About Us

Legacy Community Health is a full-service health care system comprised of over 50 locations in the Texas Gulf Coast region offering adult and senior primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, behavioral health, dental, HIV/AIDS care, vision, specialty care, and pharmacy services. For over 40 years, Legacy has been innovating the ways we provide comprehensive, quality health care services to underserved communities. As the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Texas and a United Way affiliated agency since 1990, Legacy ensures its services and programs are open to all, regardless of the ability to pay—without judgment or exception.

Legacy was formed in 2005 as a result of the merger of two leading Houston area community organizations—Montrose Clinic and The Assistance Fund—that had both been providing Houston and the Harris County area with quality health care and medication services for nearly 30 years.

Legacy’s strong reputation fueled significant growth in the mid to late 2000s. The City of Houston awarded Legacy the opportunity to open a satellite location at 5602 Lyons Avenue in 2006, in part because of our reputation for quality health care and fiscal prudence. Legacy now occupies the entire building, providing health care and social services to any and all Houstonians with a focus on individuals and families living in the greater Fifth Ward.

In 2010, Legacy acquired the CHRISTUS Health clinic in Southwest Houston, a location that now sees more patients than any other Legacy location. Later in the same year, Legacy opened a clinic in Neighborhood Center’s Baker-Ripley complex. Thanks to these locations, Legacy is able to offer adult primary care, OB/GYN and maternity, pediatrics, dental care, vaccinations and immunizations, and behavioral health services to residents in the Gulfton area.

2012 saw Legacy branch out once again, opening campuses in medically underserved areas in Baytown and Beaumont. On September 1, Legacy took over clinical operations of both a long-standing behavioral health practice in Baytown, and a well-established pediatric practice in Beaumont.

What are the features and benefits of an FQHC?

A federally Qualified Health Center addresses the unmet needs of those who find themselves lacking in certain health care services.Legacy works with a wide range of health insurance providers already, but as an FQHC we also offer a sliding fee scale. We provide wrap-around health services including preventative health, dental, behavioral health and substance abuse services.

More information about FQHCs can be found at FQHC.org.

Historical Timeline

1978 The Montrose Clinic was founded to provide screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) primarily for gay men.
1981 The Montrose Clinic was incorporated as a private non-profit 501(c)(3) community –based organization.
1982 As the AIDS crisis was emerging, The Montrose Clinic initiated PACE (Program for AIDS Counseling and Evaluation), marking the first effort of this kind in Houston.
1985 The Montrose Clinic became an HIV antibody testing site – the first community-based organization in the state and second in the nation.The staff and volunteers developed a comprehensive program to provide anonymous and confidential testing, including pre-test and post-test counseling, and referrals.
1986 The Montrose Clinic launched the Next Step Program to educate newly diagnosed HIV+ individuals and their families on living with the disease.
1988 The Assistance Fund was founded to provide financial assistance to HIV-positive persons for health insurance continuation.
1989 To attract clinical research on HIV/AIDS to Houston, The Montrose Clinic began the Houston Clinical Research Network (HCRN) in partnership with The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).
1989 Body Positive Wellness Center was founded to educate and support people living with AIDS.
1992 A $2 million capital campaign was launched to enable The Montrose Clinic to consolidate its programs into one modern facility.
1994 The Montrose Clinic moved into the new building at 215 Westheimer.
1994 Center for AIDS was founded to empower people living with HIV to make informed decisions about their healthcare by providing the latest research and treatment information and by advocating for accessible, affordable and effective treatment options.
1995 The Montrose Clinic opened the Monte Frost Eye Clinic in response to client-based needs for CMV retinitis screening and nonjudgmental eye care for people living with HIV/AIDS.
1996 The Montrose Clinic began the operations of women’s health services, including pelvic exams, PAP smears, breast exams, and referrals for mammograms.
1998 With the help of Ryan White Care Act funding, The Montrose Clinic began offering primary care medical services to indigent persons living with HIV.
1999 Thanks to matching grants from The Meadows Foundation and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, The Montrose Clinic developed and implemented a Hepatitis C Counseling and Testing program in response to the emerging Hepatitis C crisis.
2000 The Montrose Clinic and Body Positive Wellness Center joined forces in a merger to better utilize financial resources and enhance quality of care for people living with HIV/AIDS.
2002 The Montrose Clinic opened a second location to house the Frost Eye Clinic and Body Positive Wellness services.
2004 Montrose Clinic became a “Look-a-Like” Federally Qualified Healthcare Center.
2005 Following Hurricane Katrina that devastated nearby New Orleans, The Montrose Clinic set up emergency health care services for evacuees displaced to Houston.Montrose Clinic also becomes the temporary home for NOAIDS, the New Orleans HIV/AIDS Organization.
2005 The Montrose Clinic and The Assistance Fund merged to become Legacy Community Health Services.
2006 In partnership with Walgreens, Legacy opened a pharmacy inside its primary clinic location just southwest of downtown Houston in the Montrose neighborhood.
2006 Legacy opened a satellite clinic in Houston’s Fifth Ward neighborhood to provide health care services to the residents of the community and surrounding neighborhoods.
2006 Legacy Community Health Services was granted full status as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) offering primary care services to Houston’s uninsured and underinsured.
2006 Legacy engaged consultants to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of beginning a capital campaign to build a new clinic in the Montrose neighborhood.
2007 Legacy began the “quiet phase” of a $15 million capital campaign to build a new clinic facility.
2008 Hurricane Ike hit downtown Houston in September causing massive damage to downtown businesses and the medical center area and disrupting power and utilities city-wide. Legacy brought in a mobile clinic unit for patients to continue accessing basic care and medications.
2009 Legacy publicly announced a $15 million capital campaign for a new building that would consolidate three locations into one state-of-the-art facility.
2010 Legacy began operating a clinic in southwest Houston which, for the past 18 years, was run by CHRISTUS Medical Group.The clinic primarily served pregnant women and children.
2010 Legacy opened a clinic inside Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center in the Gulfton area of southwest Houston.Services included family practice/primary care, family planning, behavioral health, and the agency’s first dental clinic.
2011 The hours of operation of the Southwest Clinic are expanded to nights and weekends providing much needed urgent care services for the neighborhood.
2011 Legacy Montrose Clinic, a 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art clinic, opened in the heart of the Montrose community at 1415 California Street.
2012 The Center for AIDS, Houston’s only agency providing current treatment and educational information on HIV/AIDS in the area for patients and the medical community, merged with Legacy.
2012 A partnership with KIPP Academy, a charter school with 8 campuses around Harris County, is established.Legacy began serving students by providing behavioral health services and primary care.
2012 Legacy acquired a behavioral health clinic in Baytown.
2012 A third location in Southwest Houston at 6550 Mapleridge was established to provide adult and pediatric health care.
2012 Legacy was invited by CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital to open a clinic in Beaumont.In partnership with Ubi Caritas Clinic (a mission of the Episcopal Church), Legacy opened a FQHC in the South Park neighborhood.
2013 Methodist Hospital and Legacy established a partnership to manage Methodist’s Family Practice Residency and the primary care clinic associated with the program in Baytown.
2013 Legacy established a clinic in the Alief neighborhood of Houston.
2013 Legacy began HIV testing, screening, counseling and primary care in Beaumont.
2013 Legacy hosted Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius who was in Houston to discuss the Affordable Care Act with healthcare providers and city leaders. She also visited Legacy where she spoke about the ACA to community workers who are being trained to do outreach to the “young invincibles” – young people who don’t really feel they need insurance.
2013 Legacy began the “quiet phase” of a $15 million capital campaign to raise funds to construct 2 new clinic facilities – one in Southwest Houston in the Gulfton neighborhood and one in the historic Fifth Ward.
2014 Legacy opened a new diversion clinic, the Bridge to Care within CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth St. Mary hospital in Beaumont.
2015 Legacy acquired a practice on Houston’s eastside and opened Legacy Santa Clara.
2015 Legacy entered into a partnership with YES Prep schools and began serving students by providing behavioral health services and primary care.
2016 Legacy was a key member in the community response to the terrorist attack on a club in Orlando, Florida.Mayor Sylvester Turner called on Houston to lead at the difficult time and come together in support of the LGBTQ community and against division and violence anywhere. Houston Stands With Orlando (HSWO) was a step toward making the Mayor’s call to action a reality. Legacy signed onto HSWO as a nonpartisan statement in support of civic pride, unity, freedom, and inclusion.
2016 In May, Legacy lead an active community education effort on the Zika Virus. Zika Prevention Packs were distributed and made available for Legacy’s pregnant patients.Dr. Juan Franco and Dr. Ann Barnes provided patients and community with information about Zika.
2016 Legacy took the lead in the first ever city wide roadmap – and first in Texas – to Ending the HIV Epidemic in Houston, a plan that outlines five core areas to be addressed to achieve this goal.
2017 Legacy opens new 12,000 sq. ft. clinic in Fifth Ward on Lyons Avenue.
2017 Legacy opens state-of-the-art pharmacies in its Fifth Ward and Montrose clinic locations.
2017 In partnership with The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, Legacy opens a clinic storefront for primary care services – Legacy Southwest Sharpstown.
2017 Legacy acquired a private practice in the Sharpstown area and opens Legacy Sharpstown Rookin to Ob/Gyn and pediatric patients.
2017 Legacy opens its first Deer Park Clinic to adult and pediatric patients.
2018 Legacy broke ground on a new state-of-the-art clinic – Legacy Southwest Clinic
2018 Legacy pilots the ‘OB2Pedi’ program, an educational program for mothers, offering guidance for pregnancy through the child’s first years of life.
2018 Legacy receives Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
2019 Legacy’s Government Affairs department works in Austin during the 86th Legislative session to pass three bills in the Texas Legislature. These bills allow for Medicaid-funded transportation for patients of FQHCs; telehealth, telepharmacy, and telemedicine for FQHCs through Medicaid; and for HIV medications to be deemed a protected class by Medicaid.
2019 State-of-the-art 33,500 sqft Legacy Southwest opens to the public.
2020 At the onset of the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, Legacy clinics in Montrose, Fifth Ward, and Southwest become the first three testing sites in Houston, with Legacy Central Beaumont becoming the first in Beaumont.

Legacy Community Health receives Health and Human Services (HHS) funding and has Federal Public Health Service (FPHS) deemed status for certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims for itself and its covered individuals such as health care providers. This helps supports our work in improving the quality, efficiency and the effectiveness of healthcare delivery in the communities we serve.

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $7,650,968 with 90% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the Legacy Community Health Services and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.