UA Clinic Named in Honor of Betty Shirley

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The psychiatry clinic at The University of Alabama’s Capstone Medical Center has been named in honor of Tuscaloosa mental health advocate Betty Shirley.

“Betty Shirley has been a longtime advocate of the services provided by the psychiatry clinic at The University of Alabama. She is well known as a proponent for treatment and destigmatization of mental illness and encourages those who are reluctant to seek treatment and support. We are delighted to name our clinic in her honor,” said Dr. William Curry, dean of UA’s College of Community Health Sciences.

The Tuscaloosa clinic is the outpatient facility of the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at UA’s College of Community Health Sciences, a clinical branch campus of the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists and a social worker, the clinic specializes in comprehensive psychiatric evaluation; individual psychotherapy; marital, family and group therapy; psychopharmacology, and psychological testing.

A resolution passed by the UA Board of Trustees naming the clinic the Betty Shirley Clinic for Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine called Shirley “a beacon of strength and vision for our nation who has brought honor and recognition to her alma mater and to the state of Alabama throughout her rich and inspirational life.”

Recognized by former President George H.W. Bush during his presidency as one of “A Thousand Points of Light,” Shirley has been a leading supporter of UA’s RISE program, which has become one of the national’s finest preschools for special needs children. She was instrumental in efforts to move RISE from an antiquated facility to the Stallings Center, its current state-of-the-art location. In appreciation for her efforts, RISE has raised more than $3 million in her honor for an endowment fund known as the “Betty Shirley Tree of Life.”

Shirley is a lifetime member of the board of directors of the Mental Health Association of Tuscaloosa County, served as a member of the DCH Foundation Ball when proceeds were designated for a psychiatric unit at DCH Regional Medical Center, and was chairperson of the first Decorator Show House, which benefited the Mental Health Association in 1991.

Fund-raising for the construction of a new building for Capstone Medical Center is currently under way. The fund drive includes a goal of $500,000 for the Betty Shirley Clinic’s facility within the new building, to provide financial support for construction, furnishings and equipment, and, if funds permit, the endowment of the operating costs of the clinic.

In addition to treating patients, psychiatrists and psychologists at the Betty Shirley Clinic are faculty members in CCHS, where they teach and work closely with medical students and family practice residents. Dr. Elizabeth Rand, chair of the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, said this teaching role is critical.

“I believe that diseases of behavior will dominate the 21st century, whether these be depressive and anxiety disorders, an explosion of causes and manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder, life-style behavior problems such as obesity and substance abuse, or a general increase in stress and violence,” she said.

“As teachers who focus on primary care physicians, rather than on specialists in psychiatry, we have an important opportunity to bring a high level of expertise into general medical practice where the vast majority of mental health problems are initially treated. Because we focus on rural health care at CCHS, we aim to bring this expertise to citizens who generally do not have access to specialists,” she said.

Rand praised Shirley’s contributions to the mental health field. “I am truly proud to have Betty Shirley’s name and commitment associated with our work. It will be a source of pride and inspiration for years to come for patients, students and faculty alike,” she said.

The College of Community Health Sciences is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. CCHS emphasizes rural health, family practice and other primary care disciplines, as well as providing education for third- and fourth-year medical students. CCHS also trains family practice physicians through a three-year Family Practice Residency Program, which provides medical service to the community through Capstone Medical Center and Tuscaloosa’s DCH Regional Medical Center.

Groundbreaking for the new Capstone Medical Center facility is expected this fall.