February 19, 2025
AUSTIN — Robert Lilly had 20 years to think about his regrets while incarcerated, a life, perhaps, of forks in the road and poorly timed decisions. Lesser men would have let those past moments define their futures.
But Lilly decided differently.
When the 54-year-old Travis County resident was released from prison just a few years ago, he chose a road that led him through a door and to a doctor at the Black Men’s Health Clinic. Staring at the physician—a person that looked like him and cared about his issues—he finally lowered his guard and began to talk about his health.
Arriving at the BMHC for the first time without insurance, and as he soon discovered with pre-diabetes, Lilly learned about the Central Health Medical Access Program (MAP), a program designed for Travis County with low income and no access to health care. Just over 150,000 people benefited from the program in 2023 alone.
The Black Men’s Health Clinic staff walked Lilly through the eligibility process to get enrolled in MAP. They also provided him with a comprehensive health care roadmap toward future care.
“I realized my last incarceration was a result of some untreated issues with mental illness and substance use,” said Lilly, who goes by “Brother Rob.” “…Medical insurance for me this time has meant security. When something occurs, I’ve got a place I can go.”
The History Behind the Black Men’s Health Clinic
Founded by former Central Health executive Larry Wallace Sr., a United States Army veteran with nearly 40 years of experience in the health care industry, the Black Men’s Health Clinic was designed to address gaps in care for men of color and bring quality of life and trusted health information to patients across Travis County.
Wallace Sr.’s son, Hon. Larry Wallace Jr.—also a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Iraq War and the former mayor of Manor, Texas—is the clinic’s co-founder and senior director of operations.
“I believe the real true piece of what we do here in the Black Men’s Health Clinic is establishing trust and rapport,” Wallace Jr. said.
The Black Men’s Health Clinic, located at 6633 East Highway 290, Suite #100, coordinates access to primary care and services across the care continuum through its partnership with Central Health and CommUnityCare Health Centers—a federally qualified health center and part of the Central health system—including mental health screenings, blood pressure management, diabetes testing, group therapy, and more. The clinic is open to both men and women, and to all ethnicities.
The Primary Goal is Whole Person Care
Through this partnership, Central Health and CommUnityCare provide a full-time health worker on-site to walk patients through primary care options, referrals, and other services.
For Lilly, that meant immediate access to critical needs.
“When I came through the door here in the Black Men’s Health Clinic, I was made to feel very comfortable, to get support, and quickly was ushered into a physician and was able to get my blood work done,” he said.
That comfort level was also a primary factor in Lilly’s ability to open up about his health needs.
“Research consistently demonstrates a powerful truth: people are more likely to seek care, trust medical advice, and make lasting health changes when they see themselves reflected in their health care providers—doctors who understand their lived experiences and work directly in their communities,” said Central Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alan Schalscha. “By providing culturally responsive care, we are not simply treating patients—we’re dismantling generations of health inequities in Travis County.”
Lilly’s story only continued to inspire from there.
Motivated upon his release back into society, he found a job and was provided access to a health insurance program that fit his needs.
The Future of a Health Care Partnership
Today, Lilly is a criminal justice organizer who empowers Black men to understand topics like re-entry from systems of incarceration and recovery support. He also advocates for men of all colors to take ownership of their health journey because of the impact it can provide over a lifetime.
Central Health, the Travis County hospital district, echoes that sentiment, believing health care equity is a basic human right.
“What I’ve learned over the course of my multiple years of navigating society after incarceration is that community is therapeutic, relationships are healing and restorative,” Lilly said. “I don’t have to walk this life alone. This fantasy of me being a man by myself is a myth. We all need somebody, we all need relationships, and I’d rather have relationships that encourage and support and uplift, than relationships that do the exact opposite. The Black Men’s Health Clinic has been a place that’s done that for me.”
Working in partnership with Central Health and CommUnityCare, the Black Men’s Health Clinic today looks toward the future, with an emphasis on expanding programs across its service lines.
“Where we are today is not where we will be tomorrow,” Wallace Jr. said. “We’re already having conversations and have been having conversations with our care network … what we’re doing is really trying to become embedded within the system. How can we be a voice in a way of engagement and operation? What we’re doing is partnering in a way that’s never been done before.”
For more information on the Black Men’s Health Clinic or Central Health, visit the BlackMensHealthClinic.com or CentralHealth.net.
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