About HCPC

Overview • Mission, Vision & Values •
History and Achievements • Administration

History and Achievements

 Throughout its history, The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center has proven itself as a leader in the provision of patient care, education, research and community service. From the time it opened in 1986, to when it became an operating unit of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1990, to the present, the Hospital has shown leadership in the areas of patient care (numbers of patients served, average length of stay and cost per patient day) to education (health care workers trained), research (into causes and treatment of mental illness) and community service (opening the Center’s doors to the local community in an effort to educate them about mental illness, and indigent care.

1981

UT Harris County Psychiatric Center Created by the Texas Legislature

1984

Groundbreaking Ceremonies at the MacGregor Street/Leland Anderson Campus

1986

First patient admitted on October 22, 1986

1988

UTHCPC receives JCAHO accreditation for the first time; the hospital has been re-certified every three years since

1990

• UTHCPC becomes an operating unit of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• UTHCPC establishes a Patient Relations Office to ensure patients and family concerns and issues are fully investigated

1991

• UTHCPC certified by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), resulting in certification to receive Medicare reimbursement
• A psychiatric residents learning center is established on site
• Activity and occupational therapists are hired to provide programming during late afternoon, evening, weekend and holiday periods
• UTHCPC receives two National Institute for Mental Health grants for the study of depression in Hispanic adolescents and to compare different modes of treatment of patients in psychiatric crisis
• A patient data base is established for research purposes

1992

• UTHCPC receives a Medicaid Provider Number, the first free-standing psychiatric facility in the State to do so

1993

• UTHCPC establishes the Research Intermediary role, in continuing efforts to ensure quality research programs and one-hundred percent compliance in the area of patient informed consent
• UTHCPC expands admission program for children/adolescents to allow for 24-hour emergency admission
• A memorandum of understanding between UTHCPC and the Harris County MHMRA clarified funding arrangements
• UTHCPC/MHMRA Joint Quality Council was created to work with shared data bases, shared formulary, continuity of care, transfers to Rusk and triaging patients

1994

• UTHCPC takes over management of the Medical School Psychiatric Library
• UTHCPC sponsors national symposium entitled “Victim Violence and Medical Research - A Call for a National Legal and Medical Response

1995

• Sought and received TACADA funding as alternative funding for chemical dependency treatment
• The Consumer/Provider Partnership is formed; this ad hoc committee, comprised of members of MHMRA, UTHCPC, MSI, DMDA, AMI and consumers, is charged with fostering communication between consumers, providers and the general public; this iniative has resulted in several city-wide educational programs about mental illness

1996

• Admissions office days of operation expanded to twenty-four hours, seven days a week
• The single diagnosis substance abuse unit is closed due to changes in funding at the state level; substance abuse education is further integrated into all patients programming
• The hospital celebrates its 10th anniversary with a community-wide event
• UTHCPC begins a pilot Patient Satisfaction Survey program to ensure patients, family and others expectations were examined and addressed in a uniform manner
• UTHCPC continues to work with the HCHD to ensure that patients have access to gold card and SSI benefits to ensure for general medical treatment availability after discharge from UTHCPC

1997

• UTHCPC Partial Hospitalization Program opens, providing day programming for children, adolescents and adults
• UTHCPC participates with UT-HHSC in a tele-education program with the Spring Branch Independent School District
• UTHCPC implements policy whereby MHMRA agrees UTHCPC psychiatrists can screen, approve children/adolescents requiring emergency admission

1998

• UTHCPC begins tele-education programming with the Houston Independent School District’s Whittier Elementary School, allowing for weekly sessions between Whittier teachers and UTHCPC child psychiatrists and psychologists
• UTHCPC develops criteria to keep shorter-term Rusk-bound patients locally at UTHCPC

1999

• UTHCPC opens Sub-Acute Unit, serving adolescents, ages 10 through 17, in the custody of the Harris County Juvenile Probation System.

2006

• UTHCPC opens Residential Treatment Center serving adolescents, ages 13 – through 17, who are in the custody of Childrens’ Protective Services, Juvenile Detention or other youth facilities. This program provides longer term treatment for these adolescents, in the hopes they will be able to be placed in less-restrictive home environments upon program discharge.

2007

• Initiated Children’s Mental Health Initiative, designed to expand and enhance UTHCPC services through a community-based model of psychiatric care targeting young children, adolescents and their families.
  
  Services are provided at Gulf Coast and Avance Head Start, The Houston Independent School District, The Children’s Assessment Center, Neighborhood Centers, KIPP Academy, Katrina Evacuees, the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County, the El Paso Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority (the provision of tele-psychiatry services), The Harris County Disability Determination Services Division, the Brazoria County Children’s Center Incorporated, Harris County Commissioner’s Court Project Help and the Children’s Resource Center.

2008

• Opened a unit serving inmates in custody of the Harris County Jail System.

2010

• Opened two specialization units – one for the  treatment of those with schizophrenia and one for the treatment of those with bipolar disorder; emphasis on patient care and emerging research
• Unit serving Harris County jail inmates closes due to lack of county funding

 2011  

• Opened a unit for specializing in the treatment of patients with mental illness and substance abuse disorders; emphasis on patient care and emerging research