Featured Partnerships

MDC’s partnership with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) to establish a Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program was conceived in 2018 as a solution to the lack of mental health care in Midland. Prior to the inception of the program, there was no psychiatric fellowship program in the entire Permian Basin region, coupled with limited mental health care capacity. Long wait times for patients were common, and the dearth of care caused financial hardship for parents who were required to travel long distances to Austin, Houston, or Dallas-Fort Worth to obtain care for their children. 

TTUHSC, a leader in healthcare in Texas, presented an excellent opportunity for collaboration with the MDC, resulting in an $8.4 million commitment over eight years for staffing and operations of the psychiatry fellowship program. Additional funding was provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Scharbauer Foundation, indicating broad-based state and local support. 

The Midland facility opened its doors in November 2018, and after one year of operations, has far exceeded projections by serving over 10,577 patients who are cared for by two licensed psychiatrists and two fellows. The number of fellows will grow to four in 2020, further increasing capacity. The success of this program helps to ensure a pipeline of mental health care providers in Midland, since fellows are more likely to remain and practice in the region in which they were trained. 

Business and industry assess the quality and availability of medical care for their employees prior to expanding in a community. This program puts Midland at an advantage for business recruitment, as well as attracting young families who want to live in a city with accessible medical care. 
 

Read more here.