A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is a personal charitable vehicle that donors can establish at a public charity such as a community foundation or financial institution. A DAF allows donors to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate income tax deduction, and recommend grants from the fund over time to qualified nonprofits, such as Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
Across the nation, one in five children is living with a mental health disorder. Less than 50% of these children will ever receive the appropriate treatment. Imagine if only half of the children who broke a bone this year were treated. If children with terminal diseases waited weeks or months to be admitted to intensive care.
Mental health is health. It is fundamental to happy, healthy futures for our kids. And, like physical illnesses, mental health challenges only grow more severe if left untreated. But across the country, mental health is not resourced, staffed, studied, or coordinated in the same ways as physical illnesses. Our system is full of gaps that fragment, delay, and confuse care.
Under the pressure of a global pandemic, these challenges have taken on historic urgency. For the first time, Colorado is in a state of medical emergency for youth mental health.
As Heidi Baskfield, Vice President of Population Health and Advocacy, described during public testimony: “If my son experiences a mental health crisis in the middle of the night, there is no one to call. I will drive to the emergency department and wait for him to be assessed. Sometimes, as many as 15 to 40 other families facing similar crises will also be waiting. If my son requires more intensive care than can be delivered at home, we will wait in the emergency department for an inpatient bed to open…anywhere in Colorado. This could take days. When a bed becomes available, my son will receive treatment. If he needs additional resources—step-down care at a residential facility, for example—he might need to travel to another state just to get into a program.”
Is a leading cause of death for Colorado kids, starting at age 10
Increase in adolescent suicide attempts from 2020 to 2021. Self-harm or suicide attempts are among the top reasons that patients seek mental health care in our emergency departments.
Kids and teens in Colorado have diagnosable mental health conditions. Only 22% receive professional care.
It is time—it is past time—to realize a better state of care for our children. Together, we can advance a coordinated system of mental health care, grounded in collaboration and partnership. One that provides all children high-quality, evidence-based, and youth- and family-centered care. Imagine:
With funding from philanthropic partners, Children’s Colorado has spent the past five years upgrading to safer facilities, building partnerships, and expanding its core services. The generosity of our donors has:
“Now is the time for Colorado to design and build an integrated system of care for the kids and families of this dynamic and beautiful state. I am impressed with the mission, vision, footprint and the depth of humble expertise I’ve found at Children’s Colorado, along with tremendous partners who are all driving a movement of change for children’s health. We want Colorado to be an innovative and effective model, and I’m excited to be part of the momentum and part of the team that’s going to get us there.”
K. Ron-Li Liaw, MD
Mental Health In-Chief, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Children’s Colorado is committed to building a better mental health future for kids, and your generosity helps fill a critical funding gap as the number of kids who are experiencing significant mental health episodes remains at a crisis level.
With the vision brought by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, inaugural Mental Health-in-Chief, the collective action of Colorado’s entire mental health ecosystem, and targeted investments by big-picture philanthropists, we are positioned to raise the standard of mental health care in unprecedented ways.
Your partnership supports urgent needs and the opportunity for long-term impact through investment in four key areas:
Ensure a pipeline of diverse professionals who are equipped to care for the growing population of children in need, trained to provide specialized care, provided with ongoing support and resources, and reflective of the populations they serve.
From expanding preventive services, to establishing specialty care outpatient environments, to ensuring right-sized in-patient and emergency options for those in crisis. This work, accomplished in lockstep with partners, will create a stronger statewide infrastructure for child mental health.
With best-in-class research, we can improve the lives of youth by discovering the causes of mental health conditions, using new insights to inform novel prevention and treatments, and working with community partners to scale these approaches.
Empowering youth and their loved ones to more easily access early interventions, navigate the care system with ease, and reduce stress.
The journey to transform mental health care demands continued learning, innovation, and reinvestment. It is our collective strength that will achieve a better state of care. Partner with us to address the youth mental health crisis and create a better mental health future for children. Because together, we can not only changed the status quo, we can change lives.
Give Now Contact Us to Learn More
