Milton S. Hershey Medical Center joins National Network of Depression Centers

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has been named an associate member of the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC), a consortium of leading academic medical centers working to accelerate research, education and improved treatment options for people with depressive and bipolar illnesses.

“Being a member of the NNDC will allow us to work with colleagues throughout the country on improving the lives of individuals with mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder,” said Dr. Erika F.H. Saunders, chair of psychiatry at the Medical Center.

Saunders also said the NNDC membership will open the door to collaborations for research into new methods of diagnosis and treatments. The Medical Center plans to join the NNDC’s Mood Outcomes Program, a national depression registry which promotes measurement-based care using standardized protocols for screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

“We are excited to welcome the Hershey Medical Center to the NNDC,” said NNDC Executive Director Pat Rinvelt. “Their focus and commitment to advancing treatments and improving patient outcomes adds strength to our growing collaborative network.  Their membership will have a positive impact on our efforts to magnify and leverage the important work being done in the field of mood disorders throughout the network.”

The Medical Center is one of 25 institutions in the nationwide nonprofit network. Founded in 1963 through a gift from The Milton S. Hershey Foundation, the Medical Center is a leading university health center located in Hershey, Pa. The 548-bed hospital is a provider of high-level, patient-focused medical care. As a Magnet designated hospital since 2007, the Medical Center employs caregivers who are dedicated to excellence and achieving superior patient and community outcomes. The Hershey Medical Center campus includes Penn State College of Medicine (Penn State’s medical school), Penn State Cancer Institute and Penn State Children’s Hospital—the region’s only children’s hospital.

The National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) network that unites the nation’s leading academic The NNDC, founded in 2008, works to harness the collective power and resources of network members to expedite scientific discovery and advances in patient care for people with mood disorders. Its membership includes many of the nation’s top medical institutions. Acceptance involves a rigorous application process detailing high-levels of expertise in clinical delivery, research and education.

The NNDC provides the platform for bringing the best minds together, regardless of their location, to achieve these broad objectives:

Expertise, innovation, collaboration, clinical trials of new treatments, long-term follow-up studies to maintain wellness and more coming together to deliver the cures we seek “Through the Power of a Network”—“Through the Power of the NNDC.”