Public Health

How researching with mothers — not just about them — can produce better solutions

Houston faces significant maternal health challenges, but the best solutions often come from the people dealing with them every day.

Paths [Senderos]

This project aims to adapt the existing Paths [Senderos] program to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities cope with grief.

Paths to Wellness

The Path to Wellness initiative is focused on improving maternal health outcomes in the Greater Houston area.

Cuts to SNAP would impact hundreds of thousands of Houston households

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s most significant anti-hunger program, could soon see a $230 billion funding reduction if current federal priorities move forward. This move could impact millions of Texans, including hundreds of thousands of Houston-area families.

2024 Storm Impacts in Houston and Harris County: A Descriptive Overview

This brief provides an overview of the cumulative impact extreme weather had on Houston and Harris County residents from late April to early July.

Harris County contends with shortage of mental health workers despite landmark state investment

One of the barriers to accessing mental health care in Harris County and across Texas is a workforce shortage in the field.

How Houston's only public recovery high school is creating new paths for student success

Of all youth in Harris County, high schoolers had the highest rate of substance-involved health care facility visits and deaths from 2018-22, according to a new report.

‘We have to move faster’: Grappling with Harris County’s maternal health crisis

Maternal death rates in Harris County, particularly among Black and Hispanic women, have been among the highest in the country since 2016, according to a report released earlier this year by Harris County Public Health.

Mental Health and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Residents in the Houston Area

This series of briefs provides a demographic snapshot of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in the Houston area and looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted their mental health and well-being. The series also explores mental health care service use and barriers to utilization.

Population Health

This initiative informs interventions and policy recommendations that ultimately result in sustained improvements in health outcomes for all Houstonians.

From battling pandemics to serving the uninsured, why Houston’s health care leadership is more important than ever before

Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, helped lead Houston through the COVID-19 pandemic by prioritizing the public’s accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine, and he was the first hospital system CEO to introduce an employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Harris County appears to be losing more trees than it is planting. New datasets explore which neighborhoods lost the most.

New datasets on the Kinder Institute’s Urban Data Platform (UDP) make it possible to understand how tree canopy coverage has changed in the past decade across the Houston region. In short: We appear to be losing trees faster than we are planting them.

Research shows benefits of guaranteed income as launch of Harris County pilot program nears

With applications for the new local guaranteed income program Uplift Harris now closed, the pilot is preparing to launch.

National climate report features Kinder Institute research on Harris County disasters

A new comprehensive federal report documenting the effects of climate change across the country includes Kinder Institute research to bring attention to Harris County’s vulnerabilities.

Urban farmers seeking healthier communities in Houston’s East End and beyond

Finca Tres Robles, an urban farm in Houston’s East End established by the Small Places organization in 2014, is in a state of transition. It initially combined agriculture, community engagement and sustainability. As it moves into its second iteration, it will continue that work with hopes of expanding its reach.