Fort Bend County Releases New Health Data Highlighting Gaps in Mental Health, Prenatal Care, and Basic Needs
Fort Bend County residents now have access to an expanded set of local health data that paints a more detailed picture of the community’s needs—from mental health care gaps to struggles with housing and food security.
On August 6, 2025, Fort Bend County Health & Human Services (FBCHHS) announced the release of these findings, developed in partnership with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The data supplements the County’s existing Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), providing new insights for residents, nonprofits, healthcare providers, school districts, and other partners.
The expanded dataset comes from a local assessment conducted between November 2024 and January 2025, with responses from a representative sample of 3,440 Fort Bend County residents. Nearly 85,000 invitations were sent to randomly selected households as part of the Greater Houston Community Panel, a long-term effort to track health trends across the region.
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Key findings include:
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Mental health access remains limited. Nearly half of respondents needed mental health services in the past year, but only 49% were always able to get care. Hispanic and Black residents reported more frequent “not good” mental health days than other groups.
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Prenatal care shortages pose risks. Thirty percent of residents needed prenatal care in the past year, but just 46% always accessed it—while 36% said they never could.
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Cost and insurance barriers persist. Forty-one percent cited cost as the top obstacle to care, followed by lack of insurance (31%) and difficulty getting appointments (27%).
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Chronic conditions are common. More than half of respondents reported at least one chronic health condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
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Housing and food insecurity are significant. One in six residents fell behind on housing payments, and more than a quarter reported low or very low food security.
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FBCHHS Health Director and Local Health Authority Dr. Letosha Gale-Lowe said the academic health department model has been instrumental in deepening the county’s understanding of these issues. “Our academic health department model allows us to go beyond traditional public health boundaries,” she explained. “Through our partnership with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, we are able to collect and interpret data at a depth that informs real-time decision-making and sustainable interventions”.
The department hopes community organizations will use the findings to shape programs, guide grant applications, and support collaborative solutions. Residents and stakeholders can review the data at fbctx.gov/cha.
This report reflects not just numbers, but lived realities—highlighting where Fort Bend County is succeeding, where gaps remain, and how a united community effort could bridge them. FBCHHS encourages everyone—from municipal leaders to faith-based groups—to use the data as a tool for improving health outcomes countywide.
Stay tuned with My Neighborhood News for ongoing updates as these findings translate into action plans and new initiatives in Fort Bend County.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
