Texas Children's Hospital receives $2 million gift to establish the Maureen Hackett Endowed Chair for Reproductive Psychiatry

HOUSTON, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Texas Children's Hospital announced the establishment of the Maureen Hackett Endowed Chair for Reproductive Psychiatry with a $2 million gift from Houston philanthropists, Maureen and Jim Hackett. The endowed chair will benefit The Women's Place – Center for Reproductive Psychiatry at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women. Dr. Lucy Puryear, medical director of The Women's Place, is the inaugural appointee of the endowed chair. Puryear is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in women's reproductive mental health. She is also an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and with the Menninger department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. The purpose of the endowed chair is to support treatment and research initiatives that address the mental health issues unique to women and to aid in eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness.

The Women's Place is one of a handful of programs of its kind in the nation offering collaborative treatment of women's reproductive mental health issues within a women's hospital setting. Located on the third floor of the Pavilion for Women, the center is designed to address issues such as postpartum mood or anxiety disorders, mother-baby attachment difficulties, severe premenstrual symptoms and emotional changes related to menopause.

"This generous and supportive gift from the Hackett family will enable The Women's Place to expand its capacity in the treatment and research of women's reproductive mental health, impacting even more women," said Puryear. "It is a great honor to be the first appointed chair and a real opportunity to advance the mission of the Pavilion for Women in providing a comprehensive, collaborative approach to women's health that recognizes how vitally important reproductive mental health is to the physical and emotional well-being of every patient and her family."

Houstonians Maureen Hackett, husband, Jim, and their adult children have all been tireless advocates for mental health issues and for removing the stigma associated with mental illness. The philanthropic family has a passion for promoting mental wellness, the benefits of treatment and the need for more research. Along with their recent gift to Texas Children's Hospital, the family's generosity and commitment has been reflected in millions of dollars in gifts to mental health-related institutions and causes.

"At various stages of life, reproductive mental health issues can strike any woman with debilitating effects for her and her family," said Maureen Hackett. "With three daughters of our own, Jim and I felt it was important to make an investment in the future of women's mental health. Our hope is that this gift will benefit women directly through greater access to effective treatment and more broadly through advances in research and education that benefit women everywhere."

Situated in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, the 15-story, $575-million state-of-the-art Texas Children's Pavilion for Women is designed to care for a woman throughout her life and offers a full range of obstetrical and gynecological services, beginning before conception and continuing throughout menopause. It is one of the select few hospitals nationwide to offer a full spectrum of maternal and fetal medicine services that include an array of highly specialized fetal diagnostic procedures and fetal surgeries. Level II and Level III NICU care is provided in 36 private rooms, four of which are specifically designed to accommodate multiples. A two-story circular sky bridge connects the Pavilion for Women to Texas Children's West Tower and Clinical Care facilities, enhancing patient care by providing physicians, staff and patient families with rapid access to all patient care facilities.

For more information on The Women's Place – Center for Reproductive Psychiatry at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, visit women.texaschildrens.org/thewomensplace.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation, Texas Children's has recognized Centers of Excellence in multiple pediatric subspecialties including the Cancer and Heart Centers, and operates the largest primary pediatric care network in the country. Texas Children's has completed a $1.5 billion expansion, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; and Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information on Texas Children's, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Contact:
Lori Pennington
Carbonara Group
713-524-8170
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Christy Brunton
Texas Children's Hospital
832-824-2645
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital