University of Utah to establish new mental health institute

Abstract

The University of Utah hopes to become a national leader in mental health delivery with a $150 million gift from the Huntsman family to establish a new institute, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Nov. 4. The major gift will create the Huntsman Mental Health Institute to bolster the existing University Neuropsychiatric Institute and psychiatry department, with a focus on improving public awareness of mental illness, research into genetic causes and access — especially for college‐age and rural patients, said university President Ruth Watkins. “This is transformative for the university, for the state, and can serve as a model for others as well,” Watkins said. The university didn't yet have details as to how many clinicians, researchers and staff members would be hired with the gift. But Watkins said the institute will have a strong emphasis on innovative new ways to provide services to patients more efficiently in a state with some of the worst mental health statistics. Access to mental health care is a pervasive issue across the state, with less than half of Utahans with mental health problems receiving treatment, according to research released this summer by the Ken C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Utah Hospital Association.