Family of Support: Child & Youth Mental Health Initiative is Empowering Children's Hospitals to Help More Kids Get the Help they Need Early Français
Funds from Family of Support have resulted in 75,974 patients served and 38,500 mental health assessments in its first three years.
TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2023 /CNW/ - Now in its fourth year, Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations ("CCHF"), in partnership with Empire Company Limited and the Sobey Foundation, continue to drive meaningful impact with the Family of Support: Child and Youth Mental Health Initiative ("Family of Support"). The initiative provides children and youth across the country with access to early intervention support.
In collaboration with CCHF, the Sobey Foundation, and the generous donations of Canadians, Empire continues to raise and donate millions of dollars to fund local mental health programs. The partnership is proud to have surpassed its three-year goal by $3 million, raising and donating a total of $12 million in funding support.
What began in 2020 as an ambitious partnership with a goal to enhance and improve capacity for mental health programming at 13 children's hospitals has become foundational to rebuilding support systems after the pandemic's catastrophic impact on children's mental health. Over the past three years, funding from Family of Support has resulted in the completion of more than 38,500 assessments, 49 new mental health treatment spaces opened across the country, and 75,974 patients served.
"Over the past three years, Family of Support has sparked remarkable progress, transforming how we support child and youth mental health, and its positive impacts have extended to children's families and their school lives," said Adam Starkman, President, and CEO of Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations. "We've seen some exciting early developments, but with children's hospitals facing increased patient volumes and more complex mental health challenges post-pandemic, early interventions and community support matter more than ever."
Experts agree early intervention in mental health is crucial to support children and youth for long-term success, preventing children and their families from experiencing its worst effects. Through Family of Support, children's hospitals across Canada are helping more kids get access to mental health resources early.
Expanding and improving capacity for assessments enables hospital providers to identify and treat mental health in a timely manner — for developing brains, timing is the utmost priority. At the same time, additional treatment spaces provide an opportunity to see more patients faster while helping build capacity for hospitals with spaces designed specifically for training. The initiative has already surpassed initial five-year targets for assessments and treatment spaces and is on track to support even more children and youth with early access to crucial mental health support.
Funds raised from Family of Support are being used to build impactful new programs and fund innovative research and education initiatives, such as:
- A suicide prevention clinical trial at McMaster Children's Hospital
- A new knowledge expertise hub for professionals at IWK Health
- A new fleet of mobile health clinics at Jim Pattison Children's Hospital
- A new pain and health-monitoring program at B.C. Children's Hospital
The positive impacts of these expanded areas of support extend beyond children and youth to their parents and caregivers, helping them develop effective strategies to support their children's mental health, improve parent-child relationships and learn better family coping mechanisms.
In partnership with Empire Company Limited and the Sobey Foundation, CCHF is proud to announce its fourth annual campaign as part of the Family of Support: Child and Youth Mental Health Initiative.
Family of Support's annual campaign will kick off at Empire retail locations on September 14 until October 1, and September 7 in Quebec. One hundred per cent of funds raised locally will stay local and go toward supporting child and youth mental health early intervention and prevention programs at local children's hospitals.
"Empire's continued commitment to the initiative of Nourishing Healthy Bodies and Nurturing Healthy Minds helps ensure families across Canada are getting the mental and physical support they need," said Sandra Sanderson, Chief Marketing Officer, Empire Company Limited. "We are immensely grateful to our store teams and our generous customers who continue to champion this cause in our local communities. Together, we are helping more kids access mental health support early, positively impacting the future of mental health support in Canada."
Canadians who generously choose to donate can do so at the check-stand of their local Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, FreshCo, Chalo! FreshCo, Foodland, Thrifty Foods, Farm Boy, Foodland & participating CO-OPs, Lawtons Drugs, Needs, Pete's Frootique and Fine Foods, Rachelle Béry, BoniSoir, and Voisin. In addition, Canadians can double their impact by visiting their local store on Sept. 23-24, when Empire will match customer donations by up to $200,000.
For more information, including first-hand stories from children whose lives have seen a positive impact from accessing support early from their local children's hospital, visit familyofsupport.ca.
Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations (CCHF), established in 2017, is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds for a national network of children's hospital foundations as the largest single, non-government funder of child health in Canada. CCHF continues to receive generous support through donors within Children's Miracle Network® as well as contributions from additional organizations and supporters. CCHF represents 13 of Canada's children's hospital foundations to ensure that all children have access to the very best care from coast to coast to coast.
The Sobey Foundation was founded in 1982 by Frank H. Sobey and his three sons, Bill, David and Donald. The Foundation's giving is rooted in the Sobey family's continued commitment to improving the lives of individuals through investments in health, education and community. Although it works with organizations across Canada, the Sobey Foundation primarily supports organizations whose activities make a difference in Atlantic Canada.
Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire's key businesses are food retailing, through wholly owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $30.5 billion in annual sales and $16.5 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 131,000 people.
SOURCE Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations
MEDIA CONTACTS: Melissa Greer, Director, Marketing and Communications, Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations, [email protected], 437-880-5452; Karen White-Boswell, Director, External Communications, Empire Company Limited, [email protected], 416-779-2319
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