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The Harris Health Strategic Fund was formed in 2023 as an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to lead the private fundraising efforts for the implementation of the Harris Health System strategic plan.
Harris Health System was created by the State of Texas in 1966 to provide healthcare to the underserved residents of Harris County. Today, as the largest medical provider for Houston’s uninsured, Harris Health is stretched beyond capacity 365 days a year. While the system has only 6.6% of the inpatient beds in Harris County, in fiscal year 2020, it provided 16.3% and 21.4% of the area’s Medicaid and uninsured hospital admissions, respectively.
The system’s Ben Taub and Lyndon B. Johnson hospitals are constantly over capacity. The situation at LBJ is particularly acute because it has not been expanded since it was built more than 30 years ago; Harris County’s population has grown by almost 70% during that time.
To address this dire need, Harris Health leadership developed a 10-year strategic plan that will cost $2.9 billion. This plan will be funded through a $2.5 billion public bond approved by voters at the November 2023 election, supplemented by $300 million from Harris Health System efficiencies and savings, and $100 million in philanthropy raised by the Harris Health Strategic Fund.