Mental Health and Brain Research Institute of Texas (MHBI): The Need
ACKNOWLEDGED FACTS: The Texas Department of Health and Human Services reports that in 2022 almost 13% of the population in the State of Texas is age 65 and older, or 3.7 million people. By 2050, this number is expected to increase to 8.3 million Texans, or 17% of the State's population. With the increase in the aging population comes a higher prevalence of mental and cognitive diseases and disorders (i.e., strokes, Parkinson's, dementia, Alzheimer's, ALS, etc.) affecting not only the patients, caregivers and families, but also the medical and health resources of the State of Texas. And the long term effects on the brain due to COVID have become a major concern of businesses throughout the State.
Younger Texans also experience a wide spectrum of brain diseases and disorders, including major diseases such as epilepsy, autism and cerebral palsy. The Texas Education Agency reports in the 2018-2019 school year, 13.5% of all Texas students receiving special education services, or 71,951 Texas students, were due to autism alone. Depression and drug/alcohol abuse and addiction among young Texans are among the highest in the country, especially during the pandemic, and in 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death in Texas for those aged 15 to 34. Underreported by the press, strokes are also on the rise with young Texans.
TRANSLATIONAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: Throughout the word and particularly in the State of Texas, scientists and researchers have been working on cures and therapies for both acute and chronic neurological diseases and disorders for generations. Unfortunately, it often takes fifteen or more years to develop neurological pharmaceuticals which are approved by the Federal Drug Administration at a cost of billions of dollars each year. Risk on investment is a major investment consideration as more than ninety-five percent (95%) of all programs fail in late stage clinical trials.
Private and public pharmaceutical companies have historically financed translational research in drug development, the "valley of death" between basic research of scientific findings in a laboratory and clinical research and human applications. But these companies cannot do it alone and the logical economic reality is "the only money available for scientific research [is] government money".
The only money available for scientific research [is] government money.
What Texas Can Do NOW:
The emotional and economic toil on the citizens of the State of Texas (patients, caregivers and families), as more fully explained in this website, demands action.
For the citizens of the State of Texas, their children and grandchildren, 2023 is the year and the 88th Legislative Session is the place to make the Mental Health and Brain Research Institute of Texas a reality.