{"id":208179,"date":"2026-09-25T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T13:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.centralhealth.net\/?p=208179"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:28:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T20:28:02","slug":"walking-toward-a-new-canvas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/walking-toward-a-new-canvas\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking Toward a New Canvas"},"content":{"rendered":"

How connected care helped a Travis County painter get back on his feet and back to his art<\/h2>\n
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When Michael \u201cIndio\u201d Markie arrived for his physical medicine and rehabilitation appointment at Central Health\u2019s Clinical Education Center in August, the plan was for the 53-year-old Travis County resident to take a few steps with his prosthetic legs.<\/p>\n

The appointment went normal at first. <\/p>\n

But then, it took a dramatic turn. <\/p>\n

At some point\u2014maybe it was the tenth step, or it could have been the twentieth\u2014Dr. Neha Shah began to wonder if Markie was going to walk out of the building. <\/p>\n

With both hands on his walker, Markie hit his stride and kept going. He was halfway down the hall before he called it quits. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the farthest I\u2019ve ever seen him walk,\u201d said Dr. Shah, who leads the physical medicine and rehabilitation specialty service at Central Health. \u201cI mean, that was truly amazing.\u201d <\/p>\n

In hindsight, it was easy to see what drove him. <\/p>\n

Understanding Health Care<\/h3>\n

Markie\u2019s life changed when his health drastically deteriorated in 2025\u2014the result of being out on the street for over a decade. A serious bone infection led to amputations of both of his legs, parts of his jaw, the loss of his teeth, and two of his fingers. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Indio<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As a street painter, Markie relied on his index and middle fingers to hold a brush. <\/p>\n

Losing them was akin to losing his soul. <\/p>\n

Eventually, though, while he realized his life would be different, he still found fulfillment in the things he loved. Central Health helped him gain access to health care through MAP (the Central Health Medical Access Program), a coverage plan for Travis County residents with low income. <\/p>\n

And MAP coverage allowed Markie to finally take his health seriously. <\/p>\n

First, the Central Health transitions of care team enrolled him in a skilled nursing facility, which afforded him physical and occupational therapy and primary care access. Then came a referral to Central Health\u2019s palliative care program, which led to appointments with a behavioral health therapist and a psychiatrist. Another referral established him with physical medicine and rehabilitation. <\/p>\n

Next, a physician referred him to Hanger Clinic, an in-network provider of orthotic and prosthetic care. There, Markie was able to secure two prosthetics for his legs and an adaptive brace for his right hand. The clinic also supported his rehabilitation efforts\u2014from standing to walking. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part,\u201d said Christopher Martin, Markie\u2019s advanced practice provider with Central Health\u2019s transitions of care team, \u201che has stayed really positive and doesn\u2019t really let things get in his way. He just adapts.\u201d <\/p>\n

Specialists at Hanger Clinic adjusted Markie\u2019s hand brace so that he could tighten a paintbrush through a small circular hole. A year after his amputations, it allowed him to paint freely again. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was nervous,\u201d Markie said. \u201cIt was like seeing somebody you hadn\u2019t seen in a long time. Thankfully, I just picked up right back where I left off.\u201d <\/p>\n

Systemwide Care<\/h3>\n

Alejandrina de Bary, Central Health\u2019s community health worker lead on the post-acute team, spearheaded Markie\u2019s navigation into the Central Health system, from his initial hospital discharge in February 2025 to his referral with the transitions of care team and his admission to Heritage Park, a rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility. <\/p>\n

\u201cI worked closely with him at Heritage Park and our care team to monitor his progress and coordinate services\u2014to make sure there were no barriers to his care, and also to support his discharge planning,\u201d de Bary said. <\/p>\n

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\n \"Indio\n <\/div>\n
\n \"Indio\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Care Connected<\/h3>\n

Central Health\u2019s behavioral health care team stepped in to give Markie time and space to heal in his own way. <\/p>\n

April Collmer, an advanced palliative hospice social worker who specializes in mental health counseling and emotional support, provided human feedback that made him feel whole. <\/p>\n

\u201cI worked to help him find insight and clarity into his values and what\u2019s most important to him and what brings him meaning in life,\u201d Collmer said. <\/p>\n

On The Road To Recovery<\/h3>\n

At some point, Markie\u2019s appointments at physical medicine and rehabilitation became measuring sticks for his progress. <\/p>\n

Early on, Markie asked Dr. Shah a lot of questions. Could she explain his diagnosis? Could she give him a timeline for recovery? What would it take to walk with prosthetic limbs? <\/p>\n

Dr. Shah followed by helping him understand his conditions before building out a robust care navigation plan and level-setting his expectations. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs he progressed through the program,\u201d she said, \u201che was really engaged in his care and motivated to continue to work on getting better.\u201d <\/p>\n

In one of his appointments, Markie brought a bag full of his canvases, small and large. Each painting showcased a complex view of his life, often in vivid colors. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in awe of his talent and how much he could do with a passive prosthetic,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Looking to the Future<\/h3>\n

In July 2026, thanks to de Bary\u2019s work, Markie was successfully enrolled in Medicaid. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s since been approved for permanent supportive housing through the Austin Housing Authority, which will see him exit nursing care at Heritage Park. He\u2019s also been approved for disability income. <\/p>\n

In the meantime, Markie continues to focus on rehabilitation and build strength with his prosthetics. He\u2019s hopeful for a day when he can open his own studio. <\/p>\n

Maybe that day is not so far away. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I met Indio, he was scared, he was angry, he was grieving,\u201d Dr. Shah said. \u201cThat\u2019s very normal after losing a part of your body. But over time, he became calmer, more collected, and very hopeful. That\u2019s one of the best outcomes you can have for a patient.\u201d <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How connected care helped a Travis County painter get back on his feet and back to his art When Michael \u201cIndio\u201d Markie arrived for his physical medicine and rehabilitation appointment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":208180,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208179"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208196,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208179\/revisions\/208196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/54.164.224.163\/ne\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208179"}],"curies":[{"name":"\u0921\u092c\u094d\u0932\u094d\u092f\u0942\u092a\u0940","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}