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Neenah (6/12/2006) - Local family's $625,000 gift will match subsequent gifts and advances plans to address critical needs highlighted in LIFE Study report.
Today, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley leaders announced plans to establish a pediatric behavioral health program in Neenah, Wis. A $625,000 matching gift is helping to quickly advance those plans and address the urgent need for these services in the Fox Valley.
Throughout Wisconsin and in the Fox Valley, the need for mental health services far exceeds the capacity of existing providers. This problem was highlighted as an area of major concern in the LIFE Study report issued last week by the Fox Cities United Way, Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, the Fox Cities Chambers of Commerce & Industry and the Fox Cities Economic Development Partnership.
The problem is even more significant when it comes to children and teens. It is estimated as many as 10 to 20 percent of youth in the Fox Valley meet the criteria for having a mental health disorder. As many as 80 percent of these children do not receive treatment. Some families are able to access services only by traveling significant distances to do so. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, located in Milwaukee, recorded nearly 660 pediatric mental health visits from Fox Valley children in the past three years.
"Children and families dealing with mental health problems need access to care close to home," said Lori Brown, vice president, Regional Services, for Children's Hospital and Health System. "Treatment often requires frequent visits over many months. Add to that the time and expense of traveling away from home to obtain services, and you can see how these problems quickly can overburden families."
Understanding the difficulties these families face, the Keller family of Neenah has pledged $625,000 to encourage and match donations to help establish the program. The matching funds are directed from the John J. & Ethel D. Keller Donor Advised Fund in the Community Foundation on behalf of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
"Mental health problems cross all boundaries. They affect wealthy and poor, all ethnic groups and people of all educational levels, genders and ages," said Keller family spokesperson Marne Keller-Krikava. "My own family has struggled with these issues, and we are absolutely at a point of crisis here in the Fox Valley when it comes to mental health care."
Keller-Krikava and Dave Vander Zanden, president and CEO of School Specialty of Appleton, Wis., co-chair a community campaign with Children's Hospital and Health System Foundation to raise $2.5 million to launch the pediatric mental health clinic.
"The Keller family's generous gift is an incredible step forward," Vander Zanden said. "Children and families certainly will benefit when they can receive these needed services. Others who support this cause will benefit, too, as their gifts will be doubled up to the amount of the Kellers' gift. Already there are several leading organizations, companies and individuals in the community who are considering their own support in order to take advantage of the match."
To learn more about making a donation to support the Pediatric Mental Health Program, contact Paul Ross, Children's Hospital and Health System Foundation development director, (920) 831-6400.
Program to deliver innovative treatment through telepsychiatry
Across the country, children and teens facing mental illness are unable to receive the care they need due to a lack of providers specializing in pediatric mental health care. Several professionals in the Fox Valley provide care for children, yet many others go untreated. The Children's Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley Pediatric Behavioral Health Program will work in collaboration with existing Fox Valley providers and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee to provide treatment and consultation through telepsychiatry, an innovative approach that is overcoming provider shortages with outcomes as good as or better than face-to-face office visits.
Telepsychiatry uses electronic communication and information technologies to provide psychiatric services or support local providers needing the assistance of a pediatric psychiatrist. Two-way teleconferencing between the child and the therapist, or between a primary care doctor and a pediatric psychiatrist, will facilitate care and consultation. The telepsychiatry program will supplement the services of a core team of staff at the clinic that will include an intake coordinator and advanced practice nurse. Through personal interaction and telepsychiatry, children and teens will receive needed assessment, diagnosis and treatment for their mental health issues.
"The lack of qualified mental health care providers for children is not a problem that will be remedied soon, but the children can't wait. It's just not an option for families struggling with these problems," Brown said. "Telepsychiatry has been used successfully in other communities to provide cohesive, quality care, and Children's Hospital-Fox Valley, with its ties to the local community and Children's Hospital in Milwaukee, will provide a focal point in the region to help families move beyond the obstacles looming before them."
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