Hillside, Inc., a longstanding leader in the field of youth and family behavioral health services, announced the formation of Hillside Atlanta Foundation. This nonprofit will work to make sure every child at Hillside has all the time, treatment, and professional support they need to heal and flourish.

Behavioral health treatment for children and adolescents faces a myriad of obstacles. The Hillside Atlanta Foundation vows to help Hillside rise to these challenges by providing scholarships for children, and professional training for all doctors and staff of Hillside. Additionally, the Foundation will fund research and innovative new treatments, and expand access to quality treatment across the state and region.

“When a child needs adequate time in care to stabilize and be successful after discharge, and insurance or Medicaid won't pay for it, the Foundation’s goal is to have the funds to help a family along,” says Emily Acker, president and CEO of Hillside. “I'm highly concerned kids’ treatment is unfunded before they are ready, and we want to make sure their needs are met.”.”

These needs can include some therapies and supports not typically funded by insurance. Hillside Atlanta Foundation can assist in paying for effective treatments such as horticulture therapy, therapeutic drumming, and animal-assisted therapy.

Staying on top of the latest treatments requires ongoing training. Professional development and new treatment innovations are expensive, but they help keep Hillside at the forefront of child and adolescent behavioral health care. That’s why the Hillside Atlanta Foundation supports these critical investments.

“These are developing practices that we need to be experts in,” Acker explains, “and that takes lots of training dollars."

In turn, Hillside’s professionals share services and knowledge with colleagues all over the world. Additionally, Hillside is expanding its in-home therapy services across Georgia, with ambitions to reach children and families throughout the Southeast, providing access to a level of specialized care that isn't currently available to them. The Hillside Atlanta Foundation is proud to support Hillside as it expands the reach of its lifesaving and life-changing expertise.

"The Hillside Foundation is all about breaking barriers,” says Acker, “and ultimately allowing children, adolescents, and young adults to get the help they need to live their lives to the fullest.”