The Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, exists solely for the service of mankind. Its mission is to help its member institutions achieve the individual and collective goals of meeting the highest possible standards of patient and preventive care, research, education and local, national and international community well-being.

In little more than 50 years, the Texas Medical Center has grown to include 43 member institutions, all of which are not-for-profit and dedicated to providing the highest quality of health and medical care, educating future generations of health workers, and/or conducting scientific research for future medical technology. The institutions in the Texas Medical Center serve everyone -- in fact, substantial amounts of indigent care are provided to the community through these institutions. Texas Medical Center institutions have led the world in nearly all areas of research, which is translated directly to patient care -- so they are the best places to go for early and proper diagnosis and treatment of any kind of health problem, no matter how simple or complex.

The Texas Medical Center encourages the growth and development of its member institutions by buying or receiving gifts of land, which it then makes available to them for $1 per year. Most of the Texas Medical Center's member institutions are located on the 675-acre main campus near the heart of Houston, but there are facilities located throughout Houston and in other Texas cities, as well. When viewed as a single entity, the Texas Medical Center is the largest employer in Houston, (61,030) and is the largest medical center in the world (5.1 million patient visits each year).

Since many of the member institutions are competitors, albeit friendly, the Texas Medical Center corporation acts as the tie that binds, leading strategic planning programs and serving as a forum for joint planning and cooperation among the member institutions. This is accomplished through a variety of councils including Policy, Parking and Mobility, Research Executives, Nurse Executives, Volunteer Services, and a group of advisory councils such as Public Relations, Government Relations, International Affairs, Student Affairs, Security, Safety, Information Executives, Planning and Construction, and other ad hoc groups convened as necessary.

The Texas Medical Center corporation manages the campus property, which is truly a private city within a city. The property comprises 100 permanent buildings, with 22 million square feet of built space, 20 miles of private streets, private utilities and security, and a large parking operation - and there is both a Parking Management Area and a Signage District of the City of Houston. With the help of generous philanthropic support, there are miles of landscaped roadways and walkways, and seven parks in the Texas Medical Center. The corporation also manages the campus-wide Visitors' Assistance Center, the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center, Favrot Tower Apartments, and publishes a biweekly newspaper, Texas Medical Center News, for all employees and visitors.

On behalf of its member institutions, the Texas Medical Center corporation coordinates center-wide efforts with many entities, such as METRO (Houston's public transportation), the City of Houston, Harris County, and state and federal governments as needed. The corporation also works with Harris County's Flood Control and Subsidence districts, to provide emergency services, especially during times of hurricanes and flooding.