Copyright M Live Michigan
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine (WMed) received an anonymous $1.52 million gift, the school announced on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The gift will be used to expand access to child and adolescent psychiatry care in Southwest Michigan. Donors were prompted to donate after reaching out to WMed with concerns about difficulty accessing mental health care for children and adolescents in the community. The additional funding, set aside as an endowment, will allow WMed to recruit three child and adolescent psychiatrists. There’s a “substantial shortage” of of child and adolescent psychiatrists in Southwest Michigan, the news release said. More than 70 specialists are required to meet the needs of children and adolescents in the region. “This gift is transformative, there’s no other way to describe it,” said Dr. Eric Achtyes, professor and chair of WMed’s Department of Psychiatry. “This will mean that thousands of children who otherwise would not have access or would have to go outside of our region for this care will now have access to local child and adolescent psychiatrists and the treatments they provide.” Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLive’s local Kalamazoo news page.
