Health Center Program - The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (the Harris Center) in collaboration with co-applicant, The Harris Center for Integrated Care, proposes to serve 21 medically underserved zip codes in Houston/Harris County, Texas through two comprehensive primary care clinics and a mobile clinic that address the most prevalent needs of low income uninsured/underinsured individuals highly predisposed to chronic health disparities including co-occurring health and behavioral health conditions. The Harris Center is the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority, which recognizes the need to serve this vulnerable population through a whole person approach, addressing at once their physical, behavioral, and social service needs. The target population experiences a shortened life expectancy because of untreated chronic health conditions, and when utilizing care often access the most expensive and least effective means of care. The service area, with a low-income population of 293,416, overlaps eight HRSA-designated medically underserved areas in northeast and southeast Houston. Notwithstanding the number of health centers serving the population, there is a high need for new access point services as the health center penetration rate is only 17 for the low-income, target population. Partnerships with other health centers have helped to increase access to the target population; however, there is a need to establish a holistic integrated care model that includes a bi-directional approach to address the mental and physical health disparities impacting the service area. The Harris Center has been providing primary care services at the two proposed, fixed primary care sites since November 2018 and recently launched mobile clinic operations that will be stationed at seven sites, addressing geographic/transportation barriers for vulnerable populations. In 2023, the Harris Center served 1,668 patients through these sites. As a provider of mental health and intellectually/developmentally disabled services since 1968, the Harris Center is in the best position to serve individuals who have been largely overlooked by providers in the current health care system including health center grantees: low-income, uninsured adults; and individuals with co-morbid conditions who often cycle in and out of emergency rooms, hospitals, and other high-cost means of care due to their lack of health coverage and inability to pay. With a proposal to enhance and expand access to comprehensive primary health care and related services through New Access Point funding for community health centers, the Harris Center will serve all lifecycles of the population with the greatest barriers to care: adult men and women, children, adolescents, and seniors of low or very low-income living within the service area. The Harris Center offers holistic care that addresses patients’ physical, emotional and social wellbeing: primary health screening, behavioral health services, health education and counseling, coordinated specialty care, chronic health condition education and management, pharmacy services, reproductive healthcare, women’s health, and enabling services such as: eligibility assistance, translation, and case management/connection with services to address social determinants of health. The mobile unit provides primary care through a Nurse Practitioner, health screening, evaluation of chronic diseases, injections/medication, and other preventive services. Through partnerships with other entities serving the community such as the Harris Health System, and neighboring health centers, the Harris Center will provide access to oral health, vision, specialty, and other required services not offered directly. At full capacity, during calendar year 2026, the Harris Center projects to serve a minimum of 4,400 unique patients through the New Access Point opportunity, including 2,514 primary care and 1,886 mental health.
