Legacy Opens Acres Homes Clinic to Expand Access to Care in a Historic Houston Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New 26,200-square-foot clinic brings coordinated, affordable care under one roof for Acres Homes families

HOUSTON (October 2, 2026) – Today, Acres Homes gains a new health care home with the opening of the Legacy Community Health Acres Homes Clinic. The 26,200-square-foot facility at 3011 W. Gulf Bank Road brings comprehensive, affordable and coordinated care to a community of more than 54,000 residents where nearly one in four is uninsured and chronic disease rates run well above the regional average. Legacy Community Health, Houston Methodist, elected officials and community leaders celebrated the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today. The clinic has been serving patients since a soft opening earlier this year.

The ceremony program included remarks from Robert Palussek, CEO of Legacy Community Health; Ryan Martin, board chair of Legacy Community Health; and Marc L. Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist, with an invocation delivered by Rev. Stacy L. Auld, DMin., BCC, vice president of Spiritual Care & Values Integration at Houston Methodist. John Whitmire, Mayor of Houston, presented a proclamation recognizing the opening of the Acres Homes clinic and its impact on the community. Elected officials in attendance included Christian Menefee, U.S. Congressman; Armando Walle, Texas State Representative, District 140; Molly Cook, Texas State Senator, District 15; Willie Davis, Houston City Council Member; Julian Ramirez, Houston City Council Member; and Tarsha Jackson, Houston City Council Member. Chamber of Commerce representatives and community leaders also attended.

“Acres Homes has spent generations building something worth investing in, and families here deserve care that reflects that,” said Robert Palussek, CEO of Legacy Community Health. “At Legacy, we show up in the communities where care gaps persist and we stay. This clinic is designed to be a health care home, where individuals and families can access coordinated care and support through every stage of life. It’s a place where a mother, her children and her parents can all be seen.”

The clinic was made possible through Houston Methodist’s partnership and its transformational gift of more than $50 million supporting new health facilities in Acres Homes and Pasadena. Together, Legacy Community Health and Houston Methodist are expanding access to high-quality care and reducing barriers for uninsured and underinsured patients across the Greater Houston area. The investment reflects a shared commitment to helping individuals and families build healthier futures through trusted, long-term connections to care. The Legacy Pasadena Southmore Clinic, the first of the two facilities, began serving patients in February 2026 with its official ribbon cutting held in April.

“Serving our communities is central to Houston Methodist’s mission, and that means investing where the need is greatest,” said Cathy Easter, senior vice president of community development at Houston Methodist. “The Acres Homes clinic is the result of years of thoughtful collaboration with Legacy Community Health to build something lasting for this neighborhood. By supporting Legacy’s growth here, we are expanding access to care and creating a resource families can rely on for decades to come.”

A Health Care Home for Every Stage of Life

Rather than adding another point of care, Legacy designed the Acres Homes clinic so individuals and families can access coordinated support across multiple needs and life stages in one location. The model is designed to make health care easier to navigate while building trusted, long-term connections to care. All services are offered with Legacy’s commitment to affordability, including acceptance of Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and most private insurance plans, and a sliding-scale fee structure to ensure no one is turned away due to inability to pay. Core services include:

• Adult and pediatric primary care
• OB/GYN services
• Behavioral health
• Pharmacy services (opening Spring 2027)
• Eligibility assistance and wraparound support services, including nutrition, public health, and patient education

In addition to primary and specialty care services, the clinic offers on-site Quest laboratory services. Free walk-in pregnancy testing is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the clinic is designed to make care easier to access and navigate for individuals and families throughout the community.

The clinic is expected to support 96 full-time positions, strengthening its role as a long-term employer and community anchor in Acres Homes. Beyond increasing access to services, the clinic represents a long-term investment in the health, stability and future of the community. As part of the largest FQHC in Texas and one of the largest in the nation, the clinic benefits from Legacy’s extensive infrastructure and multidisciplinary support.

Why Acres Homes

Acres Homes is one of Houston’s most historic neighborhoods, founded in the early 1900s as one of the largest unincorporated African American communities in the South, where families purchased land by the acre. Today it is home to more than 54,000 residents. Nearly 26% are uninsured, rates of high blood pressure approach 39% and diabetes affects nearly 19% of adults. Those realities underscore the importance of accessible primary care, preventive services and coordinated care close to home, helping individuals and families build healthier futures within their community.

By removing traditional barriers to care such as cost, transportation and insurance status, the new clinic will serve as a trusted health care home for the community. Coordinated services offered in one location will help make health care easier to navigate, reduce fragmented care and provide more seamless support across every life stage.

The 26,200-square-foot clinic was designed by Kirksey Architects and represents years of planning and partnership focused on expanding access to care in Acres Homes. The facility brings adult medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN services, behavioral health, future pharmacy services, eligibility assistance and wraparound support services together under one roof, creating a long-term community resource designed to make care easier to access and navigate.

To learn more or schedule an appointment at the new Legacy Community Health Acres Homes Clinic, visit legacycommunityhealth.org/acreshomes or call 832-548-5000.

Multimedia: High-resolution photos from the ribbon-cutting, facility images, b-roll and the building rendering are available on Google Drive.

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About Houston Methodist

Houston Methodist is one of the nation’s leading health systems and academic medical centers. The health system consists of nine hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the Texas Medical Center, seven community hospitals and one long-term acute care hospital throughout the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Houston Methodist also includes a research institute; a comprehensive residency program; international patient services; freestanding comprehensive care, emergency care and imaging centers; and outpatient facilities. Houston Methodist employs more than 35,000 people. In 2025, Houston Methodist had nearly 2.5 million outpatient visits and more than 151,000 admissions. Learn more: www.houstonmethodist.org.

About Legacy Community Health

Legacy Community Health is a full-service health care system comprised of more than 60 locations in the Texas Gulf Coast region offering primary and specialty care, as well as pharmacy services. For over 40 years, Legacy has been innovating the ways we provide comprehensive, quality health care services to individuals, families, and communities in need. 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. To learn more, visit www.legacycommunityhealth.org.

Photo Caption: L to R: Houston Methodist President and CEO Marc L. Boom, Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services President and CEO Cathy Easter, Legacy Community Health CEO Robert Palussek, Legacy Community Health Board Chair Ryan Martin, Legacy Community Health Chief External Affairs Officer Chree Boydstun

Media Contact:

Sandra Fernandez

Legacy Community Health

sfernandez2@legacycommunityhealth.org

713.568.5604