Lubbock Regional MHMR Center Celebrates its 35^th Anniversary

September 4, 2003

Originally known as the South Plains Guidance Center, Lubbock Regional MHMR Center was created in February 1964 as a result of the efforts of the Lubbock Community Planning Council and in response to the identified need for services for people with mental illness and mental retardation within the Lubbock community.  The Mental Health and Mental Retardation Act of 1965 prompted a request to the Texas Department of MHMR by the City of Lubbock for the formation of a Community MHMR Center in the Lubbock area.  The request was approved and a Board of Trustees was appointed in March of 1966.  The original local service area of Lubbock County was expanded in 1975 to include Cochran, Crosby, Hockley, and Lynn Counties.  At that time the Center’s name was changed to Lubbock Regional Mental Health Mental Retardation Center.

Over the ensuing thirty-five years, the Center’s scope of responsibility and geographic area for a variety of services have steadily increased beyond the five county service area.  This has been achieved primarily through contractual relationships with a variety of state agencies including the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Council on Offenders with Mental Impairments, the Texas Department of Health, and the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.  The Center has also expanded its mission to include the provision of substance abuse services as well as inpatient psychiatric treatment services through Sunrise Canyon Hospital.  Today, the mission of the Center is to assure  the diverse needs of people with mental retardation, mental illness, and substance abuse are met through the management of an accessible system of services and resources that supports individual choice and promotes lives of dignity and self-determination.

A reception honoring Lubbock Regional MHMR Center and its community partners will be held Monday, September 8 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Mahon Library.  Special recognition will be given to individuals and agencies in our community who make services possible.  On display during the reception will be a national traveling art exhibit, highlighting the work of people having two things in common:  creativity and mental illness.

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