Epicenter News

The Menninger Clinic unveils plans for Mental Health Epicenter;
Exceeds halfway point in $125 million capital campaign
HOUSTON, TX—(November 9, 2007)

The Menninger Clinic, the international specialty psychiatric hospital in Houston, today unveiled plans for The Menninger Mental Health Epicenter–that include The Clinic’s new campus and an international center for mental health research, treatment, training and advocacy.  

Menninger will be located within a 10-minute drive from the Texas Medical Center on South Main Street, near South Post Oak Road—moving The Clinic closer to affiliates Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital, and collaborating organizations in the Texas Medical Center. The Clinic moved from Topeka in 2003 to its current located at 2801 Gessner Drive in west Houston, with the ultimate goal of relocating near the Texas Medical Center.

Menninger’s Miracles in Mind campaign has raised $69.3 million, and is more than half way to its goal of $125 million. $65.8 million will go toward building the first phase of The Clinic’s new campus. $3.5 million will benefit treatment, research and education programs. Construction on The Epicenter is expected to begin in fall 2008, with a target completion date of summer 2010.

“The Epicenter will be a beacon of hope to persons suffering from mental illness and the people who love them,” says Ian Aitken, Menninger CEO and president. “Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we will achieve our goal to improve mental health worldwide, prevent mental illness and eliminate stigma.”

One in five Americans suffers from mental illness. The Menninger Mental Health Epicenter will provide much-needed mental health services for the Houston and Texas communities, as well as for individuals nationally and internationally. The Epicenter will also unify mental health research efforts and increase collaboration to develop a greater understanding of brain, behavior and addictive disorders and methods for preventing mental illness.

Research and treatment priorities for The Clinic will include: substance abuse and addictions, personality disorders, mood disorders, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, trauma-related disorders and neuropsychiatric disorders. The Clinic will also continue to offer comprehensive diagnostic assessments for persons who have complicated symptoms or desire a second opinion.

Menninger’s collaboration with Texas Medical Center institutions and national and international experts in mental health will give patients access to the latest research interventions and medical specialty care.

“The Epicenter will help advance Houston as a center for excellence in mental health treatment, education and research and to continue to attract leading scientists and clinical specialists to Houston,” says Stuart Yudofsky, MD, D.C. and Irene Ellwood Professor and chairman of the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, and chairman of Psychiatry at The Methodist Hospital. “By encouraging collaboration across disciplines, The Epicenter will be a catalyst for exciting new discoveries about the brain and behavior.”

The Epicenter will significantly increase the number of mental health professionals Menninger will train to help alleviate shortages locally and nationally.

Educating the public about mental health and effectiveness of treatments for mental illness will also be a major focus of The Epicenter, helping to erase the stigma that prevents many people from seeking treatment.

Plans for Phase I of The Epicenter include a 144-bed inpatient specialty psychiatric hospital, a brain and behavior research center, administrative buildings, educational facilities, wellness center, nondenominational chapel, dining center and features including meditation and sculpture gardens. The Clinic will cover approximately half of the 50-acre campus.

Phase II building plans include facilities for aftercare services for patients, headquarters for mental health organizations, training and education, and an international leadership program.

The Menninger Clinic is an international specialty psychiatric center, providing treatment, research and education. Founded in 1925 in Kansas, Menninger relocated to Houston in 2003 and is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital. For 17 consecutive years, Menninger has been named among the leading psychiatric hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of America ’s Best Hospitals.