In 1967, the Florida Legislature provided funds for the planning and construction of a mental health facility on approximately 43 acres on the University of South Florida campus of Tampa. The facility was planned as a regional facility as a complement to Florida state hospitals and the community mental health centers system. Two years later, Senator Louis A. de la Parte announced the expansion of Institutes role as a provider of outpatient services for those who could not afford treatment. By 1974, the first phase was finished - a comprehensive treatment complex with inpatient and outpatient care, partial hospitalisation, emergency care, community consultation and education, activity programs, and clinical and diagnostic areas. In 1981, the Florida Legislature transferred the Florida Mental Health Institute from the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services to the University of South Florida as a University training/service/research institution. Six years later, the Institute was operationalised as a college within the University of South Florida. In 1996, The Florida Legislature honoured Louis A. de la Parte for his lifelong commitment to bettering the quality of life for the citisens of the state of Florida and his involvement with mental health services delivery by naming the Florida Mental Health Institute after him. Today, the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida continues its mission to strengthen mental health services throughout the state. The Institute provides research, training, education, technical assistance, and support services to mental health professionals and agencies as well as consumers, consumer organizations, and behavioral health advocates statewide. At the state level, the Institute works closely with the Departments of Children and Families (DCF), Corrections (DOC), Elder Affairs (DOEA), Education (DOE), and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), as well as with members and staff of the State Legislature and providers of mental health services throughout Florida. Annual appropriation in the State University System budget for the Institute totals $10.7 million, supporting three academic departments with 185 faculty and support personnel. The Institute’s grant and contract total for FY 2000-2001 of $18 million supports 207 additional faculty and staff, occupying three buildings with more than 250,000 square feet of space.

Address: University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612-3807
Telephone: (813) 974-4602
Website: http://www.fmhi.usf.edu/institute/webcasts/