McLean Hospital Receives $1 Million Gift From Karen and Rob Hale Toward Child & Adolescent Programs

Gift will support McLean's vision for a comprehensive and modern child and adolescent center that brings together child-focused clinical care, research, and academic programs

BELMONT, Mass., Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- McLean Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham, has received a $1 million gift from Karen and Rob Hale through their family foundation, Fox Rock Foundation.

This substantial gift will support McLean's plans to enhance and centralize its environments for children and adolescents, in particular, its specialized residential and educational services for individuals ages 6 to 22 years old.

The United States is facing a growing mental health crisis among children and adolescents in which one out of every five youths has a mental health disorder, many of whom go undiagnosed. Half of all mental illness presents by age 14 and 75% by 24 years of age.

Without proper diagnosis and treatment, these children and adolescents face academic challenges as well as social and behavioral problems that can carry through adulthood.

"Early intervention and treatment are critical to ensuring that youth facing mental health conditions receive the support and tools they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives," said the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Chair of Psychiatry and the President and Psychiatrist in Chief for McLean Hospital Scott L. Rauch, MD.

"I am deeply grateful that the Hale Family has chosen to directly respond to the crucial needs of young people through this generous gift to McLean. Their contribution will make a tremendous and long-lasting impact on our patients, their families and all those we serve."

Recognizing the unique needs of young people and the importance of early intervention with evidence-based treatments, McLean has invested heavily in expanding services for children, adolescents, and their families over the past two decades. Now, the hospital envisions creating a state-of-the-art new center for several of its residential and partial hospital programs, in addition to its two specialized schools.

"We currently have multiple locations throughout the greater Boston area where our youth programs are located," said Rauch. "We want to bring those programs together in a way that will benefit students, patients, and their families, giving them access to all of McLean's expertise and services in a more centralized fashion."

"We are delighted to contribute to the world-renowned mental health care provided by McLean Hospital and to help it realize its vision of delivering effective support for children and adolescents to set them up for lifelong success," said Karen Hale.

"It is critical that we, as individuals, families, and organizations, work toward supporting the mental health of our children by talking about the current crisis and taking action."

The $1 million gift to McLean is part of a philanthropy campaign from the Hale family and its Fox Rock Foundation to give $52 million, or $1 million a week for a year, to New England-based nonprofits.

McLean Hospital has a continuous commitment to put people first in patient care, innovation and discovery, and shared knowledge related to mental health. It is consistently named the #1 freestanding psychiatric hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and is #1 in America for psychiatric care in 2022-23. McLean Hospital is the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a member of Mass General Brigham. To stay up to date on McLean, follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Fox Rock Foundation is the private family foundation established by Karen and Rob Hale and their adult children, Trevor, Thomas, and Brett, to inspire health in our communities and our environment, with more opportunity for all.

Building on the philanthropy of the Hales and their businesses, Fox Rock Foundation supports a wide variety of organizations within four principal areas of giving: education, health and wellbeing, conservation, and equality.

The foundation's current focus is a series of grant partnerships with small and midsized nonprofits making a difference on a variety of causes in New England and beyond. Fox Rock Foundation builds on the philanthropy of Granite Telecommunications, where Rob Hale is founder and CEO, Granite Gives Back, FoxRock Cares, and other personal giving by the Hales.

Through a variety of giving channels, the Hale family has pledged or donated more than $300 million to a broad range of worthy causes.

SOURCE McLean Hospital