Children’s Wisconsin is proud to announce the creation of the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center. The designation as a center acknowledges the innovative programs, growth of services, and increased coordination of mental and behavioral health services Children’s Wisconsin offers and honors the $20 million transformational gift announced in 2021 from The Yabuki Family Foundation.
“Too many kids continue to face a mental health crisis. This is as true today as it was in 2019 when we shared a five-year, $150 million vision to improve our mental health services. Our journey to address the mental health challenges impacting kids in Wisconsin has only started, but this designation recognizes the investment and advancements we have made,” said Peggy Troy, president and CEO of Children’s Wisconsin. “These improvements are a team effort, including the dedicated providers and staff members implementing the change, as well as the many donors who have generously supported our efforts. That includes the $20 million gift from The Yabuki Family Foundation. I am proud to say that we are helping reshape how mental health care is provided to kids in Wisconsin, and I know that with continued support we can be a model for how to improve mental health across the country.”
The Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center is not a physical place and is not tied to a specific location. The center is now the umbrella name for all mental and behavioral health services and research at Children’s Wisconsin. This includes experts in child and adolescent psychiatry, counseling, pediatric psychology, neuropsychology and psychotherapy, as well as the staff who support them. These experts are providing mental health services to kids and families at mental health walk-in clinics in Milwaukee and Kenosha, all Children’s Wisconsin primary care offices, the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital, regional clinics, family resource centers, schools and beyond.
Being designated as a clinical center at Children’s Wisconsin involves meeting requirements related to clinical outcomes, quality, education and outreach, research and innovation, and philanthropy. The Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center joins the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and the Herma Heart Institute as key, transformational programs for care and research at Children’s Wisconsin.
The namesake of the center, Craig Yabuki, is the late brother of former Fiserv CEO Jeff Yabuki. Craig died by suicide in 2017, leaving behind a wife and three young children. From that tragedy came hope in the form of a transformative act of philanthropy. Jeff and his wife Gail made a $20 million gift to bring mental and behavioral health into every Children’s Wisconsin primary care office and urgent care location, as well as the Emergency Department at the Milwaukee Hospital and at the two Children’s Wisconsin Mental Health Walk-in Clinics. As part of the largest-scale implementation in any pediatric setting in the nation, therapists and pediatricians are working side-by-side, fully integrating mental and behavioral health touchpoints into every visit a child has with Children’s Wisconsin. Since July 2021, more than 180,000 kids have been screened or seen for mental health concerns.
The Yabuki family’s philanthropy also established research to ensure the best possible short- and long-term outcomes for the program. The family’s gift was the largest single donation in Children’s Wisconsin history.
“There are significant opportunities to address the way mental health issues are diagnosed and treated, which we believe will lead to far better outcomes for our children. The steps we are taking at Children’s Wisconsin to put mental and behavioral health on the same level as physical health — while reducing stigma — is foundational to making that happen,” said Jeff Yabuki. “My brother Craig would be proud of this work, and we are honored to have his name represent the advancements being made in mental health care for kids.”
“Our commitment to change the mental and behavioral health landscape isn’t possible without benefactors like the Yabuki family. Beyond the financial commitment, Jeff’s passion and desire to see changes and improvements in how we provide mental health care for kids are already transforming lives,” said Meg Brzyski Nelson, president of the Children’s Wisconsin Foundation. “We are grateful for the Yabuki family’s partnership and are continuing to build off the advancements and innovative programs we have started.”
Parents of children with mental and behavioral health diagnoses or potential concerns can learn more about how and where to access mental and behavioral health care at Children’s Wisconsin online or by calling (414) 266-3339.
