A gift from IntraCare North Hospital will support mental health education at the UH Graduate College of Social Work and at the Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing at UH.
In one of its final acts after closing, IntraCare North Hospital has made a $1.6 million gift to the 91视频 to help prepare the next generation of behavioral health professionals serving communities in Houston and across Texas.
鈥淭his gift reflects a powerful way an organization can extend its impact,鈥� said Russell T. Dunlavy, vice president for advancement and alumni. 鈥淚t allows the University to carry forward the commitment IntraCare has made through education in ways that will continue to grow over time.鈥�
The gift from IntraCare, a former psychiatric and behavioral health hospital in Houston, will fund new academic expansion and long-term endowed scholarships at both the UH Graduate College of Social Work and the Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing.
鈥淎s we close this chapter for IntraCare, our Board felt a deep responsibility to ensure our mission lives on,鈥� said Deo Shanker, former president of IntraCare North Hospital. 鈥淭his investment reflects our commitment to the communities we have served and to the future professionals who will continue that care.鈥�
The gift comes at a critical time. Texas faces one of the nation鈥檚 most severe shortages of behavioral health professionals. According to the Health and Human Services Commission Health Profession Shortage Area maps, 246 out of 254 counties in Texas are designated as mental health professional shortage areas.
Global support of social work
At the Graduate College of Social Work, the gift will establish the IntraCare Behavioral Health Social Work Endowment, providing long term scholarship support for future students entering the field. It will also support the Global Leaders of Behavioral Health Education program, a training program that prepares social workers to provide mental health services in integrated healthcare settings where medical and mental health services are delivered together.
鈥淪ince 2025, IntraCare has supported our GLOBE interprofessional behavioral health training program, helping expand the number of social workers delivering behavioral health services across the region. 鈥淲e appreciate their foresight in establishing an endowment that reaches into the future to provide ongoing support as we carry out the mission to train the next generation of social workers and behavioral health professionals.鈥�
Yarneccia D. Dyson
Dean and Maconda Brown O鈥機onnor Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair of the UH Graduate College of Social Work
New nursing master鈥檚 degree
At the Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing, the gift will support development and launch of the Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track within the Master of Science in Nursing program.
鈥淢ental health nurses are in critically short supply in Texas and across the country. By establishing a $100,000 endowment to support scholarships, the donors are addressing a critical gap in this field, with estimates of a shortfall of over 250,000 mental health nurses as of 2025.鈥�
Kathryn Tart, RN
Founding dean and Humana Endowed Dean鈥檚 Chair of the UH Gessner College of Nursing
The 91视频 has made health a strategic priority, recognizing the urgent need to expand access, innovation and capacity across behavioral and mental health disciplines. By investing in both advanced nursing education and social work training, the IntraCare gift supports the preparation of highly skilled professionals who will serve Houston and Texas in clinical, community and leadership roles.
The gift also supports , UH鈥檚 fundraising initiative focused on expanding opportunities for students, advancing research, supporting centennial grounds transformation and strengthening the University鈥檚 impact as it prepares for its next 100 years.