CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE (CMHI) BUILDING SYSTEMS OF CARE, Community by Community
The Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation has launched a new multi-million dollar initiative to improve children’s mental health services in Illinois.The Foundation has invited Community Teams across the State of Illinois to submit proposals and will announce the Teams selected in late May, 2010.
“The mental health of children is as important to their overall well-being as their physical health,” said Dr. Peter E. Doris, Board Chair, Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation.“The mental health systems serving the children of Illinois are fragmented and under-resourced.Supporting collaborative efforts to coordinate and integrate existing services will result in a comprehensive community-based children’s mental health system to ensure more children receive the support they need as early as possible and through the age of 18.” “Especially in these times of economic stress, we know that the best way to make the greatest impact on the mental health of our children is to attack the issues at their root.We’ll accomplish this by enhancing the delivery systems to ensure that services are available to all children and the systems are sustainable,” noted Tammy Lemke, President of Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation.“Children and families are suffering. We know 1 in 10 Illinois children or more than 350,000 under the age of 19 suffer from a serious mental illness severe enough to impair functioning and ability to learn.However, only 20 percent of these children will receive mental health services.The barriers to providing children’s mental health services in our state must be overcome.”
Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation, 1200 Jorie Boulevard, Suite 301, Oak Brook, IL 60523 (p) 630.571.2555 (f) 630.571.2566
