Hyundai Canada announced a $500,000 donation to the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation, kicking off a fundraising push in support of a new, six-bed child and adolescent mental health inpatient unit at Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH).

The unit would be an expansion of the existing outpatient services and will fill a critical gap in child and youth mental health support in York and Durham Region. The project has been in the works for the past decade but has struggled to secure adequate funding to launch a fundraiser.

“Since the pandemic, there have been more kids in crisis than I have ever seen in my career. I can’t think of a family in this day and age that hasn’t been impacted. The need for this unit at MSH is something we have to address as our community gets bigger,” says Dr. Rus Sethna, chief of psychiatry, Oak Valley Health. “As a community, we need to band together to continue to destigmatize mental illness, and work together to bring innovation and mental health care to our local community.”

“Supporting today’s youth for their success tomorrow is one of the core tenets of Hyundai’s larger ethos of ‘progress for humanity,'” says Kirk Merrett, Hyundai Canada’s director of human resources and administration. “Every child deserves to be able to access the support they need within their local community. We are thankful and fortunate that we can support the community through the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation and help realize a goal that is long overdue.”

In adding inpatient services, MSH aims to ensure timely access to care for patients in crisis and improve patient outcomes. In tandem with the existing outpatient services, the new inpatient unit will improve continuity of care and is expected to decrease the risk of readmission by ensuring ongoing access to support post-discharge, including one-on-one counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy groups, family therapy, medication management and more.

“Hyundai truly is a shining example of what corporations can accomplish through philanthropy. We know that their generosity will be the catalyst that inspires the support of our community and raises awareness for this special cause,” says Suzette Strong, CEO, Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation.

For more information about the fundraising initiative and to donate, visit mshf.on.ca.