The Partnership for Mental Health, a project of Baptist Health and the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, awarded Sulzbacher $50,000 to fund a child psychiatrist at its Pediatric Health Center.
The grant will enhance Sulzbacher’s behavioral health services for children, providing critically needed psychiatric care to children with emotional, behavioral and developmental problems.
“Every child deserves high-quality healthcare services, no matter where they are from, and mental health is so important for a growing child,” said Cindy Funkhouser, president and CEO of Sulzbacher. “We are so grateful to The Partnership for Mental Health, The Community Foundation, Baptist Health, and to Delores Barr Weaver for this gift — it will provide expert care to children in need.”
Opened in 2018, the Pediatric Health Center at Sulzbacher Village can serve any child in the community, and its services include primary care, vision care, behavioral health, dental care, developmental screenings and referrals to specialists. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Sulzbacher’s pediatric services are provided on a sliding fee scale, and no child is turned away due to the lack of ability to pay.
Every child in Northeast Florida is eligible to receive healthcare at Sulzbacher Village, located at the corner of 44th St. and Pearl St., 5455 Springfield Blvd., in the Brentwood neighborhood of Jacksonville.
Sulzbacher operates its Pediatric Health Center in partnership with Wolfson Children’s Hospital and together both organizations are highlighting the community-wide mental health stigma reduction campaign for youth, “On Our Sleeves,” a program of Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Baptist.
One in five children is living with a significant mental illness, and half of all lifetime mental health issues start by age 14. Because kids don’t wear their thoughts on their sleeves, it can be difficult to tell when a child is struggling with mental health.
“On Our Sleeves” is a national movement to break stigmas around children’s mental health. For more information about this campaign, go to www.wolfsonchildrens.com/onoursleeves.
