KPMG donation will expand access to pediatric mental health care in West Lakes

KPMG announced a $1 million three-year donation to AdventHealth for Children, Lift Orlando and United Against Poverty aimed at enhancing education, mental health and overall community vitality in the West Lakes neighborhood.

“A few years ago, our Foundation Board decided to take a new approach to our philanthropy. We made the decision to concentrate our giving in specific geographic areas, knowing that when we collaborate with like-minded organizations, we can create a ripple effect of change for numerous families,” said Anita Whitehead, KPMG Foundation president and chair.

AdventHealth for Children’s portion of the investment will fund a pediatric mental health care coordinator dedicated to serving children and families in the 32805 zip code and helping them better access pediatric mental health resources and services.

This expansion of AdventHealth for Children’s pediatric mental health services builds on the health system’s recent efforts to address youth mental health in Central Florida, recognizing that one in five children in the U.S. have a mental or emotional disorder and suicide is a leading cause of death for teens.

“For the last several years, AdventHealth for Children has focused efforts on meeting the mental health needs of children in Central Florida. Our child and adolescent psychiatric practice has provided hundreds of children and families with counseling and other mental health services, and the first-of-its-kind Be a Mindleader campaign has helped tremendously in breaking down the stigma around mental health,” said Jessica Galo, director of specialty care for AdventHealth for Children. “Now, through this new partnership with KPMG, we’ll be able to care for more children in the 32805 zip code and make it easier for children and families to access the mental health resources and services they need and deserve.”