
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago received a $12 million gift from an anonymous donor to support the hospital’s Healthy Communities program in its efforts to address child abuse, unmet mental health needs, and violence and its effects on youth. These are three of the eight priority areas identified in Lurie Children’s latest Community Health Needs Assessment.
The funded projects range from developing innovative technology to identify child abuse, to helping youth break the cycle of criminality, to training school personnel how to recognize trauma and intervene effectively.
“With this gift, Lurie Children’s experts will be able to expand their reach, sustain and enhance partnerships with community organizations, and achieve broader and more lasting impact on the health of children in Chicago,” said Matthew Davis, MD, MAPP, Head of Academic General Pediatrics and Primary Care at Lurie Children’s. “For decades, our work with partners in the community has been critical to helping children grow up healthy, strong and resilient. This is a central part of our hospital’s mission. We are determined to address the most pressing needs faced by children and adolescents where they live, learn and play in neighborhoods across Chicago.” Davis is a Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Medical Social Sciences and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The $12 million gift will support the following projects:
“At Lurie Children’s, our Healthy Communities effort is dedicated to connecting our neighborhood-focused programs and our clinical services, with the goal of improving health for children and adolescents who are facing many health challenges,” said Davis, also Director of the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research, Outreach, and Advocacy Center, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s. “We are grateful for this generous new support that will enable us to broaden our initiatives addressing child abuse, mental health needs and violence to reach even more youth in partnership with many organizations across Chicago that share our commitment to children’s health.”
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals in the U.S.News & World Report. Research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Last year, the hospital served more than 198,000 children from 50 states and 51 countries.