January 23, 2026
Hey Dr. K Winter is Depressing- How Can I Get Help?
Spring, TX January 22, 2026: The holidays are over and no matter how joyful or stressful they were, chances are, January has you feeling down in the dumps. But don’t worry, Harris County ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare Medical Director Dr. Jay Kovar says you are not alone.
“We see an increased number of emergency mental health calls in the late winter months. The cause can be a combination of post-holiday let down, shorter days of sunshine and financial stress, there is even a name for it, Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. But it’s important to know emergency resources are available free of charge thanks to the HART Team,” says Dr. Kovar.
“In this month’s Hey Dr. K we introduce you to the Holistic Assistance Response Team. (HART) is a Harris County program created to dispatch 911 directly and other calls to interdisciplinary unarmed, first responder teams that are trained in behavioral health and on-scene medical assistance. The HART program aims to improve community health and safety by quickly providing the appropriate response to community members experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues, or non-emergency health or social welfare concerns, and to reduce unnecessary law enforcement or hospital-based interventions for non-emergent 911 calls.”
Dr. Kovar is here to answer your questions as well, just call 281-524-7660 for more information. As always, if you are experiencing an emergency, remember to call 911.
About ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare
ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare covers a 177 square mile area of northern Harris County with over 700,000 residents, the largest ambulance-only Emergency Service District in the state of Texas. ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare receives over 65,000 calls a year and consistently ranks among the best EMS services in the country for speed of response, patient satisfaction and quality of care. The Harris County Emergency Services District 11 Communication Center, known as Control, is recognized as an ACE Accredited Center of Excellence by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. This prestigious designation highlights our commitment to excellence in emergency dispatch services. As an ACE-accredited agency, we enjoy increased visibility in community service, enhanced support in litigation and liability management, and improved recruitment and retention, affirming the value and impact of our team’s work.
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Contact: Miranda Sevcik, Public Information Officer 346-226-8808
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