UCLA Health Receives $100M for Mental Health Treatment

UCLA Health has received the largest single gift in its history devoted to mental health care: $100 million to expand mental and behavioral health services at the health campus, in part by supporting construction of a new neuropsychiatric hospital.

The gift comes from the foundation of philanthropists Stewart and Lynda Resnick, who own the Los Angeles–based The Wonderful Company, which includes Wonderful Pistachios, FIJI Water and POM Wonderful. It brings their total giving to UCLA to nearly $200 million.

“Los Angeles is our home, and too many in our city are hurting,” said Lynda and Stewart Resnick. “Mental health challenges find their way into almost every family. The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital has been a haven of hope and healing for ours and for so many others. We are deeply grateful to the doctors, nurses, researchers, and caregivers who stand beside people in their most vulnerable moments. It is our honor to help expand this work so that more families have a place to turn—and feel the strength of a community standing with them.”

The funding will be used to expand and relocate UCLA Health’s existing neuropsychiatric hospital, which is already named after the Resnicks. It will increase capacity from 74 to 119 beds and establish a 20-bed unit to treat patients facing an acute mental health crisis.

The new hospital is expected to open in the fall, followed by the crisis unit next year.

“This extraordinary investment transforms our ability to serve the Los Angeles–area community,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System. “By expanding inpatient services and integrating outpatient and community-based programs, we will be able to serve more people in need. The impact of this campus will be felt across our region for generations.”