Cardinal Health and Children's Hospital Association Announce Second Preventing Youth Suicide Cohort

Cardinal Health Foundation will invest $1.7M to help 14 children's hospitals nationwide prevent youth suicide.

DUBLIN, Ohio, Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) in partnership with Children's Hospitals Association (CHA) and the Zero Suicide Institute (ZSI) announced today the second round of grant recipients for the Preventing Youth Suicide: A Cardinal Health Foundation National Collaborative. The grants, which total approximately $1.7 million, will provide support to 14 children's hospitals and health systems nationwide to help prevent youth suicide in the hospitals' respective communities.

The collaborative members will implement a framework developed by ZSI, commit to transforming operations to better care for children who are at risk of a mental health crisis, as well as receive training and resources to sustain efforts after the grant ends. In 2022, Cardinal Health partnered with CHA to create the inaugural Preventing Youth Suicide: A Cardinal Health Foundation National Collaborative as a response to the ongoing youth mental health crisis plaguing our communities.

"At Cardinal Health, we're committed to investing in the mental wellbeing of not only our employees, but our communities as well," said Jessie Cannon, vice president of Community Relations at Cardinal Health. "We're proud to continue to support the work CHA, ZSI and the children's hospitals are doing to reduce youth suicide. We're confident this program will make a lasting impact in funded communities."

Since 2020, Cardinal Health has invested $5.4 million to more than 47 hospitals and health systems nationwide to help reduce mental health crises. After the two-year grant ends in 2024, CHA is committed to continuing the work of the Collaborative. Behavioral health, inclusive of suicide prevention, is a priority of the Association's quality and improvement agenda.

"Children's hospitals and health systems work within their hospitals, outpatient clinics and emergency rooms and in partnership with their communities to improve the health of children and youth – including their mental, emotional and behavioral health," said Amy Wimpey Knight, president of CHA. "With some 30 pediatric health care organizations now focused on building stronger care systems to recognize, intervene and treat children and youth at risk of suicide through the Preventing Youth Suicide Collaborative, we will save lives. We are grateful to these hospitals, their community partners and to Cardinal Health and the Zero Suicide Institute for their leadership and partnership with CHA. We are committed to sharing their work with children's hospitals across the nation."

The following children's hospitals and health systems have been awarded grants:

• AdventHealth for Children – Fla.
• Advocate Children's Hospital – Ill.
• Boston Children's Hospital – Mass.
• Children's Minnesota – Minn.
• Children's Wisconsin – Wis.
• Cohen Children's Medical Center, Northwell Health – N.Y.
• Doernbecher Children's Hospital – Ore.
• Mary Bridge Children's Hospital – Wash.
• Medical University of South Carolina Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital – S.C.
• Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt – Tenn.
• Penn State Children's Hospital – Pa.
• Intermountain Primary Children's – Utah
• Stanford Children's Health – Calif.
• Wolfson Children's Hospital – Fla.
• For more information, please visit: Preventing Youth Suicide National Collaborative.

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, and a provider of performance and data solutions for healthcare facilities. With more than 50 years in business, operations in 30 countries and approximately 46,500 employees globally, Cardinal Health is essential to care. Information about Cardinal Health is available at cardinalhealth.com. 

About Children's Hospitals Association

Children's Hospital Association is the national voice of more than 200 children's hospitals, advancing child health through innovation in the quality, cost and delivery of care. Learn more at https://www.childrenshospitals.org/.

Media Contact:

Cardinal Health: Tori Simmons, [email protected]

Children's Hospital Association: Elleni Almandrez, [email protected]

SOURCE Cardinal Health