Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee has announced a $20 million gift from the Yabuki Family Foundation in support of mental and behavioral health services.

The largest gift in the hospital's history will fund the expansion of integrated mental and behavioral health care to include at least thirty-six full-time, master's-prepared therapists who will work alongside pediatricians at every Children's Wisconsin primary care and urgent care location. In addition to enabling therapists to collaborate with pediatricians and address concerns such as anxiety,  depression, trauma, and suicidal ideation, as well as attention difficulties, sleep challenges, and disruptive behaviors, the program will provide support staff who will help families access services, additional access to psychiatry for further diagnosis and prescription consults, and advanced mental and behavioral health training for pediatricians. When fully staffed in 2023, the program will have the potential to benefit more than a third of the pediatric population in southeastern Wisconsin.

"Too many kids are in crisis," said Children's Wisconsin president and CEO Peggy Troy. "In Wisconsin, one in five children is living with a serious mental illness, and hospitalization rates for mental health conditions are nearly four times the national average. Given our size, reach, and commitment, Children's Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to drive better outcomes by permanently changing our primary care model to ensure mental health is prioritized at the same level as physical health."

Yabuki Family Foundation founder Jeff Yabuki, who served as CEO of Wisconsin-based Fiserv from 2005 to 2020, lost his brother to suicide in 2017. 

"Out of tragedy comes opportunity," said Yabuki. "We are honored to pay tribute to my brother by partnering with Children's Wisconsin to create meaningful change for kids in Wisconsin and across the nation. Through our partnership, we intend to significantly advance the manner in which mental and behavioral health issues in children are diagnosed, reduce the stigma, and enable care — when needed — to be delivered in a fully integrated way. Whether a child has an earache or is feeling anxiety, we are helping families to address mental and physical health, together, and with equal importance."