Huntsman Family To Donate $150M To Establish Mental Health Institute At U Of U
Nov 4, 2019, 10:14 AM | Updated: 1:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Huntsman family has pledged $150 million to establish the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah.
U of U President Ruth Watkins made the announcement at a Monday morning press conference.
The institute’s focus will be on “advancing knowledge and relieving suffering through research-informed treatment of mental illness with a strong focus on improving mental health services for college-age adults,” according to a statement from the university.
It will also focus on increasing access to mental health services in Utah’s rural communities as well as identifying genetic underpinnings of mental illness, the statement reads.
“Suicide is increasing as a cause of death,” said Michael Good, University of Utah senior vice president for health services, CEO of University of Utah Health, and Dean of the University of Utah School of Medicine. “There just aren’t enough mental health professionals. We need to do better. This generous gift from the Huntsman family will allow us to support enhanced training for mental health professionals. It will allow us to reimagine care teams and how to better deliver mental health services across our state and across our region.”
“Mental health is personal,” he added. “Mental health shapes our days and our lives. It shapes our families. It shapes our relationships.”
Peter Huntsman at the press conference said that human compassion, kindness and love are sometimes the best medicine of all.
“It’s time that we make a difference,” he said. “Society can only be judged by how well it treats those who are most vulnerable and who need love the most.”
As part of the grant agreement, the university will work closely with the Huntsman family to raise additional funds to support the institute and to increase awareness in the community about mental health, according to the U of U statement. More information about the fundraising initiative is available online at hmhi.utah.edu.
The gift will provide financial support to the University of Utah Health’s Department of Psychiatry and full-service psychiatric hospital known as UNI (University Neuropsychiatric Institute). In addition, the donation will be used to support mental health services and screenings for the university’s 32,000 students, as well as in rural areas across the state. The funding also will support university research aimed at identifying genetic risks and other factors that cause or contribute to mental illness. The university plans to rename UNI in recognition of this gift, identifying it as the Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
KSL TV’s Garna Mejia contributed to this report.
