Healthy Communities Framework gathers public information across five areas, covering prevention, housing, economy, environment, chronic diseases, and social conditions.
Published November 6, 2026.
Harris County Public Health launched on October 28, 2026 a Harris County health map designed to show differences in health and living conditions between neighborhoods in the county.
The tool, named Healthy Communities Framework, organizes public indicators through maps and visualizations. The health department aims to facilitate the study of inequalities and support decisions about community programs and services.
The resource is aimed at community organizations, researchers, public health professionals and residents interested in knowing the conditions of their area. The indicators cover both health outcomes and economic, environmental and social factors that can influence them.
The Harris County map organizes indicators into five areas
The Healthy Communities Framework gathers information in five categories:
- Population health and prevention: access to annual checkups, screening tests and vaccines, as well as maternal and infant health indicators and life expectancy.
- Housing and economic conditions: poverty, food insecurity, health insurance coverage, household income and housing stability.
- Neighborhood environment: air quality, ozone levels, proximity to parks and hazardous waste, walkability and transportation options other than driving.
- Chronic diseases and behavioral health: prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and frequent psychological distress.
- Social and community conditions: educational attainment and language proficiency.
These indicators allow studying characteristics of communities that are not reflected solely in disease figures. The availability of transportation, housing stability and access to preventive services are part of the conditions that public health authorities consider when assessing local needs.
Harris County seeks to guide health programs with local data
Harris County Public Health developed the platform to facilitate identifying inequalities and provide information to organizations planning services and community projects.
The indicators on preventive care, for example, can serve as a reference to study health needs in different zones. Data on transportation, parks and economic conditions also provide context to assess potential barriers to accessing resources.
The existence of an indicator does not mean the county has approved a specific intervention nor that a community will automatically receive new services.
The project is adapted from the World Health Organization’s Urban HEART model, developed to assess health inequalities in urban settings.
A committee with representatives from academic institutions, community organizations, health care systems and government agencies participated in the development of the Healthy Communities Framework.
Community indicators do not equate to medical diagnoses
The map’s information describes conditions of populations and geographic areas. A high rate of diabetes in a neighborhood, for instance, does not allow determining the health status of a specific person or family.
Nor does it show that an environmental or economic condition caused a disease. The relationships between risk factors and health outcomes require further studies to establish possible causes.
When interpreting the data, it is important to differentiate what each indicator measures, to which population it applies and what is its reference period. Differences between areas should be understood within those terms.
The Healthy Communities Framework does not function as a clinic finder
Harris County Public Health also has the Low-Cost Clinic Finder, a different tool that allows locating medical centers by address or ZIP code and to check the types of care they offer.
The Healthy Communities Framework is dedicated to the analysis of public health indicators. It does not replace the clinic directory nor provide information on appointment availability.
Related: Low-cost clinics in Houston: how to find care near you.
The Healthy Communities Framework is available online
Harris County Public Health incorporated the Healthy Communities Framework into its public health information tools.
The resource also appears in the Harris County Public Health’s reports and dashboards directory, along with other county studies and data platforms.
The department also announced video demonstrations to guide the use of the platform.
