Precinct 4 and UH Launch Public Mental-Health Provider Dashboard to Guide Investments

An interlocal agreement recorded as File #26-1116 and passed by Commissioners Court on Feb. 12, 2026, authorizes the University of Houston to partner with Harris County Precinct 4 to build an interactive public dashboard mapping mental-health providers across Houston’s 96 ZIP codes. UH researchers’ analysis, using a Psychology Today registry that listed 395 licensed mental health professionals, found 39 of those ZIP codes lack mental health care providers.

The partnership names UH lead author Damien Kelly and senior author Chakema Carmack and ties the project directly to Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones’ office for more detailed neighborhood mapping. “What this does is create a roadmap for politicians, leaders, and community stakeholders,” Kelly said. Kelly also highlighted solutions under consideration: “Something as simple as working with other universities to get mental health care in these areas, or creating mobile health clinics that specialize in mental health, can make an enormous difference. By creating these maps, we're able to look at other parts of the United States, as well, to see where there's lack and need.”

Researchers combined federal census data with the Psychology Today registry and housed the work at the UH HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention. Carmack framed the study as an initial diagnostic effort: "The overarching idea of that is that where you live should not have dependency on whether you’re able to get mental health care, that those two things should not be dependent," she said. Carmack added, “If you build it, they will come. But we need to build that mental health care into the system, and that can only be done through policy changes.”

Houston Public Media described the mapped gaps as “mental health deserts,” citing neighborhoods identified in the UH analysis including Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens and Sunnyside — areas the report notes are predominantly Black communities. The Harris County Psychiatric Center and The Harris Center provide context for demand in the county: The Harris Center serves more than 30,000 outpatients annually, HCPC provides hospitalization for more than 9,000 patients annually, and Harris County Probate Courts #3 and #4 hear more than 5,000 court-ordered mental health cases a year.

The Legistar record shows the ILA file was created Feb. 2, 2026, placed on the Commissioners Court agenda Feb. 12, 2026, and lists an attachment named "Agreement - UH Mental Health Mapping - signed.pdf." UH materials note a follow-up report with findings and policy recommendations is expected in Spring 2026. The UH page lists the study as published Oct. 15 in Frontiers of Public Health, while Houston Public Media described it as published “last month” in Frontiers in Public Health, a detail county and university officials say they will clarify as they continue digging into the data and working with local officials on targeted policy interventions.

County staff and Precinct 4 leaders say the dashboard is intended to guide where investments and mobile services are most needed; the signed ILA and the Spring 2026 follow-up report will define timelines, data access and the specific role county staff will play in directing those investments.