Harris County Hospital District Media Procedures

The Harris County Hospital District's communications office is dedicated to cooperating with the media and its partner institutions to promote the dissemination of important health and medical information to the public.   

In order to ensure that all media opportunities are handled in an appropriate, prompt, and efficient manner that complies with HIPAA and other laws, the hospital district is implementing the following procedures:

1.  A representative of Harris County Hospital District must be present whenever a member of the media is at an HCHD facility, even if the hospital district staff did not initiate the interview.

2.  Media representatives and other personnel from partner institutions must secure approval from HCHD communications staff before arranging a media interview in an HCHD facility, including clinics, hospitals, school-based clinics, and any other property operated or controlled by the hospital district.

3.  In compliance with the HIPAA privacy law, patients who agree to be interviewed or filmed must complete a hospital district media release prior to the interview. If the form is not completed by the time of the interview, the interview cannot take place.

4.  We request that news segments or interviews involving HCHD personnel that take place on HCHD property identify the personnel or the property correctly and completely.  For instance:

“Dr. Smith, a Baylor surgeon practicing at Ben Taub General Hospital …” or

“Hospitals, such as LBJ General Hospital, are experiencing an overflow of non-emergent patients in their emergency centers …”

5.  Media crews, reporters, videographers and photographers who enter any hospital district property without clearance or escort from a member of the HCHD communications staff will be detained by security until the communications office can be contacted. This is to ensure the confidentiality of our patients.

6.  The Harris County Hospital District reserves the right to deny media entrance to its facilities if the above requirements are not met, or if media presence will be disruptive to the patient care environment or other normal operating procedures.

7.  These procedures also apply to all patient interactions filmed, photographed, or otherwise recorded for educational purposes.

The Harris County Hospital District communications staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To reach the on-call representative after regular business hours, please page them at 713-566-6430 or 1-800-254-3489.