On a recent Friday evening, all 402 beds at Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital were occupied, and then some. For the staff of Harris Health — one of the state’s largest safety-net healthcare systems — running Ben Taub Hospital at capacity is business as usual. However, because the hospital is one of only two adult Level I trauma centers serving the entire Houston metro area’s nearly five million residents, space is always limited, which can considerably lengthen emergency center wait times and present logistical challenges.
Why the Harris
Health Ben Taub Hospital Expansion
Is Urgently Needed: Q&A with Harris Health CEO
By MONICA VANOVER on DECEMBER 17, 2025
SPONSORED BY Harris Health
Houston Chronicle: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, Dr. Porsa
Esmaeil Porsa: My pleasure.
Esmaeil Porsa, MD, is president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Harris Health, one of the largest community-focused, academic and safety-net healthcare systems in Texas. Harris Health is dedicated to improving the health of our communities by delivering high-quality care, person-centered care in collaboration with community and academic partners.
HC: Set the stage for us. What’s happening in Houston that necessitates a Ben Taub Hospital expansion?
Porsa: Our population has boomed over the last three decades since our two hospitals opened. More than two million new residents have moved into Harris County during that time. So, with the expansion of Ben Taub Hospital and the construction of a replacement hospital on the campus of (Harris Health) Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, we are working to add much needed patient bed capacity. We are also fulfilling a promise we made to voters to expand access when the residents of Harris County overwhelmingly supported our $2.5 billion bond election in November 2023, which included $410 million earmarked toward the expansion of Ben Taub Hospital. The expansion language was part of the bond proposition and I believe it is one of the reasons it was so overwhelmingly supported.
HC: Why is expanding Ben Taub Hospital important?
Porsa: Ben Taub Hospital has had a capacity issue for years. When it opened its doors in 1990, the hospital had quad-occupancy rooms, four patients to every patient room. About a decade or so ago, that number was brought down when the hospital converted to semiprivate (double-occupancy) rooms, for a lot of good reasons, including infection prevention and to stay current with the medical industry standard of care. So, while the capacity of Ben Taub Hospital has decreased, the population of Harris County has almost doubled, and that includes a very rapid rise in the number of uninsured and underinsured patients who rely on Harris Health.
You may know this already, but Harris County currently has the highest number and highest rate of uninsured residents in the country. So that is all coming together to create a challenging situation where Ben Taub Hospital is routinely operating at or above 100% capacity.
So why are we doing this? We are addressing an urgent, if not emergent, public health necessity for the residents of Harris County and Ben Taub Hospital.
Esmaeil Porsa, MD, president and CEO
Harris Health
HC: The site identified for expansion is land that is next to Ben Taub Hospital. Why not just build up on the current hospital site?
Porsa: We have studied the potential of building on top of the hospital and found that it is structurally unfeasible as Ben Taub Hospital was simply not constructed to support vertical expansion. If we could build vertically, which we can’t, it would involve major disruptions and hospital section closings for several years, further impacting capacity issues.
As for building on the same lot, there is not enough land available on the current footprint of Ben Taub Hospital to allow for expansion. The only option that we have for the expansion is the land that faces the entrance to the emergency center, just feet away from the hospital’s entry. This will allow the expansion facility to be physically connected to Ben Taub Hospital so that it can operate under the same Level I trauma designation and hospital license, eliminating the regulatory hurdle of additional licensure as well as the costly and unnecessary duplication of all the services and staff that currently exist at Ben Taub Hospital.
These 8.9 acres are part of Hermann Park, but are physically separated from the rest of the park and its attractions by Cambridge Street and S. Braeswood Boulevard. There are no significant attractions on it, and this is the only option available to us to expand Ben Taub Hospital.
HC: Was building a new Ben Taub Hospital somewhere else a possibility?
Porsa: No. We are currently building a new hospital on the LBJ Hospital campus. Building the new hospital, which has roughly the capacity of the current Ben Taub Hospital, will cost more than $2 billion. We simply do not have $2 billion more to build a new Ben Taub Hospital, and we won’t be able to ask voters for additional bond money for many more years, by which time the cost of building a new hospital will assuredly be significantly more.
HC: Others have wondered why you can't just build the 100 additional-bed-capacity somewhere else?
Porsa: Well, if you build 100 beds somewhere else, you're really not adding capacity to Ben Taub Hospital. The beauty of building an expansion facility next to hospital is that it will actually be connected to the main facility through a skybridge. It becomes part of the hospital and takes advantage of everything that Ben Taub Hospital has to offer in terms of diagnostic radiology, phlebotomy, lab, pathology, security and specialty services. It also maintains proximity to other academic and Texas Medical Center patient care institutions for training and research. It’s a win-win. Expanding on this land adjacent to the current location is truly the only viable, fiscally responsible and operationally feasible option.
HC: How does the expansion align with the overall mission of Harris Health?
Porsa: The mission of Harris Health, very simply, is to improve the health of our community, especially those who need us the most. As a safety-net healthcare system, we have a statutory mandate to take care of those who, without us, would have no access to care. The reason Ben Taub Hospital is overcapacity and frequently putting patient beds in hallways is that we never turn anyone away. When they show up at our doors, we take them in. That's our mission. So, expanding our ability to care for more people in need is fulfilling our mission. It’s also worth noting that expansion is what’s right for our staff. It’s not fair to our nurses and doctors to have to take care of patients in the hallways of the hospital. That should not happen.
HC: There is some concern that because Harris Health is acquiring the land using eminent domain, what’s to stop other hospitals from doing the same?
Porsa: We are a governmental entity, which allows us to use eminent domain to acquire land for a public necessity. The vast majority of other hospitals are not-for-profit or for-profit healthcare organizations that do not have access to this legal remedy. And it’s important to emphasize, the reason we are expanding in this way is not because we can, but because we must. There is not a more viable way to expand at this critical moment.
HC: What will be the effect on the rest of Hermann Park and the surrounding community?
Porsa: The expansion will not impact land used by Hermann Park for the golf course, the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theatre or other park attractions in any way. Your question about how this will impact the entire community is a really important one. The best-case scenario is that we take ownership of the land in about a year and begin design work of the expansion facility. It will take a few years to complete its design and construction of the expansion. We intend to enhance the site with the creation of a healing garden and walking paths. The land is going to become more beautiful, more usable, more amenable to recreation than it is today, and with better, safer and more convenient access to Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo, and the golf course.
HC: Will owners of the land be fairly compensated?
Porsa: Yes, if approved by Harris County Commissioners Court, Harris Health will purchase this land from the city of Houston at fair market value as determined through the eminent domain legal process. We are following what the law says, which is very clear in the order of the process, and in notifying every single person who has a reversionary or an ownership right to this land.
HC: We’ve talked about some concerns of the expansion. Is there support in favor of the expansion?
Porsa: Yes. There has been overwhelming community support. We now have letters of support from different organizations and individuals including the Texas Medical Center, Harris County Medical Society, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston Police Officers’ Union, The Metropolitan Organization of Houston and others. The common sentiment is that park land is precious and so is access to healthcare. We must respect the right of the public for access to green spaces as well as their right to timely, lifesaving care. The majority of people understand that while this is a difficult decision, it is the right thing to do for the health and well-being of our community.
HC: You mentioned Texas Medical Center. Why is this location critical for Ben Taub Hospital’s connection to the TMC?
Porsa: As the only public safety-net hospital in TMC, Ben Taub Hospital makes available to all Houstonians regardless of their access to health insurance all that TMC has to offer in terms of the ‘best in class’ education, training and research. Keeping Ben Taub Hospital in TMC is more than just a matter of pride or convenience, it is about creating a level playing field and equitable access to the best possible healthcare for everyone.
To learn more about Harris Health, the importance of Ben Taub Hospital’s expansion and future public meetings, visit harrishealth.org.
Jan. 5, 2026 (Monday) 6:45 p.m.
Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Precinct 2
BakerRipley Ripley House Campus
4410 Navigation Blvd., Houston, Texas 77011
Jan. 13, 2026 (Tuesday) 6:45 p.m.
Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones, Precinct 4
Tracy Gee Community Center
3599 Westcenter Dr., Houston, Texas 77042
Upcoming Town Hall Meetings on Use of Eminent Domain to Take a Portion of Hermann Park for Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital Expansion:
Solutions are on the way. Harris County voters in November 2023 overwhelmingly approved a $2.5 billion bond initiative, with $410 million earmarked for expansion of bed capacity at Ben Taub Hospital. How we got here, how that expansion plays out, and why now is the right time to expand are topics on the minds of Houstonians.
We sat down with Harris Health President and CEO Esmaeil Porsa, MD, for an in-depth conversation about this new expansion, the opportunities it presents and how it will affect the community going forward.
*This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
HC: In terms of this expansion, what’s the big takeaway for Houstonians?
Porsa: The two big takeaways are, number one, that Harris Health is doing this to fulfill our mission of taking care of those who need us the most, those who, without Harris Health, would not have a voice or access to lifesaving care. And number two, we’re doing this to fulfill our promise to the residents of Harris County, who voted in support of the $2.5 billion bond a couple of years ago. This expansion also sets the stage for ensuring continued access to timely, lifesaving care for all Houstonians for decades to come.
The bottom line is we are doing this out of necessity. We're facing a healthcare crisis that is only getting worse. As dire as the current situation is in this country, especially in Harris County, we fully anticipate it getting worse over the coming years when we anticipate having a much higher number of uninsured residents in Harris County.
HC: In terms of this expansion, what’s the big takeaway for Houstonians?
Porsa: The two big takeaways are, number one, that Harris Health is doing this to fulfill our mission of taking care of those who need us the most, those who, without Harris Health, would not have a voice or access to lifesaving care. And number two, we’re doing this to fulfill our promise to the residents of Harris County, who voted in support of the $2.5 billion bond a couple of years ago. This expansion also sets the stage for ensuring continued access to timely, lifesaving care for all Houstonians for decades to come.
The bottom line is we are doing this out of necessity. We're facing a healthcare crisis that is only getting worse. As dire as the current situation is in this country, especially in Harris County, we fully anticipate it getting worse over the coming years when we anticipate having a much higher number of uninsured residents in Harris County.