Covenant Children’s and Texas Tech Physicians Host Tour of the Covenant Children’s Relational Health Center

The Covenant Relational Health Center opened in late summer of 2023
Covenant Children’s and Texas Tech Physicians Psychiatry have opened the region’s first outpatient relational health center at Covenant Children’s hospital. On Thursday, Oct. 12, Covenant Children’s and Texas Tech Physicians provided a tour of the new center. Speakers at this event included Amy Thompson, M.D., CEO of Covenant Children’s, and Sarah Mallard Wakefield, M.D., TTUHSC chair of psychiatry and medical director of the Covenant Children’s Relational Health Center.
The center will focus on the mental, emotional, behavioral and psychological health of our region’s kids. Inspiration to open the new center, which opened late summer of this year, came from Thompson and Wakefield’s shared belief that relational health belongs at the hospital to improve access and reduce the mental health stigma.

The center focuses on the mental, emotional, behavioral and psychological health of our region’s kids
TTUHSC’s Department of Psychiatry also relocated all of their children’s services to this center. Through this collaboration, new and much needed intensive services will be opened, expanding the scope of services provided in Lubbock for the wider region.
A continuum of outpatient services is provided by this center, from education and prevention services to group interventions for children and parents to individualized therapy and medication management. The center will also offer the region’s first partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient program for youth with mental health distress.
Related Stories
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Awarded Grant to Improve Diabetes Testing Access in Rural West Texas
The American Medical Association (AMA) awarded $50,000 to Adrian Billings, M.D., Ph.D., as part of a new grant to improve access to A1C testing in West Texas.
Stay Safe: Preventing Summertime Dehydration
As the summer heat continues to intensify, so does the risk for dehydration. Prioritizing hydration this summer can protect you and your loved ones from potentially life-threatening complications.
Gov. Abbott Reappoints Varma to Texas Medical Board
Gov. Greg Abbott recently reappointed Surendra Varma, M.D., to the Texas Medical Board (TMB) District Three Review Committee.
Recent Stories
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Announces Relocation and Expansion of the TTUHSC School of Nursing Mansfield Instructional Site
TTUHSC and the City of Mansfield announced a new collaboration to relocate and expand the School of Nursing’s existing Mansfield instructional site during the Mansfield City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 24.
TTUHSC Recognized for Commitment to Improving Experiences and Advancing Outcomes for First-Generation College Students
FirstGen Forward announced TTUHSC is a new member of the FirstGen Forward Network Class of 2026. FirstGen Forward selected TTUHSC because the university demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students.
TTUHSC Researchers Collaborate in Study of Cancer Drug’s Possible Positive Effects on Alzheimer’s Disease
A drug typically used to treat some forms of cancer may also help delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Boris Decourt, Ph.D., director of the TTUHSC Laboratory on Neurodegeneration and Translational Research, is part of the Phase II trial.
