Utah Becomes Mental Health Hub After Family Tragedy

Christena Huntsman and her family are driving a major expansion of mental health resources at the University of Utah, fueled by the loss of Christena’s sister, Kathleen, to untreated mental illness. In less than seven years, Utah is emerging as a center for mental health treatment and research, with a 162-bed psychiatric hospital, a crisis center, and a nearly completed 185,000-square-foot Translational Research Center.

The initiative began after the 2010 death of Kathleen Huntsman, whose struggles with eating disorders and addiction were hidden due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. Following their father’s challenge to address the “cancer of their generation,” the Huntsman Family Foundation donated $150 million to University of Utah Health, leading to the renaming of the University Neuropsychiatric Institute as the Huntsman Mental Health Institute.

Christena Huntsman now leads both the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and serves as a director with the Huntsman Family Foundation, pushing for preventative care and a shift in how society views and treats mental illness. She hopes expanded resources will prevent future tragedies like her sister’s.