Bell County Judge and Commissioners’ Court created the Indigent Health Services Department to better serve the County and the community in areas of health care services for very low income residents.

The department’s primary responsibilities are to administer the County Indigent Health Care Program, to manage health claims processing for Bell County jail inmates, and to assist the County in various other health related issues such as Pauper Burial, Tobacco Reimbursement, etc. County Indigent Health Care, Pauper Burial, and Jail Inmate Health responsibilities are tied to state statute and/or legislative mandates. Tobacco Reimbursement allows the county to recoup some of the funds it has spent on unreimbursed health related services to county residents.

Local Interactions Locally, the department interacts closely with the Greater Killeen Free Clinic (GKFC), the Temple Community Free Clinic, the Central Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CTCADA), the Heart of Central Texas Independent Living Center (HOCTILC), the Bell County Health District, and with various other organizations within the county that address related health issues. The department also seeks to keep local elected officials, business and health care leaders informed of statewide health care safety net issues that may have an impact on the local communities. Statewide Involvement The Health Services Department coordinates with and is actively involved not only with local health care providers and other organizations, but with statewide stakeholders in order to best address local county resident issues. The director of the department serves as the immediate past chair of the Texas Indigent Health Care Association (TIHCA) and has been actively involved in statewide committees and work groups addressing health care issues that impact counties.