BY SARAH BRAGER & TOMER RONEN Health & wellness Health & Wellness Edition 2026
Readers, welcome to your annual CI Health & Wellness Edition! This annual guide features the latest updates and resources on health and wellness in your community. All of the stories were written by our team of local journalists. In this year’s edition, learn more about park projects underway in the Sugar Land and Missouri City area. Additionally, see how the area ranks in a new University of Houston study about mental health deserts. Our cover story looks at the growth of pickleball in the Fort Bend County area with several businesses and city-owned courts added this year and beyond. See how the sport can help residents stay healthy while meeting a new community of friends. Finally, meet Christian Guzman—the owner of the 18.5-acre Alphaland compound and accompying AlphaEats cafe. Learn more about his tness journey and what makes his business stand out.
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UH study nds mental health deserts Distressed Communities Index The Distressed Communities Index (DCI) uses Census data including housing vacancy, poverty
The big picture
Of the 96 ZIP codes mapped, 43% were considered “distressed”—averaging only 1.9 licensed mental health professionals, with 39 having none at all, per the report.
Despite nearly half of Greater Houston zip codes showing a lack of mental health providers, a University of Houston “mental health deserts” study found Missouri City and Sugar Land’s mental health needs mostly met. Published Oct. 15 in Frontiers of Public Health, the study showed residents in low- income and minority neighborhoods have struggled to access mental health resources. Locally, the Sugar Land area ranks consistently “prosperous”—with only ZIP code 77498 considered “comfortable”—on the distressed communities index. Meanwhile, Missouri City has three ZIP codes in the “prosperous” or “comfortable” range, while ZIP code 77071—which consists of Fondren Park and the east side of Brays Oaks—is considered “distressed.” Additionally, Sta ord ZIP code 77477 sits at “mid-tier” distress, according to the map.
rate, median income ratio, among others to explore disparities in economic well being. Prosperous Comfortable Mid-tier Distressed
Greater Houston on the Distressed Communities Index The DCI rates zip codes on economic factors including educational attainment, poverty level and housing vacancy rates.
Breakdown of 96 analyzed zip codes Distressed: 42 At risk: 19 Mid tier: 18 Comfortable: 10 Prosperous: 7
77071
77498
77477
19.79%
77478
90
77489
43.75%
18.75%
77479
59
77459
6
10.41%
7.29%
N N
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COMMUNITY IMPACT
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