Community members, elected officials and health care leaders gathered in Pasadena to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Legacy Community Health’s new Southmore Clinic, a major expansion aimed at increasing access to affordable health care in one of the region’s fastest-growing communities.
Located at 1951 Southmore Ave., the new two-story, 37,000-square-foot facility will provide integrated care services under one roof, including adult and pediatric primary care, OB-GYN services, behavioral health care, X-ray imaging and wraparound support services. Dental and pharmacy services are also expected to open later in 2026.
Legacy Community Health CEO Robert Palussek said the clinic represents the organization’s mission to address longstanding health care gaps in underserved communities.
“We’re here for the grand opening ribbon cutting of our new Pasadena Southmore Clinic,” Palussek said during the event. “With this work together, we’re going to hopefully transform the health of this community.”
Pasadena faces significant health care challenges, with nearly one in three residents uninsured. According to Legacy officials, uninsured rates among children in the area are more than double the national average.
“Unfortunately, we also have some challenges here in Pasadena,” Palussek said. “One out of three residents does not have health care insurance. And if you look at the child statistics, they are twice as bad compared to national averages.”
The clinic was made possible through a partnership with Houston Methodist, which contributed a transformational investment of more than $50 million supporting new health care facilities in Pasadena and Acres Homes.
“At Houston Methodist, serving our communities is at the heart of what we do,” said Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist. “The Legacy Pasadena Southmore Clinic represents years of thoughtful collaboration to better meet the needs of families in Pasadena and the surrounding area.”
Boom also emphasized the importance of expanding access to quality care for underserved residents.
“We exist to meet a care need for underserved clients,” Boom said. “That’s why we’re here, to provide care and fill those gaps and give access — and not only access to people who are underserved and need health care — but quality care, quality access.”
The facility was designed by Kirksey Architects and built by Harvey Cleary Builders. Officials said the clinic is expected to handle approximately 80,000 appointments annually and will continue growing as additional services come online. More than 50 staff members are currently employed at the clinic, with plans to expand to more than 80 employees in the future.
The clinic will also serve as a training site for Houston Methodist’s Family Medicine Residency Program.
“We’re very excited that our training program, our family medicine training program at Houston Methodist, has moved here as well,” Boom said. “So not only are we helping people, but we are also helping train the physicians of tomorrow.”
Dr. Rachel Scott, one of the OB-GYN physicians serving the new clinic, said the facility is designed to provide comprehensive care for the entire family in one convenient location.
“Pasadena is an amazing community and it’s a very diverse community, very fast growing,” Scott said. “Right now, Legacy is focusing on health beyond care, meaning providing care for the whole person, for the whole family, regardless of their ability to pay.”
Legacy officials stressed that affordability remains central to the organization’s mission. The clinic accepts Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and most private insurance plans, while also offering a sliding-scale fee structure for uninsured patients.
“At Legacy, we believe healthcare is a right and not a privilege,” Palussek said. “We treat everybody equally, regardless their ability to pay. High quality healthcare services should not be driven by the insurance card that you have in your wallet.”
Legacy Community Health is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Texas, operating more than 60 locations throughout the Gulf Coast region. For more than four decades, the organization has focused on expanding access to comprehensive health care services for underserved communities.
Officials also highlighted excitement surrounding another upcoming Legacy facility planned for Houston’s Acres Homes neighborhood.
“We are so excited for the upcoming Acres Homes facility,” Palussek said.
For more information about Legacy Community Health and services offered at the Pasadena Southmore Clinic, visit Legacy Community Health’s website.