Northwestern Medicine has received a $25 million donation from Kent and Liz Dauten and their family foundation to create a new behavioral health institute.
The Northwestern Medicine Dauten Behavioral Health Institute will aim to better coordinate care and improve screening of patients, and will focus on novel diagnostic and treatment approaches across the Northwestern system. It will also include programs for patients with complex diagnoses and disorders. Its first major initiative will be a Bipolar Disorder Center of Excellence, which will focus on providing high quality care and accelerating research into treating patients with the disorder.
“Our family’s philanthropy has prioritized the field of brain science and mental health where there is an explosion in demand for care and an urgent need to find better treatments,” Kent Dauten said in a news release, adding that he’s excited for the collaboration with Northwestern. Dauten is the chairman of Chicago-based investment firm Keystone Capital.
Dr. Howard Chrisman, president and CEO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, said in the news release that the gift “marks a turning point in our ability to deliver world-class behavioral health care.”
Demand is increasing for behavioral health services across the country, as the prevalence of behavioral health disorders in the U.S. grows, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Nearly half of Americans will experience a behavioral health condition — which can include mental health disorders and substance use disorders — in their lifetimes, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. In 2021, fewer than half of adults with a mental health issue were able to get timely care, according to the National Academies.
More to come.