December 3, 2021
The Northeast Hospital Authority was recognized at the Humble ISD school board meeting on November 9 for pledging nearly $4 million to open a clinic. The clinic will provide health care services free of charge to students, with parental consent, in the Humble High School (HHS) Complex.
“This will offer wonderful convenience for our families,” Humble ISD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Fagen said. “The Center is being built behind Humble High School’s main building next to our new cosmetology salon. The clinic will begin serving students who attend schools on the HHS complex, which includes Humble High School, Ross Sterling Middle School, Lakeland Elementary School, and Guy M. Sconzo Early College High School.”
Additionally, the clinic may serve a broader range of schools such as Northbelt Elementary and River Pines Elementary as capacity allows.
Memorial Hermann Health System has partnered with Humble ISD to open the school-based health center within the district. The clinic, set to open August 2022, will provide services to students year-round.
Since 2007, the Northeast Hospital Authority and Memorial Hermann have partnered in providing health care to the residents of Humble and the surrounding communities. In addition to the new health center, the Authority has recently provided millions of dollars to fund Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital’s NICU expansion, the relocation and enhancement of the campus’s Infusion Suite, and the renovation and expansion of the hospital’s Women’s Services that will be completed in 2022. The new school based health center is another example of a creative way to meet the needs of the community it serves and ensure that all students have access to health and wellness services. With the opening of the clinic next August, the partnership between Humble ISD and Memorial Hermann will allow students to thrive in the classroom as they are physically and mentally healthy.
“This is a huge extension of our mission,” Memorial Hermann Senior Vice President and CEO Justin Kendrick said. “Our mission is to really improve health and our vision is to create healthier communities now and for generations to come. We very much appreciate the partnership with Humble ISD and the generosity of the Northeast Hospital Authority for their continued investment and partnership with us. We couldn’t be more excited to create this health hub for so many individuals and children here within the school district.”
The school-based clinic will be run and operated by Memorial Hermann. Some services the clinic provides include wellness exams, preventative care, and mental health counseling. The clinic will also provide assistance applying for insurance programs and other social services. Memorial Hermann Health Centers for Schools program collaborates with community partners and schools to assist families with needed health services.
Between 1924 and 1977, the Humble area was without a medical center within 10 miles. The closest medical center during this time was St. Joseph’s Hospital, which was 14 miles away. The need for a hospital in the northeast Harris County area became increasingly apparent. During the early 1970s, plans for Northeast Hospital were being developed by the Northeast Medical Center Authority. The authority consists of 11 board members appointed by the Humble City Council. On October 7, 1977, Northeast Hospital opened in Humble. Today, the Northeast Hospital Authority continues to serve our community by providing funding for the expansion of health care services including the Memorial Hermann school-based clinic in Humble.
“I’d like to say thank you to the school district for what you do in our community and for housing this clinic,” Northeast Hospital Authority President Roy Hearnsberger Roy Hearnsberger said. “I certainly thank Memorial Hermann for helping us further our goal to expand health care facilities in our community. They have been a fantastic partner to our community.”
One of the core foundations of the community is strong support for students. “Humble ISD welcomes the expansion of its long-standing partnership with Memorial Hermann through the addition of the new school-based health center,” Dr. Fagen said. “Memorial Hermann has previously provided physicals and sports medicine to Humble ISD student athletes and expertise to Humble ISD administrators on COVID-19 precautions. Our organizations share a commitment to helping children grow to lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives, and the new center will provide opportunities in Humble ISD for families to receive health care like never before.”
