Ways to Give

A $2 million pledge from the Goldring Family and Woldenberg Foundations has transformed the expansion of behavioral health services for our community. The generous gift paved the way for the construction of the Behavioral Health Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, a $25 million project located on the hospital’s main campus. The center, dedicated to serving children and adolescents with a wide range of mental and behavioral health disorders, is among the largest and most comprehensive pediatric behavioral health programs in the nation.

“Creating a better future for our kids means developing innovative ways to change the dynamics of pediatric healthcare,” said John

R. Nickens IV, President and Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “With one in five children affected by behavioral and mental health disorders, we must amplify the way we are proactively addressing behavioral healthcare for children—and we could not do that without the support of our community and the incredible generosity of the Goldring Family and Woldenberg Foundations.”

The Behavioral Health Center offers acute inpatient behavioral health treatment in a safe, structured and nurturing environment for kids ages 7 to 17. The program focuses on teaching and empowering each patient to develop healthy life skills to improve his or her function and future quality of life. Outpatient services complement inpatient care, including assessment and treatment of psychiatric and behavioral disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mood disturbance.

“We’re proud that our gift will help address the mental and behavioral health needs of children in our community,” said Jeffrey Goldring, Goldring Family Foundation board member.

With six children, California natives Kimberly and Mark Bartholomew have experienced their share of health crises. Their fifth child, born with a congenital heart defect, died of complications following a heart transplant at 6 weeks old. Another daughter has battled major depressive disorder since she was a young child, requiring inpatient stays in hospitals on the West Coast. More recently, their grandson was born with a severe form of autism, requiring constant intervention.

“Given the health needs we have experienced, we knew once we were financially able, we wanted to give back and help other families struggling as we did,” said Kimberly Bartholomew. “It’s important to us to make sure the services are available for every child who needs it, regardless of their ability to pay.”

With a $250,000 gift, the Bartholomew Family Behavioral Health Pod of the Emergency Department (ED) was built. ED providers collaborated with the Behavioral Health Center experts to create a safe, multi-purpose environment addressing mental health needs not typically available in emergency settings around the nation.

“We wanted to invest in a program that looks at this population differently and cares for them on their level,” said Mark Bartholomew. “With specially-designed exam rooms, children and young adults will feel a part of their care, not just a patient.”

The Bartholomew family, having visited New Orleans for many years, fell in love with the city and felt the need to give back. They shared the naming of the unit with Thoth Charities, an organization that is important to them.

The new Bartholomew Family Behavioral Health Pod of the ED is scheduled to open in July of 2021.

With an initial $125,000 investment from the Harry T. Howard III Foundation, Children’s Hospital New Orleans’ commitment to stand in the gap for vulnerable children was strengthened.

Mental illness impacts 20 percent of our nation’s youth. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24. Twenty percent of these receive treatment and only a small fraction are treated by child and adolescent psychiatrists.

School-based psychiatric care presents a unique opportunity to intervene, eliminating significant barriers to access, including transportation. With the foundation’s investment, the School Psychiatry Collaborative was created in 2020. The pilot program provides one New Orleans charter school with on-site mental health services delivered by a staff of licensed clinical social workers and child and adolescent psychiatrists. Other benefits include less class time missed for students, less work missed for caregivers, and more opportunity for collaboration between school staff and mental health professionals.

Children’s Hospital New Orleans will continue to grow the program, partnering with an additional New Orleans charter school to provide telepsychiatry services directly to students. Similar to on-site school services, the utilization of telehealth removes several significant barriers to accessing care.

“Early intervention is so important in diagnosing and treating mental health,” said Peter Feringa, Harry T. Howard III Foundation trustee. “We are proud to support this school-based initiative, making it easier to reach more children and adolescents.”

Healthcare professionals, parents and school system leaders across the country recognize that access to mental and behavioral health services is a critical unmet need in nearly every community. New Orleans is no exception. By developing innovative service delivery models, Children’s Hospital New Orleans is increasing access to mental health services, a key driver in diagnosis, intervention and treatment.

In early 2021, the Harry T. Howard III Foundation generously committed to extending financial support for these vital school-based psychiatry services, with a 7-year, $900,000+ commitment that will be transformative for children and adolescents across our community.

The Behavioral Health Center’s Ogden Art Therapy Suite opened in 2020 with a $100,000 investment from Roger Ogden, founder of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. With a dedicated room and art therapist, each child and adolescent will have one to two expressive therapy groups per day, including music and art, which is at the core of the inpatient program. Ogden’s generous donation has allowed for an increase in one-to-one therapy sessions and new technology and equipment to enhance the art therapy suite.

“It is my pleasure to bring more art and music into the lives of Children’s Hospital’s behavioral health patients,” said Ogden. “My hope is that an enhanced artistic experience will promote happiness and healing.”

The Ogden Art Therapy Suite has two walls of windows that filter vibrant sunlight or the therapeutic patter of rainfall. For patients, the room is a place for increased awareness, acceptance and celebration of the self. Not surprisingly, patient artwork often reflects the shifting changes of nature outside the windows and plays into the metaphorical exploration of shifting emotions and processing of life events

Children and adolescents in the program use high-quality materials in a comfortable environment and receive support from a certified art therapist. Roger Ogden’s contribution to the Art Therapy program will help many children throughout Louisiana foster a love for artistic expression.