Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Transmittal
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
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Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
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Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Transmittal by Public Health Services of the 2026 Access to Care Report and Low-Cost Clinic Finder tool, developed in collaboration with the Houston Health Department.
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Background and Discussion:
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) and the Houston Health Department (HHD) are committed to improving access to care and deepening collaboration across both organizations. Over the past year, both teams worked together to develop the 2026 Access to Care Report and launch the new Low-Cost Clinic Finder tool.
As a requirement for reaccreditation with the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), and in direct support of the County’s Strategic Plan Initiative O1 the ATC Report provides a landscape analysis of healthcare access in Houston and Harris County, coupled with key recommendations informed by local partners to strengthen collaboration and drive collective action. Twenty-seven partners were involved in the development of this report and engaged by providing input on data collection methods, participating in key-informant interviews with providers, and attending in-person feedback sessions to prioritize and refine the actionable recommendations.
The data collected and analyzed through the ATC Report generated findings and recommendations related to three access domains - Affording Care, Finding Care, and Receiving Care. The findings highlight long-standing gaps and barriers that continue to shape challenges for community members across our region, including high out-of-pocket costs, persistent coverage gaps, provider shortages, and uneven distribution of services. Transportation challenges, limited digital access, and barriers rooted in health literacy, language, and cultural mistrust further impede access to necessary health services.
The report concludes with commitments between HCPH, HHD, Harris Health System (HHS), and the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD to provide near-term strategies and collective priorities related to expanding benefits enrollment, addressing affordability through coordinated policy efforts, and strengthening navigation systems and alternative service delivery models such as mobile health and school-based services.
The Low-Cost Clinic Finder is a complimentary tool to the ATC report. The tool is integrated into both HCPH and HHD’s websites to provide a simple and easy way for frontline public health staff and community members to find accessible and relevant healthcare.
Expected Impact:
The ATC Report not only demonstrates HCPH and HHD’s commitment to better collaboration of healthcare service delivery. It also serves as a centralized resource on local healthcare access data and provides a roadmap for strategic decision-making and shared action among public health, healthcare, behavioral health, and community-based organizations. While our departments have already invested in numerous ways to improve access, the report offers an opportunity to build on existing and upcoming work through stronger coordination across systems. HCPH expects to use the recommendations and commitments as inputs to our work supporting the Countywide Strategic Plan, and as part of our own internal strategic planning efforts.
The Low-Cost Clinic Finder was developed by gathering, validating, and standardizing similar health services across HCPH, HHD, HHS, and the Harris Center’s clinics. Additionally, the team conducted usability testing with staff (Community Health Workers, Case Workers, Resource Navigators, etc.) and community members to collect and implement feedback on how to improve the tool. This tool is a prime example of how this level of collaboration can result in a practical tool that can benefit multiple organizations to help community members find tailored and accessible care. The team is excited to continue strengthening this tool and actively planning future phases to onboard more clinics, such as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and exploring additional ways to optimize features and usability. We expect that through the management and promotion of this tool, that more community members in Harris County and City of Houston, especially those who are uninsured and underinsured, will be able to find relevant care near them.
Alternative Options:
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 4. Improve physical and mental health outcomes across all communities.
County Strategic Plan Objective: O: Increase access to quality health care, including preventive and behavioral health.
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Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): O1: Coordinate health organizations to improve access and care.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
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Anticipated Court Date: 8/6/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 8/6/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Leah Barton, Executive Director, Public Health Services; Brandon Maddox, Director of the Office of Planning and Innovation, Public Health Services
Attachments (if applicable): HCPH & HHD 2026 Access to Care Report