Annual Report 2009: Accomplishing Our Mission Together

At McLean Hospital, every day we are accomplishing our mission to improve the lives of people with psychiatric illness. We are deeply committed to providing increased access to ever-better psychiatric care, engaging in research designed to discover superior modes of treatment or prevention and offering programs to train health-care providers and educate the public. We recognize that this journey never ends, as we perpetually aspire to find better ways to deliver on this precious mission.

In 2009, we made significant progress in implementing our strategic plan. A challenging global economy has constrained resources and reimbursements, thereby precipitating the contraction of much-needed psychiatric services across the nation. Against this backdrop, McLean has maintained a solid financial performance, enabling us to successfully expand, extend and elevate our services. For instance, extensive renovations to our Clinical Evaluation Center and Short Term Unit, coupled with new admissions processes and the installation of electronic medical record-keeping technology, have led to faster, more effective evaluation of patients. These innovations are helping to increase access, reduce waiting time and enhance comfort for patients and families.

In addition, we have increased the number of beds to expand our capacity on existing units and opened novel programs to explore new frontiers. For instance, we have extended our outreach to students in need of mental health services through our pioneering College Mental Health Program. We also have established two residential facilities beyond the Belmont campus to provide an improved continuum of care. These programs, the Gunderson Residence for women with borderline personality disorder and the McLean Residence at the Brook for people with substance use disorders, are providing a structured transition into the community and on to a healthier life.

With a clear vision, we are focused on integrating compassionate, evidence-based care with cutting-edge research and training by establishing a new divisional structure to support specialized centers of excellence and innovation. In the pages that follow, we describe launching the Division of Psychotic Disorders and the Division of Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction, highlighting new initiatives and advances reflecting enhanced coordination, collaboration and synergy. This report, in addition to providing information on a range of endeavors, offers a glimpse at the many remarkable people who make McLean such a special place—from our patients and families whose lives have been affected by mental illness, to our donors and our extraordinary crew of clinicians, scientists and staff who have dedicated their lives to this mission.

We could not have made such exceptional progress in 2009, nor set our sights so high for the future, without the help and inspiration of so many—including the 2009 McLean Award honoree, astronaut Buzz Aldrin. As always, we are grateful to our energetic board of trustees for their devotion and expertise. We also thank you—our friends and patrons—for your unwavering support. As we look ahead on this journey of excellence and innovation in psychiatry and mental health, we hope you will travel along with us.

• Mission Possible: Buzz Aldrin Shares His ‘Magnificent Desolation’
• Making Connections: Divisions Advance McLean’s Strategic Agenda
• Linking Lives, Improving Care: Online Tools Provide Added Efficiencies, Enhanced Quality
• A Step Up: Updated Facilities, Streamlined Admissions Enhance Patient and Family Experience
• Recovery in Residence: New Program Fills Gap in Addiction Treatment in the Region
• Building Bridges to Campuses: Partnership with Local Colleges Offers Resources, Support
• Safe Passage: Gunderson Residence Provides Supportive, Transitional Home for Women with Borderline Personality Disorder
• Charting a Course to Schizophrenia’s Core: Research Uncovers Potential for New Treatment Mechanisms
• Leveling the Playing Field: Coaching Research Finds Home at McLean
• Fighting the Myth of Marijuana: Clinical Investigator Addresses Marijuana Dependence
• Stimulating Studies: Federal Funds Accelerate Psychiatric Research
• On the Front Lines: Nurses and Social Workers Foster Research, Education, Collaboration from Within
• From the Heart: Caregivers Share New Experiences during Schwartz Center Rounds
• Endowed Fund Benefits Patient Care at Appleton