NurseWeek

Top mental health institution to relocate to Houston

By Cathryn Domrose
October 29, 2000


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Houston. Menninger, considered one of the top mental health institutions in the United States, plans to relocate from Topeka, Kan. – its home for 75 years – to Houston. The organization is investigating a partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine and the Methodist Health Care System.

Menninger considered proposals from Houston, Dallas and Kansas City, said Roger Verdon, senior editor in Menninger’s office of public affairs. In late September, trustees unanimously voted to go with Baylor and Methodist Health Care, he said.

Dorey Zodrow, spokeswoman for Baylor College, said that administrators were excited about the possibility of Menninger relocating to Houston, but that no agreements had been finalized between Menninger, Baylor and Methodist Health Care. "All that they have agreed on is a letter of intent to begin negotiations to move Menninger to Houston," she said.

Roy Menninger, MD, former president and CEO of Menninger and now chairman of its board of trustees, told the Houston Chronicle that limits on hospital stays imposed by managed care and Medicare played a large part in forcing the move.

The organization, one of the last freestanding psychiatric research and treatment centers in the nation, could no longer afford to stand on its own, he said.

If Menninger makes the move, it could bring to Houston comprehensive psychiatric services for children, adolescents and adults; treatment programs for depression, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders; and an extensive research program. Administrators plan to meet in February to finalize the partnership and discuss details, including how to accommodate local patients, Verdon said.

About 60 percent of Menninger’s patients come from out of state, according to the organization’s literature. The center is scheduled to leave Topeka by 2002, Verdon said. Until then, W. Walter Menninger, MD, its president and CEO, has said Menninger will continue to accept patients.