EHF’s most recent annual, statewide poll found that 28% of respondents do not have a primary care doctor or a provider they visit for regular check-ups, when they are sick, or when they need advice about their health.

As a foundational component for healthy communities, primary care deserves continued attention, support, and development to ensure access to all. Recognizing the massive impact of the pandemic both economically (fewer patient visits) and psychologically (provider burnout), in 2023 these funders sought a landscape assessment of safety net providers to understand the extent to which health centers had recovered from the pandemic and whether their services had changed. 

Accordingly, this report documents the state of the primary care safety net in the region in 2022. Unlike prior assessments, this study expands its view beyond Harris County, capturing a comprehensive snapshot of safety net health centers serving the un- and under-insured across a five-county region, including Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Galveston counties.