The Menninger Clinic Announces $1 Million Gift to Establish Adolescent Patient Assistance Fund

New fund expands access to world-class mental health care for adolescents ages 12-17

HOUSTON, TX / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 / A landmark $1 million philanthropic gift to The Menninger Clinic establishes a new Adolescent Patient Assistance Fund that will help adolescents ages 12-17 gain access to high quality mental health treatment who lack the necessary financial resources. The anonymous donor has expressed hope that their contribution will encourage others to support the fund, recognizing the heightened levels of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression and suicide ideation among the nation’s adolescents.

As a nationally recognized psychiatric hospital, Menninger delivers compassionate, evidence-based treatment for adults and adolescents facing complex mental health challenges. The hospital’s comprehensive continuum of care includes inpatient, outpatient, residential and community-based programs designed to support lasting recovery. The Adolescent Patient Assistance Fund will provide financial support for treatment services across all levels of Menninger’s continuum of care and begins immediately.

“This generous gift will change the trajectory of countless young lives,” said Armando Colombo, president and CEO, The Menninger Clinic. “Adolescents today are facing unprecedented mental health challenges, with one in five in the U.S. experiencing some mental health struggle. This fund ensures that financial hardship won’t stand in the way of high-quality, compassionate care.”

For patients who utilize private insurance when seeking treatment, reimbursement rates often fall short of covering the full cost of intensive, evidence-based care. Optimal clinical outcomes typically require four to six weeks of continuous care, and on average, insurance covers less than half of that length of stay. This gap leaves many adolescent patients, both those who are underinsured and those without any insurance coverage, unable to complete recommended treatment. In 2024 alone, approximately 5,840 adolescents and young adults, an average of 487 per month, were unable to access services at Menninger due to financial constraints. Philanthropic support, such as the Adolescent Patient Assistance Fund, can play a crucial role in helping families bridge this gap, ensuring patients receive clinically appropriate and uninterrupted care.

“Our deepest gratitude for this visionary donor who is leading by example to address the challenge of mental health care access for youth in need,” said Columbo.

Founded in 1925, The Menninger Clinic is one of the nation’s leading psychiatric hospitals, known for pioneering treatment, compassionate care and a legacy of building better mental health care for individuals and communities. This gift advances Menninger’s longstanding commitment to expanding access, strengthening clinical outcomes and supporting the mental health of adolescents and their families.

For more information about the Adolescent Patient Assistance Fund or to contribute, visit www.menningerclinic.org/donate.

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About The Menninger Clinic –

The Menninger Clinic has 100 years of experience diagnosing and treating people with mental illness. Highly trained teams of mental health experts provide a supportive, healing environment coupled with evidence-based treatments across a range of services for adults and adolescents that reduce troubling symptoms and strengthen skills for making changes that last. Menninger is a teaching hospital of Baylor College of Medicine’s Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and is a member institution in the Texas Medical Center. All psychiatrists and psychologists are on the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine.  For more information, visit www.MenningerClinic.org.

Media Contact

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SOURCE: The Menninger Clinic

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