Harris County Public Health launches interactive chronic disease dashboard, highlights mortality disparities

An interactive Chronic Disease Dashboard launched by Harris County Public Health is now available to display county-level prevalence and mortality for major chronic illnesses, though the tool explicitly excludes the City of Houston. Harris County Public Health announced the public launch on March 3, 2026 and lists the Chronic Disease Dashboard as a resource on its site.

The Chronic Disease Team at HCPH has produced two annual reports, including a recent Chronic Disease Report that provides an overview of the current prevalence of leading chronic diseases in Harris County, addresses disparities in health, and calls for action. The team also handles data requests and develops reports intended to inform partners, stakeholders, policymakers, and the community and to guide policies and interventions. HCPH lists a contact phone for the department as (713) 439-6000.

Shortly after the dashboard launch, Harris County unveiled a related intervention: a Latino Chronic Disease Cohort pilot program designed to expand access to care for uninsured and underinsured Latino individuals. Houston Public Media reported the cohort on March 7, 2026, and identified the new pilot as part of ACCESS Harris County, which stands for Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self-Sufficiency. Commissioner Lesley Briones emphasized the need for outreach to Latinos in Harris County, saying, “Latinos, we are almost half of this county... and, it is staggering, but nearly half of our Latino community here in Harris County do not have health insurance,” and added, “We want to make sure that these uninsured and underinsured individuals have this access to the care that they need.”

ACCESS Harris County was funded in part with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars approved by Harris County Commissioners Court in 2021, which allocated $14.2 million to create ACCESS Harris County. Houston Public Media reports the ACCESS model originated in California and successfully placed 30% of its unhoused and housing insecure residents into homes, a claim the coverage attributes to that model. Barbie Robinson, executive director of Harris County Public Health, framed the cohort’s goals in social determinants terms: "That has an impact not just on the individual participating, but the entire family. You can see generational health outcomes based on the conditions you live in," and she added, "Based on whether or not you have access to the social determinants of health like education, economic opportunity, and housing."

Harris County’s Chronic Disease Prevention program is expanding programming and education across the county and lists specific activities such as offering clinical services; tobacco and vaping prevention and cessation education; nutrition and physical activity programming; diabetes prevention; and community incentives. The Office of County Administration notes HCPH collaborates with local schools, community centers, and community-based programs to schedule class-based curriculum and lectures on priority topics to reduce chronic disease risk behaviors.

HCPH presents the dashboard and the broader ACCESS-linked initiatives as combined data and service approaches intended to track mortality disparities and to inform targeted interventions across Harris County. For more information about Harris County Public Health services and resources, the department’s listed contact number is (713) 439-6000.