Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has announced a $15 million gift from the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Foundation in support of the hospital’s newly created Mental and Behavioral Health Institute (MBHI).

The gift will enable MBHI to include a deeper integration of three divisions at Cincinnati Children’s—Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, and Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics—and enhance collaboration with all its clinical divisions as well as many research divisions. Under the new institute, Cincinnati Children’s plans to fully integrate mental health care with the other medical care provided, including embedding more mental health professionals in primary care clinics, expanding mental and behavioral health training for pediatric clinicians across the Cincinnati region, and building a network of family navigators and school liaisons to help connect patients with resources.

“We have seen how difficult it can be to navigate the mental health space for children and their families,” said Gardner Family Foundation trustee Adam Mueller. “There are amazing doctors and healthcare providers, albeit not enough of them, and simply finding them and getting the right support for your child can be extremely difficult. We believe the new institute will address these concerns and provide a path forward for improved care.”

“It is no secret that our children and teens are struggling like never before and have an unprecedented need for anxiety and depression care. We are witnessing a heartbreaking surge in youth suicide,” said Cincinnati Children’s president and CEO Steve Davis. “We stand committed to addressing this country’s mental health challenges, from expanding access to care to conducting vital research that will improve outcomes.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/SDI Productions)