Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has received a grant from The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation to enhance access to, and delivery of, behavioral health services for children and adolescents. The two-year grant provides funding for several initiatives to support the behavioral healthcare needs of the region’s children, including:  

• Renovation of a hospital courtyard that will serve as a therapeutic and recreational retreat space to enhance the care environment for patients admitted to Nicklaus Children’s Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. The renovation will include covered seating, a basketball court, fountain and tranquil garden spaces.  
• Funding support for patients receiving care in the hospital’s Intensive Outpatient Program, which provides mental health treatment and therapy for adolescents and their families to enhance outcomes and reduce readmission to the hospital. The program is ideal for adolescents transitioning from an inpatient unit or a partial hospitalization program. The DeLuca grant will provide funding for dozens of uninsured and underinsured patients who would otherwise be unable to access intensive outpatient therapy. 
• Funding for Code Bear, a Nicklaus Children’s program that provides training for hospital clinical teams to optimize care management and support of children with autism. Children on the autism spectrum can sometimes react fearfully in a healthcare environment. The training provides staff with behavioral strategies to help diffuse challenging situations.

“Nicklaus Children’s is tremendously grateful to the DeLuca Foundation for their generous support,” said Matthew A. Love, President and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. “As demand has surged for mental health services for children and adolescents, the foundation is helping us better serve those in need by enabling them to feel more at home while in our care.”

Nicklaus Children’s observes Mental Health Awareness Month throughout the month of May.

To learn more about pediatric psychiatry health care at Nicklaus Children’s, visit https://www.nicklauschildrens.org/medical-services/pediatric-psychiatry.