MIND Center launches campaign to fund new centralized clinic
Published on Monday, December 11, 2023
By: Andrea Wright Dilworth, awdilworth@umc.edu
Photos By: Jay Ferchaud/ UMMC Photography
The Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center has kicked off a fundraising campaign that will fund construction of a new $10 million centralized location for its clinical operations thanks to a generous lead gift from Jean Reed Adams.
The new facility, spanning over 30,000 square feet, will be named The Fred R. Adams, Jr. MIND Center and Geriatric Clinic.
Adams donated $10 million to The MIND Center, one of the largest philanthropic gifts The MIND Center has received, in honor of her late husband, who died in 2020 at age 88 after developing expressive aphasia and dementia.
“He also had three siblings, two of whom had dementia or cognitive issues, so this has touched our family in many ways,” said Adams. “I wanted to honor Fred by helping other families going through similar experiences.”
A portion of Adams’ donation has been allocated as the lead gift for the centralized clinic. Thanks to that contribution and others, $4 million has already been committed to the project, leaving $6 million the MIND Center hopes to raise over the next two years.
The MIND Center recognized Adams’ contribution during a celebration Thursday at the Translational Research Center to a room overflowing with guests including donors, board members and Adams’ family.
Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs, said she is excited the University of Mississippi Medical Center is expanding to provide more services to the community, noting that in just over 10 years, The MIND Center has grown into a national leader in Alzheimer’s research and clinical services.
“Under the direction of Dr. Tom Mosley, a leading expert on brain aging and dementia research, The MIND Center’s discoveries continue to produce groundbreaking insights into how the brain changes over time, which will lead to improvements in prevention, diagnosis and care for thousands across the country affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia,” said Woodward.
A centralized location for The MIND Center Clinic has been a long-time dream, said Mosley, Robbie and Dudley Hughes Distinguished MIND Center Chair and director, The MIND Center.
Dr. Mosley points to architectural renderings of The Fred R. Adams, Jr. MIND Center and Geriatric Clinic, a state-of-the-art facility that will span 30,000 square feet.“I have said many times that the battle we are waging against Alzheimer’s and dementia is reaching epidemic proportions,” he said. “By 2025, the number of Mississippians diagnosed is expected to grow to 65,000.
“The Fred R. Adams, Jr. MIND Center and Geriatric Clinic is pivotal to providing care to those patients—and will be a model of how to provide that care in a way that meets the needs of geriatric patients and their families and caregivers.”
Mosley, pointing to architectural renderings of the building, said the state-of-the-art four-story clinic, designed to provide a one-stop shop, expects to see more than 6,300 patients each year.
It will feature 25 exam rooms; consultation, therapy, and counseling rooms; clinical research consent and exam rooms; radiology and onsite lab services and a large community room.
The third floor, dedicated to research, will also be home to The UMMC MIND Center-Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, which offers older adults the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research on the causes, prevention and treatment of dementia.
The multidisciplinary clinic team will include geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, therapists, nurse practitioners, nurse case managers and social workers, all highly trained in the care of older adults and persons with dementia.
“We are so grateful to Mrs. Jean Reed Adams, whose lead gift in memory of her late husband has started the important work of establishing this clinic,” said Mosley.
Thames said donations to the $10 million campaign will impact thousands of future patients and help find a cure for dementia.Suzan Thames, chair of The MIND Center’s Community Advisory Board, also credited the Old Ladies Home Association, a Jackson-based foundation, along with Adams, for providing the foundation to begin moving forward on the new clinic, which will be located at 1405 North State Street.
“We are grateful for our philanthropic partners, and I am happy to share that we are already almost halfway to our goal,” she said. “A gift to this project will not only have an immediate impact, but will help thousands of future patients who will visit the clinic to receive leading-edge care and participate in research to find an answer for these diseases.”
Space constraints will no longer prevent physicians from seeing patients searching for answers, said Dr. Kim Tarver, director of clinical services for The MIND Center. And the inclusion of radiology and onsite lab services simplifies visits for patients, meaning they will no longer have to travel to multiple locations to complete one health assessment.
The comprehensive clinic will also help the Medical Center recruit and retain top geriatricians and older adult health specialists, she said.
“Having personally cared for so many patients and families who are living with Alzheimer’s and dementia for the past 25 years, I can tell you this clinic means the world to the people of our state, and we are thrilled to see our dream realized,” said Tarver.