Our Mission
The Montrose Center empowers our community—primarily lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and their families—to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Our Vision
We envision a healthier society marked by permanent, positive changes in attitudes and behaviors toward the LGBTQ communities, and the ability of all LGBTQ individuals to realize their fullest potential.
Our People & Programs
Our team of state-licensed clinicians, masters-level therapists, skilled educators, support staff and dedicated volunteers work together to create healthier futures for our community.
Because LGBTQ persons face numerous health disparities compared to the general population, the Center has embraced an integrated care model with one-stop access to behavioral health and support services, adult primary care and psychiatry, and free wellness programs that empower individuals to proactively participate in their own care.
As the cultural hub of Houston’s LGBTQ community, the Center is “home” to dozens of LGBTQ-affirming social and civic organizations, and offers affordable rental space for meetings and events.
Client Privacy Notice
This notice describes how mental health and medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
I. Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations
the Center may use or disclose your protected health information (PHI), for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes with your consent. To help clarify these terms, here are some definitions:
- PHI refers to information in your health record that could identify you.
- Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations
- Treatment is when we provide, coordinate or manage your mental health care and other services related to your care.
- Payment is when we obtain reimbursement for your healthcare or other service, such as insurance company billing.
- Health Care Operations are activities that relate to the performance and operation of the agency, such as audits and performance improvement.
II. Uses and Disclosures Requiring Authorization
the Center may use or disclose PHI for purposes outside of treatment, payment, and health care operations only when your specific, written authorization is obtained. You may revoke any such authorization at any time, provided each revocation is in writing. You may not revoke an
authorization to the extent that (1) we have relied on that authorization; or (2) if the authorization was obtained as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage, and the law provides the insurer the right to contest the claim under the policy.
III. Uses and Disclosures with Neither Consent nor Authorization
the Center may use or disclose PHI without your consent or authorization in the following
circumstances:
- Child Abuse: If we have cause to believe that a child has been, or may be, abused, neglected, or sexually abused, we must make a report of such within 48 hours to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the Texas Youth Commission, or to any local or state law enforcement agency.
- Elder and Disabled Abuse: If we have cause to believe that an elderly or disabled person is in a state of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, the Center staff member must immediately report such to the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. If such person is in a facility operated, licensed, certified or registered by a state agency, the Center staff member shall report the suspected abuse, neglect of exploitation to the state agency that operates, licenses, certifies or registers the facility for investigation.
- Health Oversight: If authorized or required by law, we may release PHI to an oversight agency if necessary for audits, investigations and licensure.
- Judicial or Administrative Proceedings: If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information about your diagnosis and treatment and the records thereof, we will not release information, without written authorization from you or your personal or legally appointed representative, or a court order.
- Serious Threat to Health or Safety: If we determine that there is a probability of imminent physical injury by you to yourself or others, or there is a probability of immediate mental or emotional injury to you, we may disclose relevant confidential mental health information to medical or law enforcement personnel.
IV. Patient’s Rights and the Center’s Duties
Client’s Rights:
- Right to Request Restrictions –You have the right to request in writing restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of protected health information about you. In general, we are not required to agree to your request. We will agree to restrict disclosure to funding sources and insurance carriers if you are paying out of pocket the full cost of your services.
- Right to Receive Confidential Communications by Alternative Means and at Alternative Locations – You have the right to request and receive confidential communications of PHI by alternative means and at alternative locations. For example, you may request that we only contact you at work or by mail.
- Right to Inspect and Copy – You have the right to inspect and/ or obtain a copy of PHI in the Center mental health and billing records used to make decisions about you for as long as the PHI is maintained in the record. To obtain this information you must submit your request in writing to the Operations & Prevention Director of the Center. We may charge you for costs of copying, mailing or other costs incidental to complying with your request.
- Right to Amend – If you feel that information that we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request an amendment of PHI for as long as the PHI is maintained in the record. We may deny your request.
- Right to an Accounting – You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of PHI for disclosures of information about you other than for treatment, payment and heath care operations.
the Center’s Duties
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI and to provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI.
- We reserve the right to change the privacy policies and practices described in this notice. We will post a current notice on the bulletin board off the downstairs lobby. The last date revised will be shown in the lower left corner.
- If we revise our policies and procedures, we will post a revised copy on the bulletin board in the downstairs hallway at 401 Branard, 2nd Floor; Houston, Texas and a personal copy may be obtained by telephone request to 713.529.0037, ext. 0.
V. Questions and Complaints
If you have questions about this notice, disagree with a decision made about access to your records, or have other concerns about your privacy rights, you may contact the Operations & Prevention Director at 713.529.0037, ext.320. If you believe that your privacy rights have been
violated and wish to file a complaint with the Center, you may send your written complaint to the Operations & Prevention Director; 401 Branard, 2nd Floor; Houston, TX 77006. You may also send a written complaint to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Center can provide you with the appropriate address upon request. You have
specific rights under the Privacy Rule. The Center will not retaliate against or penalize you for exercising your right to file a complaint.
VI. Effective Date
This notice will go into effect on April 14, 2003.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Whereas, the mission of the Montrose Center (the “Center”) is to empower its community—primarily lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and their families—to live healthier, more fulfilling lives; and
Whereas to fulfill its mission, the Center must serve all individuals within its community; and
Whereas, the Board of Directors of the Montrose Center (the “Board”) recognizes that the disproportionate murders of Black lives have resulted in a reckoning within the United States and around the world with respect to racial injustice; and
Whereas, the Board condemns the murders of Trans lives, particularly Trans people of color; and
Whereas, the Board condemns all acts of brutality against people of color; and
Whereas, the Board condemns racism in all of its forms, including systems of power that disadvantage people of color; and
Whereas, the Board recognizes the lives of racial, sexual, and gender minorities matter; and
Whereas, the Board supports the Center’s commitment to social justice through policies and practices that further diversity, equity, and inclusion in its programs and services; and
Whereas, for the Center to fulfill its mission, the Board recognizes that it must act to ensure that its members bring to the governance of the Center voices that are diverse and inclusive, reflecting the individuals that the Center serves;
Now, therefore, be it RESOLVED as follows:
- The Board recommits itself fully to the critical work of the diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within the Board and within the Center.
- The Board will recruit, elect, and onboard members in such a way as to ensure that the racial composition of the Board reflects the racial composition of the community served by the Center.
- The President of the Board will establish and does hereby establish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force (“DEI Task Force”) charged with evaluating the Board’s progress toward its goals with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensuring the accountability of the Board with respect to such goals.
- The DEI Task Force’s work shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a. Ensuring that the strategic goals for the Center established by the Board and include goals with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and
b. Developing plans for partnering with stakeholders, including communities of color, to determine ways in which the Board may ensure that the strategic direction of the Center advances racial equity. - While diversity, equity, and inclusion are long-term goals, the Board commits to act with urgency, prioritizing its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and undertaking specific actions that are meant to lead to measurable change.
Adopted this the 17th day of December 2020.
A version of the statement signed by our Board President and Secretary can be found here.