Donation from LA-based global philanthropists will work to address the growing mental health crisis in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UCLA Health today announced the single largest gift to advance mental health care in its history – $100 million from global philanthropists Stewart and Lynda Resnick, co-owners of Los Angeles-based The Wonderful Company, one of the nation’s largest privately held companies.
Rendering of the new UCLA neuropsychiatric hospital and comprehensive mental health campus
Stewart and Lynda Resnick / Courtesy of Resnick Foundation
The Resnicks’ gift, made possible through their foundation, will help fund the expansion of mental and behavioral health services at UCLA Health and support completion of a new neuropsychiatric hospital and a comprehensive mental health campus. UCLA Health is one of the world’s leading centers for comprehensive patient care, research and education, and the initiative is designed to dramatically increase access to care, strengthen community-based services, and advance research and innovation to address the growing mental health crisis in our community.“Los Angeles is our home, and too many in our city are hurting,” said Lynda and Stewart Resnick. “Mental health challenges find their way into almost every family. The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital has been a haven of hope and healing for ours and for so many others. We are deeply grateful to the doctors, nurses, researchers, and caregivers who stand beside people in their most vulnerable moments. It is our honor to help expand this work so that more families have a place to turn – and feel the strength of a community standing with them.”UCLA Health’s existing facility, the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA – located within Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the university’s main Westwood campus – will relocate to 5900 West Olympic Boulevard, about six miles east, following completion of construction at the new location.The Resnicks’ funding will support a 61% expansion of the neuropsychiatric hospital – increasing capacity from 74 to 119 beds – and add a new 20–bed unit designed to diagnose and stabilize patients experiencing acute behavioral health crises. In 2005, the hospital was named after the Resnicks following a gift that supported the medical center’s construction. It has since become one of the most well–regarded psychiatric hospitals in the country.“This extraordinary investment transforms our ability to serve the Los Angeles-area community,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System. “By expanding inpatient services and integrating outpatient and community-based programs, we will be able to serve more people in need. The impact of this campus will be felt across our region for generations.”“Stewart and Lynda Resnick’s generosity strengthens UCLA Health’s ability to expand and innovate in mental health care, while deepening our connection to the broader Los Angeles community,” said UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk. “At a moment when the need for accessible, high-quality mental health services has never been greater, their commitment reinforces the link between research, clinical care and community well-being. Thanks to the Resnicks’ philanthropy, UCLA will be able to extend hope and healing to even more patients and families.”This gift brings the combined lifetime giving of the Resnicks, their companies, and their foundation to UCLA to nearly $200 million, including extensive support over the course of five decades for UCLA’s medical, law, and arts and architecture schools, as well as the Hammer Museum at UCLA.The Resnicks co-founded and co-own The Wonderful Company, one of the largest agricultural enterprises in the country, which includes Wonderful Pistachios, FIJI Water, and Teleflora. The company and the Resnicks, along with their foundations, have an extensive history of supporting community and health initiatives in the communities where their employees live and work, across California’s Central Valley, Fiji, Mexico, and in Los Angeles, totaling $2.5 billion in philanthropic contributions.The new hospital is expected to open in the fall, followed by completion of an upgraded medical office building later in 2026. The crisis stabilization unit is expected to open next year.“We are deeply grateful to Stewart and Lynda Resnick for making a lasting impact on mental health care at UCLA Health,” said John Mazziotta, M.D., vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health. “The gift will benefit countless patients and their families for generations to come.”The UCLA Resnick Mental Health Campus is being developed in a cohesive, integrated manner. Many outpatient programs for adults and children, and various other community resources are relocating from Westwood to the medical office building adjacent to the new hospital. Gardens, trees, and other landscaping and infrastructure are designed to create a healing environment for patients and their families.Neuropsychiatric and behavioral health care provided by UCLA Health is informed by research conducted by the David Geffen School of Medicine and other UCLA faculty. The UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA are home to preeminent faculty leading internationally recognized, multidisciplinary teams dedicated to the study of the brain, the mind, and behavior, and the development of new, effective treatments.About The Wonderful Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility The Wonderful Company and its co-owners, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, have a long-standing commitment to investing in the communities where their employees live and work, especially in California’s Central Valley, which is home to 3,000 employees. The Resnicks, along with their foundations and The Wonderful Company, have invested more than $2.5 billion in education, health and wellness, community development, and sustainability initiatives across the Central Valley, Fiji, and the world. To learn more about The Wonderful Company and its core values, visit csr.wonderful.com.About UCLA Health UCLA Health is among the world’s most comprehensive and advanced health care systems. Our mission is to provide state-of-the-art patient care, generate research discoveries leading to new treatments and diagnoses, and train future generations of health care professionals. UCLA Health offers an integrated network of primary and specialty care services at 290 clinics across Southern California and the Central Coast and at five medical centers and hospitals – Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, and UCLA West Valley Medical Center. For 36 consecutive years, UCLA Health hospitals have earned a place on the U.S. News & World Report national honor roll, a distinction reserved for only 20 hospitals or systems providing the highest-quality care across multiple medical specialties. UCLA Health includes the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Visit uclahealth.org.SOURCE UCLA Health
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