Mental Illness Crisis Addressed with New Program at UT Tyler

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler has announced a plan to address mental health obstacles in Texas with a new program in the School of Nursing. On Tuesday, the School of Nursing’s Executive Director, Barbara Haas told KTBB that mental health care in Texas is a growing issue. “We are in crisis. In fact, in 2018 if Texas was ranked with all the other states and Puerto Rico, we were 50th in mental health care and we came in 51st in terms of access to mental health care. That’s how dire the situation is in Texas, and rural areas are even more at risk.”

The Master of Science in Nursing–Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program has been approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Pending final approval by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or SACS, UT Tyler could possible launch the program as early as summer 2020. Classes will be offered in January, on an elective basis, until the full program rolls out.