1933
Austin Library Building
that the Austin History Center was
in, there just wasn't room.
I mean, you would go into the
basement or the second floor or
anywhere in that building, floor to
ceiling, boxes, archives,
artifacts, just having to be where
they could fit. And so.
It was at a point where there was
actually a moratorium on
collecting new collections into
the archives.
And that is a kind of existential
problem for preserving our city's
history. So first and foremost,
what it does is just ensure
that for the next really 50
years, the archives are in a
position to continue to grow, to
continue, to thrive and collect
everything they need to from the
community.
The other thing that it does, is it
increases the accessibility to
Austin's history, So the first
floor is now entirely
dedicated to exhibit space.
And that is so
different from the old Austin
History Center where they put
exhibits where they can, but the
staff was really limited.
And now the first-floor, if you
walk in today, you see a deep
dive on the archival process
with these wonderful artifacts from
Austin History.
And it's something that, as long as
the History Center's open, you can
come off the street and just check
it out.
So you've said archives don't get
smaller, they get bigger.
But I always think of things going
forward as everything's digital.
Like scans of photos, scans of
things. So how are archives getting
bigger if it seems like our
main storage vehicle these days
is digital?
See, this is a
common misconception about archives,
I would say.
So absolutely, yes, there's so much
digitization that happens, and then
maybe even more than that, what's
called digitally native documents.
So for example, the Austin History
Center maintains every board and
commission meeting in the city of
Austin, point blank, all
of them. And all of those
meetings nowadays, the videos
or the Zoom recordings or what have
you, they never exist as
physical documents.
So part of that...
Is then the data storage
needs and the infrastructure
around that needs to expand,
which does have its physical
implications.
The other thing is, as the
city's municipal archive, there are
document retention policies within
the city.
So there are so many physical
documents that are legally
required to be maintained in
physical form, maybe for three
years, five years, maybe forever.
So, you know, as a municipal
archive as the cities archive, Those
documents aren't going anywhere.
They gotta be at the History Center
and the the fantastic staff
of archivists and collections
managers are prepared
for that now to expand in the new
facility.
So, and I'm finally just sort of
stepping back from the renovation
and the physical space and all the
work that happened in the reopening.
Why is it important for a city
to have a history center?
It is, I would say,
one of the most essential,
critical services that
the city of Austin provides.
Because there are very,
very, very few things that
you can build towards that will
outlive you.
There are very very few things
that, you know, will be useful
in perpetuity.
And the work that the Austin History
Center staff does to preserve
the documents and artifacts
and video and audio
recordings that make up Austin's.
History, make up Austin's
story, is work that's going to
matter in 100 years, in
200 years, and 300 years long
after we're gone.
And so the new facility,
yes, the exhibits, yes the expanded
collections capacity, that's
all wonderful.
But the work is
something that will outlive every
single person listening to this
right now. And to me, that is
the the core of why our association
is proud to do the work that we're
doing.
We've been speaking with Adam
Powell, executive director of the
Austin History Center Association.
Adam, thanks so much for coming in
and talking with us on Austin Signal
today.
Thank you so much for having me.
And coming up, a special
excerpt from the KUT podcast,
Black Austin Matters.
We've got more Austin Signal right
after this.
Stay with us.
This is Austin Signal.
I'm Jennifer Stayton.
Lisa B. Thompson and Richard
J. Reddick host the KUT KUTX
Studios Black Austin matters
podcast that highlights the
black community and black culture
in central Texas.
In this excerpt, Lisa and Richard
talk with a lead pastor at
Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church,
Galen Clark.
We join them as Lisa B.
Thompson asks, why are there so
many denominations of
Christianity?
I'm trying to get you to help me
understand.
We need a diagram.
You help me to understand.
Go ahead, go ahead, help me.
I'm kidding. Sir, I have no, I,
but, yeah. The tables have been
turned.
Jokes, jokes.
First and foremost, most
denominations are attempts to
reach different cultures or
subcultures of
a
group of people.
That's all it really is.
A lot of times we make a bigger deal
out of denominations, in my opinion.
Than is warranted.
For instance, a good example,
you were just talking about
people who graduate
and having graduations
for various communities
at the University of Texas.
Well, why are those graduations
important? Why can't everybody just
go to the big graduation and be
satisfied with that?
Well, they do that because
there's something empowering
about
being able to celebrate the way
you celebrate in your
culture.
Okay, this is all the denominations
really are primarily.
Now there are some differences and I
can talk to you about that, but
primarily Episcopalians,
they tend to be more liturgical
than Baptists.
That's all. Yes.
I mean, Catholics
are definitely more
liturgical than Episcopalians
even, although one
is a more Protestant end of that
spectrum. That's right.
You know, and in Baptist churches,
we like to be loud.
A little bit. You know?
Presbyterians, they don't like all
that noise.
They don't all like all of that
noise, no.
Now, here's the deal,
here is the deal.
What is wrong with
somebody
not being as loud as other people.
Right. Tell me what's wrong with
that. I love that.
Absolutely nothing.
Let them be quiet.
Here's the problem.
The problem becomes is that
my humanness and pride tells
me.
The people who are not loud like me,
they don't really know Jesus the
way I do.
And then the people who who are
quiet and they're
more button up
doing service, they
feel like all that stuff that those
Baptists do down there, that's just
a bunch of foolishness.
Like it's anti-intellectual, you
know?
And the truth is,
God is not up there saying.
I really like the method is better.
Jesus doesn't care about all of
that.
He cares about followers.
You know, he came to do something
so much bigger than try
to figure out like
what specific
segment of Christianity you're
gonna be a part of.
In fact,
what's interesting is that
Jesus felt not only called
to his own people, but
he calls his people to go to.
Spaces where his own people
are not.
The only reason why Christianity has
survived is because
Jesus called
us to go to the
nations. And the nations, those are
not political, territorial,
governmental groups,
nations. No, that word
nations has to do with people
groups.
Cultures.
Spaces where like people
do
life in a certain way,
right?
And so they went to
varied cultures.
So God honors culture.
He honors difference.
He honors uniqueness.
And for us to,
you know, divide
His people
who are beloved by Him into
all these quadrants.
And being some,
not all, and I think we're much
better at this as a church,
as the Bixy Church,
at making sure that
we don't do that.
But it's disheartening.
But you know, the reality about all
of that is, is that
it actually, to me,
is kind of a beautiful thing.
Because, think about it.
God says your difference
is okay.
I don't want you to be, you don't
have to be like that
group.
You have to love that group, but you
don't have to, your uniqueness is
beautiful.
Unity is not uniformity and
this is a good thing.
You know, we used to sing this song,
you'll appreciate this because
you're a church baby.
Oh, no.
Red, yellow, black, and white.
They're all precious.
In his sight.
And they still are.
That was Lisa B.
Thompson and Richard J.
Reddick, hosts of Black Austin
Matters, talking with lead pastor
at Greater Mount Zion Baptist
Church, Galen Clark.
You can find out more about Black
Austin Matters at kut.org,
and we'll have a link to their
podcast in today's podcast,
Show Notes.
And thanks to KUT's Olivia Aldridge
and Miles Bloxson for their help
with today's episode.
Rayna Sevilla is our technical
director.
Kristin Cabrera is our managing
producer.
Thanks to her for herding the
cats. We've got more about the show
in our podcast, shownotes
at kut.org slash
signal.
Let us know what you think about the
shows. Send us an email to
austinsignal at k-u-t
dot org.
I'm Jennifer Stayton, happy to be
sitting in today for Jerry Quijano.
Austin Signal is back tomorrow.
And we'll be here all during the
holidays with some special shows
too.
Be sure to check those out and
have a great day.