Mental Health

Overview

 

Our vision for adults living with mental illnesses is that they are engaged and supported members of the community. 

 

We recognize advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels is essential to achieving meaningful change, so we partner with organizations from across the United States to raise awareness of critical mental health issues and to press for increased public funding.

Our Goals

 

Through our investments and advocacy, we hope to accomplish the following:

 

There is a strong, well-trained mental health workforce capable of meeting community need. 


Adults affected by mental illness and serious mental illness have access to high-quality medical treatment and support services that enhance their quality of life.


Mental health services are well funded by public and private investment.

 

The Lee Foundation distinguishes mental health conditions from intellectual disabilities, such as autism. We recognize the severity of these conditions but consider them to be outside our programmatic focus.  We have adopted the definition of mental illness used by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

 

A medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.

 

For additional information on mental illness, visit:

Join the Conversation 

Know the Warning Signs

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Navigating a Mental Health Crisis

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

 

The Lee Foundation is not a direct provider of mental health services. 

 

If you are in crisis, experiencing emotional distress, or worried about someone you know, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org/chat. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Grant Highlight - Project REACH

 
Grantee: Upstate Foundation 
Project: Project REACH
 
 Issue:
 
An estimated 122 million Americans – including 4 million in New York – live in a mental health shortage area, as designated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Although the workforce shortage existed prior to the pandemic, the recent increase in demand for mental health services has made the situation even more critical. In 2020, four in 10 adults in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety or depression – a significant increase from the previous year when one in 10 adults reported these symptoms. 
 
The Lee Foundation issued a request for proposals inviting nonprofit organizations from western and central New York to develop programs that implemented the clinical recommendations presented in Enhancing the capacity of the mental health and addiction workforce: A framework, by Anita Burgos, Ph.D., and Benjamin Miller, Psy.D. The policy paper, commissioned by the Lee Foundation and three other philanthropic partners, identifies actionable solutions to mitigate the current strain on the mental health system. Solutions include partnering with primary care physicians to ensure more timely interventions for patients needing mental health services. 
 
Solution:
 
 Upstate Medical University developed intensive workshops and utilized the Project ECHO platform to increase the capacity of primary and family medicine providers in the eight counties of central New York to systematically screen, identify, treat, and appropriately refer patients suffering from mental health disorders. In Project ECHO, which uses video technology, Upstate experts function as the “hub” to deliver education, knowledge and best practices to the primary care clinicians in the region.
 
The goal is for primary providers to enhance their competencies in the treatment of mild to moderate mental health disorders and provide much needed mental health care in a timely and appropriate manner. Upstate will also provide information about appropriate referrals, particularly with complex situations, encourage comfort in a consultation model and enable the development of a collaborative care pathway between the providers and psychiatrists.
 
Testimonial from Project REACH participant:
 
“Increasing the awareness of treatment options for mental illness, within the primary care space, leads to a more holistic care approach that benefits the patient. This is what The Upstate Mental Health REACH Initiative has helped to foster. I can now, more confidently, initiate care for several common mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, without the need for initial evaluation by Psychiatry. If I still feel that Psychiatry evaluation and treatment is warranted, I better know how to risk­ assess for conditions such as suicidality, and am able to then refer to the appropriate level of care. The Upstate Mental Health REACH Initiative is truly breaking down the silos of healthcare, and bridging a gap for patients in need.”

Grant Highlight - INTERCEPT

 

Grantee: University of Rochester Medical Center

Project: INTERCEPT Clinical High-Risk Program

 

Issue:

Serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and related conditions occur in 1 out of 100 people, on average. To put that in perspective, that’s more than 700 fans at every sold-out Bills game.

 

Characterized by symptoms such as hearing non-existent voices, unusual beliefs, difficulties with attention, and hard-to-comprehend speech – these conditions are associated with high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, depression, and suicide.

 

These diseases are also among the costliest and most disabling, due to treatment expenses and lost income for patients and family members. Patient lifespans are 15 to 30 years shorter as well. Yet, unlike other serious illnesses (e.g., cancer, heart disease), outcomes have not improved over the past 50 years, lifespans have not risen, and only a small percentage can access the best treatments.

 

In Western and Central New York, investment in solutions has lagged the downstate region. For example, the state Office of Mental Health (OMH) funds two major research centers devoted to schizophrenia and related conditions: The New York State Psychiatric Institute, in Manhattan, and the Nathan Kline Institute, in Rockland County. Until recently, there were five clinics in the state focused on preventing these illnesses – and none were outside New York City.

Solution:

Interventions for Changes in Emotions, Perception, and Thinking (INTERCEPT) is a unique mental health program for young people aged 15 to 28. Designed to address new and distressing symptoms in their early stages, it offers opportunities to help prevent progression to more serious conditions.

 

Through the program, young people can learn to identify, monitor, and manage changes in behavior and mental health. Treatment components are tailored to the individual and can include individual and group therapy, problem solving, social skills training, goal planning, and more. Structured to minimize disruptions to school, work, and relationships, INTERCEPT can help young people make “course corrections” on their journey to mental wellness. 

 

INTERCEPT is strategically based at the University of Rochester Medical Center to provide a central place for Western and Central New Yorkers to access these vital services. INTERCEPT uses a comprehensive treatment approach that involves family members and focuses on keeping people in school, work and other valued roles by preventing the onset of an episode when possible and improving outcomes when not.

Grant Highlight - University at Buffalo

 

Grantee: Department of Psychiatry - University at Buffalo

Project: Psychology Doctoral Internship 


Issue:
Western New York – like many parts of the United States – does not have a sufficient number of mental health professionals to meet community need. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 111 million people live in “mental health professional shortage areas.”

Solution:
With funding from the Lee Foundation, the University at Buffalo developed a psychology doctoral internship program that provides students with a high-quality, unique training experience.

Unlike most internship programs focused on treating either children or adults, the Lee interns work with children, adolescents, families, and younger and older adults. “The interns gain expertise in how serious mental illness develops across the entire life-span,” states Dr. Alex Cogswell, Associate Professor and Training Director of the internship program. “They learn to identify indicators of potential or worsening illness in childhood, so that they can intervene earlier and continue to manage them as they get older.”

The addition of interns to the local workforce improves access to treatment, helping to shorten the long waiting lists that permeate the region. And over the longer term, Alex predicts that psychologists completing the program will not only treat patients but develop valuable new programs as well. “They are bright, ambitious, thoughtful and creative,” he says. “They’ll be able to evaluate and improve the system by creating something new.”