Officials broke ground Monday on a multimillion-dollar mental health research and clinical care facility that they say will help solve the state’s mental health challenges.
The 185,000-square-foot Utah Mental Health Translational Research Building will sit on the University of Utah’s campus, behind the Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
Construction is scheduled to finish in 2026. Once complete, staff at the facility will work to address issues such as “suicide, child and young adult mental health, rural mental health, stigma, workforce shortages, and the psychiatric and social factors created by COVID-19,” according to its website.
Officials also envision that researchers, educators and experts from across the state will partner with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute there to work on new treatments and training.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Attendees during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Utah Mental Health Translational Research Building, part of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023.
“This is a tremendous example of the power of state and community partnership that is laying the foundation to truly transform mental health care for the people of Utah,” Mark Rapaport, CEO of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, said in a statement. “This new space will help Utah move toward the forefront of American psychiatry and mental health care.”
The Utah Legislature appropriated $90 million to build the facility, and private donors gave $65 million for the project.
Follow @PaightenHarkins