In 1967, House Bill 3, which called for the creation of community mental health and mental retardation centers, was passed by the State Legislature. The Bill mandated a continuum of services for individuals with mental illness and mental retardation and allowed for effective alternatives to treatment in state facilities. Thus, through House Bill 3, the citizens of Texas now had the opportunity to receive treatment services in their home community. Tropical Texas Center for Mental Health & Mental Retardation (originally called Hidalgo County Mental Health & Mental Retardation Center) had the distinct honor of being the first community mental health and mental retardation center in the State of Texas to be established under House Bill 3.

The Center began as a small operation . . . located in the basement of an old hospital building . . with limited staff and a small array of services, but everyone shared a vision. It was a vision of hope . . . hope of effective treatment and the reality of recovery.

With that vision in mind, in the summer of 1967, with only six staff members and an enormous agenda for the citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, the Center opened its doors and began the provision of services. Due to limited resources, the first few years of operation proved to be a struggle for the Center. Staff worked very hard to provide services to the community and to meet consumer needs. However, by the third year of operation, things started to change and improve.

To begin with, a great growth and expansion occurred. Staff was increased to approximately 40 individuals and the Center began to develop new programs: five training and development units for individuals with mental retardation, a volunteer program, counseling and group sessions on marital problems and the Rio Grande Valley helpline program. In addition, the Center also helped cities and school districts throughout the Valley to develop and implement special education classes and supportive units for emotionally disturbed children.

Consumer caseloads continued to increase with an average of 90 to 100 new consumers per month. Thus as the years went by, the Center continued to expand to meet the demand for services. The Center's small operation evolved into a comprehensive array of mental health and mental retardation services provided throughout Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy Counties.

Other services provided through a multitude of special purpose facilities established throughout the Valley included: vocational services, skills-training programs, case management programs, liaison programs, early childhood intervention programs and supervised living programs.

The Center's vision continued to be realized through the growth and expansion of services and programs. In 1990 the Center moved into the new decade with the ground breaking of a new facility in Edinburg. The new doors opened in 1992, continuing the vision of effective treatment and the reality of recovery for the citizens of the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Today, Tropical Texas Center continues to be dedicated to providing necessary mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services for individuals of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties.