CITY & COUNTY
News from Harris County & Jersey Village
Harris County Commissioners Court will meet at 10 a.m. July 18 at 1001 Preston St., Ste. 934, Houston. 713-274-1111. www.harriscountytx.gov Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 will meet at 6 p.m. July 28 at 10710 Telge Road, Houston. 281-550-6663. www.cyfairfd.org Jersey Village City Council will meet at 6 p.m. July 17 at 16327 Lakeview Drive, Jersey Village. 713-466-2100. www.jerseyvillagetx.com MEETINGS WE COVER NUMBER TO KNOW City Council approved the hiring of a consultant to study its state required capital improvement plans. City Council approved a budget amendment in a June 12 meeting that funded a $149,000 contract with Quiddity Engineering LLC to conduct a study of capital improvement plans, completed city projects and impact fees collected during the first six months of fiscal year 2022-23. $149,000 Jersey Village
Harris Health pitches $2.5B bond for new hospital, service boosts
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
INVESTING IN HARRIS COUNTY’S HEALTH A total of $2.9 billion worth of projects have been proposed for the Harris Health System, $2.5 billion of which may be covered by an upcoming bond. HHS officials noted the $400 million not covered by the bond would be raised either through internal operational savings, cost savings or philanthropy. Proposed projects include:
Officials with the Harris Health System pitched a $2.5 billion bond proposal to Harris County commissioners at a June 6 meeting. The background: HHS owns and operates Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and Ben Taub Hospital; it also operates 17 community-based clinics, a dental center, a chronic dialysis center and three outpatient specialty clinics countywide. The big picture: HHS President and CEO Dr. Esmaeil Porsa said under the proposed bond, a new 390-bed LBJ Hospital would open with the capacity to expand to 450 beds. The need: Porsa said HHS’s existing hospitals don’t have any capacity to expand, making the new LBJ Hospital critical as demand for health care services continues to rise. The system has been “chronically underfunded,” Porsa said, and the hospitals are
$1.6 billion toward the creation of the new LBJ Hospital $500 million toward improvements at existing community clinics and the opening of three new community clinics in underserved parts of the county $400 million toward improvements at the existing LBJ Hospital $400 million toward improvements at Ben Taub Hospital
SOURCE: HARRIS HEALTH SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT
would also invest $500 million in community clinics, including opening clinics in east, northwest and southwest Harris County. Next steps: HHS officials said if the commissioners court approve the bond to be placed on the ballot in August, Harris County voters will get a chance to either support or reject the referendum in November.
nearing their end of useful life if improvements aren’t made.
The details: If passed, work on the new LBJ Hospital would begin first, located adjacent to the existing one. It would open in 2028. After that, work would begin on refurbishing the existing LBJ Hospital to provide other services, such as inpatient psychiatric care. During this timeframe, HHS
For nearly sixty years we’ve provided essential care for the place we call home. Saving lives in the middle of the night at a nationally renowned trauma center. Delivering at-risk babies against all odds, from all across the county.
You might not know our name. And that’s okay.
YOU’LL KNOW US BY THE WORK WE DO.
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CY-FAIR EDITION • JULY 2023
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