Bank of America announced today the company is contributing $1 million to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters’ (CHKD) new mental health hospital, matching its largest-ever donation to the Hampton Roads region.
This recent donation builds on the company’s decades-long relationship with CHKD and recognizes the transformative nature of CHKD’s mental health initiative. The cornerstone of this endeavor is a $224 million, 60-bed mental health facility scheduled to open next year, bringing the expertise of dozens of child and adolescent psychiatric professionals who will make CHKD their home for treating the children of the Hampton Roads region and beyond.
“The new facility at CHKD is going to be transformative for our region, and a big win in terms of access to quality mental health care for children,” said Frank Castellanos, Bank of America President of Hampton Roads. “We’ve supported the efforts of CHKD for four decades. The values they exhibit through the work they do are inspiring, and align with our commitment to the health and safety of vulnerable populations.”
The 14-story mental health hospital is currently under construction on the same campus as the main CHKD hospital and will have private psychiatric rooms with space for parents to spend the night, healing amenities such as music and art rooms, and a rooftop area where hospitalized children can get exercise and fresh air. The new hospital will be the hub of a regional mental health outpatient program, with a continuum of care from early intervention to outpatient care to more intensive treatment.
Bank of America’s support will be recognized in the new building within a space devoted to General Academic Pediatrics, a CHKD primary care practice deeply committed to treating children and families with limited access to health care and other resources. CHKD’s new mental health hospital will feature services such as primary care for children so that coming to the new tower for mental health treatment will be as routine and accepted as accessing routine health care. It is part of CHKD’s goal in Lighting the Way for mental health for children and easing stigma.
“This gift from Bank of America is a testament to the company’s compassion for the children and families in the Hampton Roads region and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said CHKD President and CEO Jim Dahling. “The gift will support some of the most vulnerable members of our community and contribute to advancing the science around treating mental health conditions for children across the country.”
The generosity of this grant recognizes the need for improved access to mental health services in the region and state, along with services that can bridge health disparities throughout the community.
This mental health initiative is unfolding at a time when 20 percent of the nation’s children have a diagnosable mental health condition, and during a pandemic that has fueled anxiety and depression of children because of social isolation, along with illness, death, and job loss among families.
Once it is fully operating, the CHKD mental health hospital will employ more than 400 doctors, nurses, therapists, and other mental health professionals who will treat thousands of children across the state and beyond. In a far-reaching aspect of the initiative, a fellowship training program for child and adolescent psychiatrists also is being developed to train mental health providers. This critical program will improve access to care in Hampton Roads and also help address the extreme shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists across the country.
CHKD
CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on a 60-bed, 14-story mental health hospital and outpatient center on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. The new tower being built on CHKD’s campus in Norfolk is scheduled to open in 2022. Learn more at CHKD.org.
Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer, and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
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Reporters May Contact:
Elizabeth Earley, CHKD
Phone: 1.757.668.9049
Matt Card, Bank of America
Phone: 1.703.987.7427
