History

Gateway to Care began as a program of Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) and was conceived as a collaboration of healthcare partners. In 2000, Gateway to Care was established by five major healthcare providers in search of strategies to address the serious imbalances to the healthcare system created by the Harris County region’s exceedingly high rate of uninsured.

For the first two years, Gateway to Care remained at HCPHES.  In 2002, given its focus on reducing emergency room ‘frequent flyer’ use, it became a department of the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD). After four supportive years with the Hospital District, it was decided that Gateway to Care could have more operational flexibility and better serve its target population and its mission of facilitating collaborations among diverse partners as a not-for-profit organization.  As a result, in 2006 Gateway to Care was incorporated as an independent non-profit organization. Today, Gateway to Care is a collaborative whose member and affiliate organizations have found power and success in working together.