History

The University of Colorado Depression Center was established in 2008 through the generous support of George Wiegers of Vail, Colorado. Mr. Wieger’s desire to tackle mood disorders in a novel, comprehensive way is fueled by his experience of growing up with a mother who suffered from bipolar disorder.

After reading an Op/Ed piece in The New York Times by Andrew Solomon calling for an aggressive national effort to treat mood disorders, Mr. Wiegers met with national experts including Dr. Marshall Thomas. Their collaboration resulted in a donation to the University of Colorado School of Medicine to establish the Depression Center.

The Depression Center was created specifically with the goal to better understand, identify and treat people with depression, bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. Mr. Wiegers also funded the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC), solidifying his stature as a pioneer in mental health care.

In 2015, the Depression Center was renamed the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center in honor of a $10 million donation from the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation. These generous gifts have created the most comprehensive approach in the Rocky Mountain region to care for people with mood disorders.