Investing
In A Healthier
HArris County

Overall, Harris Health patients are sicker than most of the patients at other hospitals. Many without insurance cannot afford preventive care or management of chronic diseases. As a result, their conditions worsen over time. They often end up in the Harris Health emergency centers (ECs) in a more advanced state of disease or injury compared to patients with insurance.

People also seek primary care in Harris Health’s ECs, because they cannot afford to pay out of pocket or do not have access to low-cost or free primary care clinics. Private hospitals stabilize uninsured patients in their ECs and then refer them to Harris Health for further treatment. As a result, high acuity patients are treated alongside those who are seeking primary care in overcrowded emergency centers – the most expensive place to receive healthcare.

Harris Health has adopted a $3.2B facilities plan that will expand access to primary and specialty care by building a new hospital, renovating the existing LBJ and Ben Taub hospitals, and creating new community clinics. This investment addresses immediate needs while also planning for future population growth.