Akron Children’s has received a $1 million philanthropic gift from Southwoods Health founder and CEO Ed Muransky and his wife, Chris, to expand and strengthen behavioral health services for children and adolescents throughout the Mahoning Valley.
      The gift comes at a time when behavioral health needs among children and adolescents continue to grow. In the Mahoning Valley alone, Akron Children’s recorded more than 15,000 behavioral health outpatient visits last year. Depression also contributed to more than 1,300 emergency department visits in the region.
      The $1 million donation will support the Mahoning Valley Behavioral Health Initiative, a five-year effort to improve access to mental healthcare, expand innovative treatment programs and strengthen the network of services available to children and families across 10 Mahoning Valley locations and care settings.
      “We’ve always felt that behavioral health is an area of children’s healthcare that doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Chris Muransky. “If a child has cancer, everyone recognizes how devastating that is. But a child struggling with severe depression or contemplating suicide is just as much at risk.
      “There shouldn’t be a stigma or shame associated with that. These children need help just as much as children facing physical illnesses,” she added. “When behavioral health needs go untreated in childhood, they can carry into adulthood and create even greater challenges.”
      A key component in Akron Children’s approach is triage, assessment, brief behavioral interventions, care coordination and tracking, an evidence-based method that integrates behavioral health services into primary care. The model connects children identified with behavioral health concerns to embedded therapists and care coordinators who help families navigate treatment and access the appropriate level of care.
      The approach has significantly improved access. Successful referrals to behavioral health providers increased from 55.8% to 87.4% following implementation. Today, 85% of referred patients are seen within a couple of weeks, compared with just 10% before the model was introduced.
      Philanthropic support will continue to help fund behavioral healthcare coordinators throughout the Mahoning Valley and psychiatric consultation for primary care providers, services that are not fully covered by insurance.
      The Muransky’s gift also will support Sonar Mental Health, a 24/7 chat-based support platform connecting young people ages 8 to 18-years-old with trained well-being coaches, as well as expanded treatment options, including intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs for adolescents.
      “We hope this investment will help more children get the treatment they need, reach families who may not realize help is available and expand access for those who might not otherwise have the means to receive it,” said Ed Muransky.
      “This gift will help us transform behavioral healthcare delivery to children and adolescents in the Mahoning Valley,” said Dr. Eva Szigethy, the Lois C. Orr Endowed Chair in Pediatric Psychiatry and director of Pediatric Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Akron Children’s. “It allows us to study and track our efforts, address healthcare equity, and build programs in areas like trauma, autism, eating disorders and addictions.”
      “Ed and Chris Muransky have long demonstrated a deep commitment to the Mahoning Valley and the families who call it home,” said Shelly Brown, chief development officer and executive director of Akron Children’s Foundation. “Their extraordinary generosity will help ensure that children facing behavioral health challenges can get the right care, at the right time, close to home. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership and for the lasting difference this gift will make for children and families across the region.”