As Tarrant County's tax-supported health network, JPS board members are appointed by the Tarrant County Commissioners. The 11-person committee effectively manages the JPS Health Network facilities and leadership to most appropriately meet the healthcare needs of the county.

All Board of Managers meetings are scheduled to begin at 1p.m. at JPS Health Network unless otherwise announced. Meetings take place in the OPC Auditorium, 1500 S. Main Street (Third Floor), Fort Worth, TX 76104.

In October 1877, future Fort Worth mayor John Peter Smith deeded five acres of land at what is now 1500 South Main Street to provide a place where individuals from Fort Worth and Tarrant County 'could have the best of medical care.' It would be many years before his vision for a facility on that location would be realized, but not so long before the first public hospital for the community was established.

In 1906, a hospital affiliated with the Fort Worth Medical College was opened in Fort Worth free to all accident cases and any other cases which the authorities will accept, and the foundation for JPS Health Network was laid. Seven years later, county commissioners agreed to match city funds for the operation of a city and county hospital, which soon opened with 25 beds.

By 1938, the downtown location was well past adequate for the demands of the region, and construction of the new hospital, on the land donated by John Peter Smith, began. The 166-bed City-County Hospital rose to many challenges, including the polio epidemic, and served as the main trauma center for Tarrant County.

The 1970s and 1980s saw tremendous expansion as John Peter Smith Hospital continued to grow. By the 1990s, the need forgrowth into the community was apparent, and health centers were established across the county.

Today, JPS Health Network continues to serve the needs of the families in Tarrant County, working to improve health status and access to health care. The facilities onMain Street have grown to a hospital licensed for573 beds that is attached to a Patient Care Pavilion a five-story acute care facility, along with an outpatient care center and a dedicated facility for psychiatric services.