Olivette Clark Brown lost nearly everything when Hurricane Katrina forced her family to leave New Orleans in 2005. But the emotional toll followed her to Houston.
“I had been everyone’s backbone,” she says. “But now my bone, I noticed, was broken.”
Olivette found help at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, where she received counseling, psychiatric care, medication, and support from a caseworker. But something was missing: primary medical care in the same place.
Now, that care and more health-related services are available under one roof.
At The Harris Center for Integrated Care, where Olivette receives care, primary medical services are available alongside mental health treatment, bringing more comprehensive care under one roof.
In a new video from The Harris Center Foundation, Olivette explains how the center provides physical health assessments, treatment, and referrals alongside mental health services. Its expansion into federally qualified health center (FQHC) services means patients can get more of the care they need in one location.
It’s exactly the kind of change Episcopal Health Foundation supports through its work to strengthen comprehensive care. EHF provided $700,000 and strategic partnership to support The Harris Center’s integrated care efforts.
The need is clear. In a survey of more than 7,500 people served by The Harris Center, more than half reported difficulty meeting basic needs. More than one-third experienced food insecurity and had not seen a primary care doctor.
By bringing mental and physical health services together under one roof while helping patients address non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH), The Harris Center is working to remove barriers that can make getting and staying healthy especially difficult for people experiencing mental health challenges.
For Olivette, the impact goes beyond receiving treatment. She’s now a board member of The Harris Center for Integrated Care, helping others find the support she once needed.
“You can lead a productive life,” she says. “I’m a testament to that.”