Rebuilding a State Mental Health System the Size of the United Kingdom

Synopsis

The state of Texas in the southwestern portion of the United States is one of the largest states in the union. It has a current population of 24 million and is growing compared to the 57 million in the UK. Its population is expected to surpass the UK by 2050. The state’s is about 700,000 square kilometers or 2.5 times that of the UK. If it were an independent country its GDP would rank 8th in the world just behind the UK and France.

The state has operated a public mental health system for almost 150 years. The anchor of the system is the state hospital system comprised of 11 state hospitals built at different times. Over the years, many of these hospitals have become outdated and are inefficient.

In 2014 the state government embarked on a system assessment and how to best address the needs of the day and the future needs. A strategic plan was developed with recommendations on how to rebuild the system.

State legislature accepted and implemented all the recommendations in the strategic plan and eventually provided funding to build eight new state mental health hospitals. Three of the new hospitals have been completed or are nearing completion. The other five new hospitals are currently in the design process with the expectation of being completed in 2027.

This presentation will discuss the mental health needs in Texas, the strategic planning process to fill the gaps in the needs, and its recommendations. The presentation will also explore the opportunities in creating standardized facilities within the system while still respecting the unique communities that they exist in. Finally, the presentation will depict the design of the largest of the new hospitals and its unique design features for the populations it serves.

Joining in the presentation will be Mr. Scott Schalchlin, Deputy executive Commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission who is responsible for providing mental healthcare at the state level in Texas.