HOUSTON (Oct. 22, 2026) — Harris Health hosted a wall-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on a new health center in the Greater Alief area. The facility is part of Harris Health’s $2.5 billion bond program approved by voters in 2023 to expand healthcare access and services through neighborhood-based locations.
“This will be the first of three new clinics that Harris Health is building in Harris County as part of the bond proposal,” says Esmaeil Porsa, MD, president and CEO, Harris Health. “It’s done in partnership with (Harris County) Commissioner (Lesley) Briones, who, hopefully everybody by now knows is one of the greatest champions for access to healthcare, indigent healthcare and public health, and quality healthcare across Harris County.”Harris Health Greater Alief Health Center is the first of three new outpatient facilities planned across Harris County. The new centers, along with extensive renovations and upgrades to existing Harris Health ambulatory locations, are part of the system’s comprehensive $3.2 billion strategic facilities plan.
The 15,000-square-foot center will offer primary care, including family medicine, psychiatric and behavioral health, clinical pharmacy, and physical therapy services. Located within an existing complex, the facility will provide ample parking and convenient access from major roadways and public transportation.
“Here in Harris County, where we have the world’s largest medical center, the fact that Texas has two times the national rate of uninsured is unacceptable,” Briones says. “Harris Health, each day, is filling in the gap to make sure that all Harris County residents can have the healthcare that they deserve.”Speaking at the event, Briones lauded Harris Health for stepping in to care for residents.
“We have Harris Health on the front lines, already doing tremendous work, winning national awards for that quality care they provide at Lyndon B. Johnson and Ben Taub hospitals, and at community clinics across Harris County,” she adds.
Jennifer Small, AuD, senior vice president and CEO, Ambulatory Care Services, Harris Health, used the opportunity to applaud the collaboration with Commissioner Briones and thanked the public for its continued trust in Harris Health.
“We’ll be able to partner with other community leaders in this area to make sure that we provide the value we know our clinical care will be able to provide Alief,” Small explains. “And so, to each of you, we say thank you for your support. Thank you for the trust that you have placed in us, and we look forward to the grand opening that will come in a couple of years.”Design work is expected to be completed in December, followed by the start of construction in August 2027. The $8 million project is scheduled for completion in September 2028, with the center opening to the public soon afterward. As part of the opening, physical therapy services will relocate from Harris Health Sareen Day Clinic to the new center.
Also participating in the event were Andrea Caracostis, MD, chair, Harris Health Board of Trustees; Patrick Casey, senior vice president, Facility Construction and Engineering, Harris Health; and Kelsie Reed, senior operations manager, Greater Alief Health Center.
Located in far southwest Houston, Alief is home to about 130,000 residents. The area is considered a medically underserved community that includes a number of people who are uninsured or underinsured.
About Us
Established in 1966, Harris Health is the public healthcare safety-net provider serving the residents of Harris County, Texas. As an essential healthcare system, Harris Health champions better health for the entire community, with a focus on low-income uninsured and underinsured patients, through acute and primary care, wellness, disease management, population health and correctional healthcare services. Harris Health is a recognized leader for its trauma, cardiology, stroke, neonatology and community healthcare services, among others.
Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital (Level I Trauma Center) and Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital (Level III Trauma Center) anchor Harris Health’s robust network of clinics, health centers, specialty locations and virtual (telemedicine) technology. Harris Health is among an elite list of health systems in the U.S. achieving Magnet® nursing excellence designation for its hospitals. Harris Health became the first accredited healthcare institution in Harris County designated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a Patient-Centered Medical Home and one of the largest healthcare systems in the country to achieve the prestigious high-quality standard. The ‘Medical Home’ designation applies to its numerous health centers, same-day clinics, multi-specialty facilities, dedicated dental center, homeless shelter clinics and multiple mobile health units.
Ben Taub Hospital is a Level I trauma center, one of only two adult Level I trauma hospitals in Houston, and is a recognized comprehensive stroke center. Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital is a Level III trauma center and a distinguished regional center for neonatal intensive care for high-risk births.
Harris Health is proud of its strong partnership with nationally recognized physician faculty, residents and researchers from Baylor College of Medicine; McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Harris Health plays a vital role in helping train the next generation of healthcare professionals using evidence-based research and the latest medical procedures and technological breakthroughs.
With its fully integrated electronic medical records system, Harris Health offers patients the convenience and assurance that their medical information and history is accurate, safe and available when and where they need it. Harris Health’s ‘Medical Home’ designation assures patients and their families will receive the best preventive, disease management, specialty and acute care services available.
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