Harris County, TX — Commissioner Adrian Garcia and Precinct 2 received the prestigious American City & County 2020 Crown Communities Award. Garcia and Precinct 2 were chosen for their entry, which described the purchase, installation, and deployment of two SmartPod mobile health care units designed by Baylor. Precinct 2’s SmartPods are known as ACCESS2HEALTH.
Crown Communities Awards are based on uniqueness, short- and long-term value to the community and effective/innovative financing. The announcement cites ACCESS2HEALTH for its “Innovative COVID-19 Emergency Response.” Though the two ACCESS2HEALTH units were purchased prior to the pandemic, once installed, their availability for remote COVID-19 testing was of immediate value that continues today. Once COVID-19 is no longer the most pressing health issue of the times, ACCESS2HEALTH can be converted to provide clinical and behavioral health services, ultimately providing patients with a medical home.
“With all the debate over our state and nation’s health care future, we decided to take matters into our own hands, bringing services directly to the Precinct 2 Community. Harris County is home to the finest medical center in the nation. But, many residents of Precinct 2 cannot access services from The Texas Medical Center,” said Commissioner Adrian Garcia. “My goal was to bring all the resources of the Texas Medical Center directly into our neighborhoods. That’s what makes these SmartPod ACCESS2HEALTH units so great. We can provide free access to health care services to people in places where they are needed most. It fills my heart with pride that Precinct 2 innovates in ways that help traditionally underserved communities, and I am grateful for this prestigious award.”
More information about why Precinct 2 and ACCESS2HEALTH was chosen as an award winner can be viewed at AmericanCityandCounty.com.