TMO receiving the Garnett F. Coleman Health Equity Award from Harris Health

Weeks after securing a path forward for the expansion of Ben Taub Hospital, The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) was recognized by Harris Health with the Garnett F. Coleman Health Equity Award.
The award acknowledges the role TMO leaders played in addressing long-standing overcrowding at Ben Taub—work that spanned multiple years and required public education, accountability, and negotiation.

The award acknowledges the role TMO leaders played in addressing long-standing overcrowding at Ben Taub—work that spanned multiple years and required public education, accountability, and negotiation.

TMO leaders began by pushing for inclusion of the expansion in the Harris Health bond and organizing turnout to pass it. When progress stalled, they returned—attending every commissioner’s town hall, securing nearly 2,200 petition signatures, and meeting with key community leaders to ensure the project moved forward.

Accepting the award, Bishop John Ogletree made clear the motivation behind the work.

“Dr. Porsa, we thank you for this highly esteemed award,” he said. “When we got into this fight to support the bond and to make sure of Ben Taub’s expansion, we were not looking for any award—we were trying to do what was right.”

He grounded that commitment in a shared moral framework.

“We did it because we believe in Matthew 25,” Ogletree said. “Where the Lord Jesus said whatever you have not done for those who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, incarcerated, and the stranger—whatever you have not done for them, you have not done it for me.”

The recognition reflects what made the outcome possible: organized people acting over time—through relationships, attention to the marginalized, and collective action—to make access to care a priority in Harris County.

Harris Health Honors The Metropolitan Organization: A Powerful Win for Health Equity in Houston, Houston Style Magazine [pdf]

Bishop John Ogletree Receives the Garnett F. Coleman Health Equity Award from Harris Health on Behalf of TMO, TMO [video]