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| Vol. 22, No. 19 |
| October 15, 2000 |
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Menninger Clinic Plans Partnership with Baylor, Methodist By RONDA WENDLER Texas Medical Center News
Baylor College of Medicine, Methodist Health Care System and the world-renowned Menninger psychiatric clinic located in Topeka, Kan., have announced their intent to form an alliance to establish a national center for specialty psychiatric services for the mentally ill and create a new brain and behavior institute. On Sept. 27, the boards of directors of the three institutions signed a letter of intent to move forward with planning the coalition. The final, official agreement is expected in February 2001. Menninger intends to relocate its national specialty psychiatric treatment services, education and research programs to Houston. The Menninger Clinic specialty psychiatric treatment programs for adults, adolescents and children will be affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Health Care System. The Menninger research in behavioral sciences and its educational programs that train psychiatrists and other mental health professionals will be allied with Baylor College of Medicine. In Topeka, Menninger now has a range of specialty programs including comprehensive psychiatric services for children, adolescents, adults and seniors. Targeted programs for specific groups are also offered - programs for professionals in crisis, for eating disorders, for adults with dual diagnoses, and adults with persistent mental illness, including depression, schizophrenia and anxiety disorder. It is anticipated that these Menninger national specialty programs will be relocated to Houston. The exact number of beds and program makeup will be determined by the final affiliation agreement, expected to be reached in February 2001.A transition of Menninger programs to Houston is forecast to be complete by 2002. Menninger will maintain all of its present operations in Topeka until the transition to Houston is final. The chief executive officers of the three institutions - Dr. Ralph D. Feigin, president and chief executive officer of Baylor College of Medicine, Peter W. Butler, president, Methodist Health Care System, and Dr. W. Walter Menninger, Menninger Clinic - said they expect the three institutions to build an endowment of more than $200 million to support joint Menninger/Baylor research.
"Baylor and Methodist offer Menninger a preeminent medical school and health care system that join Menninger in its philosophy, professional values, and commitment to excellence," said Dr. Feigin. "Advances in research on brain and behavior are rapidly changing and our institutions are committed to working together to increase knowledge of how brain disorders affect behavior." "We are enthusiastic and honored to form a partnership with the highly acclaimed Menninger Clinic," said Peter Butler. "We take very seriously the responsibility of continuing the excellent care Menninger has been known to provide for the past 75 years." Founded in 1925, Menninger is one of the last free-standing psychiatric treatment, research and education centers in the nation. The organization reported it has been seeking an alliance with a major medical school and health care system as part of its strategic plan to restructure the organization, reduce operating expenses, and expand services and research. Like most medical and psychiatric hospitals in America, Menninger has experienced an increase in fixed expenses on its 242-acre Topeka campus at the same time hospital inpatient days and insurance reimbursement for services have decreased as a result of managed care. For years, Menninger has expanded its national presence. Its alumni practice in all 50 states and 24 countries, and the clinic receives contributions from donors in all 50 states and 14 countries. Nearly 200,000 patients from the United States and throughout the world have been treated at Menninger. In Topeka, Menninger has a 95-bed adult hospital and a 48-bed children's hospital. In addition, Menninger manages 95 inpatient psychiatric beds in four hospitals and offers an outpatient substance abuse service in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Menninger also is a partner in or operates employee assistance services based in Dallas and the metropolitan Washington, DC area that serve more than 600,000 employees throughout the nation. Menninger consistently is named among the nation's top hospitals by U.S. News and World Report, which ranks it fourth in the nation among psychiatric hospitals. Baylor College of Medicine is ranked 12th in the nation among medical schools and 1st in Texas, while Methodist Hospital is ranked among the top hospitals in the nation in five medical specialties. "This is a partnership of world-class organizations. I say without hesitation: Expect great things to come from this alliance," said Dr. W. Walter Menninger, psychiatrist, president and chief executive officer of Menninger. Dr. Menninger represents the third generation of his family to lead the institution founded in 1925 by his grandfather, famed psychiatirst Dr. Karl Menninger. Dr. Menninger said the decision to relocate was "not made lightly." For the past two years, the Menninger clinic has been in conversations with institutions about potential alliances. In February, the Menninger Board of Directors engaged the consulting firm Cap, Gemini, Ernst & Young to assist in formalizing discussions and planning. Also considered were The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, who had courted the center. "We were fortunate that several institutions sought out Menninger to explore mutual opportunities. The work has been intense and exhaustive. We are convinced we have made the right choice of partners in Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Health Care System," Dr. Menninger said. "We recognize that in the current health care environment, it is best to join together - thus creating newer, stronger organizations for the century ahead of us." The precise location of Menninger services in the Texas Medical Center will be announced later, and will coincide with a massive expansion of the Texas Medical Center already under way, said Texas Medical Center President Dr. Richard Wainerdi. A recently announced master plan has the center growing from 20 million square feet of building space to 30 million square feet over the next decade. The Menninger name will be on whatever facility Menninger occupies in the Texas Medical Center, Dr. Menninger said. "We are proud to acknowledge our partnership with Baylor and Methodist. That is a strength. Baylor and Methodist believe with us that the name Menninger - at the risk of being immodest - is the best known and most trusted name in psychiatry in America. Menninger will maintain its name as a distinct force in behalf of the mentally ill." According to the National Mental Health Association, one in five adults has a diagnosable mental disorder and one in four families will have a member with a mental illness at some point in his or her life. NMHA also estimates that two-thirds of all young people with mental health problems are not receiving proper treatement.
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