Garry Hurvitz gives big for mental health

Even before the pandemic, child and youth mental health issues had been on the rise. COVID-19 was fuel to the fire. Since 2020, SickKids alone has seen a 51 per cent increase in Emergency Department visits requiring psychiatry support and a 99 percent increase in patients presenting to the Urgent Care Clinic for mental health crises. And these patients are younger and in more distress than ever before.

Amid this grim backdrop, Garry Hurvitz signalled hope with an awe-inspiring $50-million gift to advance child and youth brain and mental health at SickKids through the newly renamed Garry Hurvitz Centre for Brain & Mental Health and the Garry Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health. Motivated by his own experience battling obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression from a young age, Garry stepped up at a critical moment, hoping to ensure children and youth facing similar challenges have somewhere to turn.

The gift will be a catalyst for much-needed change across the health system. It will bring to life the SickKids Mental Health Strategy aimed at re-imagining care for some of the most complex patients — those with combined mental and physical health conditions. This historic gift will provide resources to pioneer new treatment models, expand opportunities for cutting-edge research, and deliver new therapies for neurological diseases.

Put together, these advances — thanks to Garry’s generosity — will give children and youth a better shot at becoming mentally healthy adults capable of navigating adversity and living productive lives.