Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) and Children’s Wisconsin today announced a $3 million commitment from Kohl’s that will support the opening of three additional mental health walk-in clinic locations in Wisconsin. The donation, which comes on the first day of National Mental Health Awareness Month, builds on the organizations’ continued work to build awareness, remove barriers, and make critical mental health services more accessible to youth and families across the state.
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The new locations will offer similar services to those provided at the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic on the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee campus. The intent is to open one location each year over the next three years. Locations of the new clinics have not yet been selected, but will be spread throughout Wisconsin.
“The mental health issues impacting today’s youth are of the utmost importance, and we applaud the work Children’s Wisconsin has been doing to prioritize and develop tangible solutions to support mental wellness for all children,” said Christie Raymond, Kohl’s chief marketing officer. “Through our continued partnership, Kohl’s is proud to play a role in increasing access to critical mental health services and creating pathways to greater health and well-being for kids across Wisconsin.”
“Wisconsin kids are telling us what kids all over the country have been telling us — this is a crisis,” said Amy Herbst, MSSW, APSW, vice president of mental and behavioral health at Children’s Wisconsin. “We are so grateful that Kohl’s recognizes the urgency in addressing this need and continues to support these efforts. We know that more Wisconsin kids will begin a path to better health and healing because of their gift.”
The walk-in clinics provide immediate mental health support to kids 5-18 years old and are staffed with licensed therapists and social workers. The clinics offer a therapy session, safety evaluation and support in connecting families to long-term resources either through Children’s Wisconsin or in the community. Opened in March 2022, the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic in Milwaukee is the only mental health walk-in clinic in the state and has supported more than 1,000 kids. Around 50 percent of the kids were from Milwaukee County, but families traveled from as far away as Manitowoc and Chicago to receive immediate care, highlighting the need for more resources statewide.
Data from the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health shows that in 2022, anxiety, depression, and suicide reports were up, with 34 percent of Wisconsin students feeling sad and hopeless almost every day. That’s a 10 percent increase over the last 10 years. In addition, 22 percent of Wisconsin high school students reported physically harming themselves, and 52 percent reported anxiety. This is consistent with the concerns seen by mental health providers at the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic over the last year. The vast majority of kids have reported anxiety, depression, trauma concerns, and school avoidance.
The additional walk-in clinics continue the commitment of Children’s Wisconsin to ensure that every child’s mental health is as important as caring for their physical health. In 2019, Children’s Wisconsin made a 5-year, $150 million commitment to address the mental health crisis facing Wisconsin kids by detecting needs sooner, improving access to care and raising awareness of mental health. Kohl’s was among the first to support efforts by the health system, committing $5 million in 2019 to expand school-based mental health services, introduce mental health screening tools and support an awareness campaign on mental health needs.
Kohl’s donation is made possible through Kohl’s philanthropic program, Kohl’s Cares®, which sells children’s books and toys and donates 100 percent of the net profit to support the health and wellness of families in our communities nationwide. Since 2001, Kohl's has committed more than $23 million to Children’s Wisconsin to help Wisconsin’s kids live stronger, healthier lives. The long-standing partnership is rooted in creating new and exciting programs focused on kids' health and education, and in recent years has focused on addressing the mental health crisis.
This commitment to Children’s Wisconsin serves as an extension of Kohl’s broader philanthropic focus on mental health and wellness nationwide. In addition to Kohl’s hometown partnership with Children’s Wisconsin, the national retailer also supports Alliance for a Healthier Generation, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, and is a member of NAMI’s StigmaFree Company initiative. Additionally, through a national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Kohl’s has committed $10 million to support the development and delivery of trauma-informed training to Club staff.
For more than 60 years, Kohl’s has been a proud member of the Milwaukee community and has given more than $152 million to nonprofits in its hometown. In addition to partnerships with local nonprofits who are making a difference in the community every day, Kohl’s also gives back through its Hometown Giving Program, and recognizes associate volunteer efforts for causes and organizations they care about through the Kohl’s Volunteer Program. To learn more, please visit Corporate.Kohls.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “may,” “intends,” “will,” “should,” “expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s then current views and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks described more fully in Item 1A in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements relate to the date initially made, and Kohl’s undertakes no obligation to update them.
About Kohl’s
Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading omnichannel retailer. With more than 1,100 stores in 49 states and the online convenience of Kohls.com and the Kohl's App, Kohl's offers amazing national and private brands at incredible savings for families nationwide. Kohl’s is committed to progress in its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, and the company's environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) stewardship. For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit Kohls.com. For more information about Kohl’s impact in the community or how to join our winning team, visit Corporate.Kohls.com.
About Children’s Wisconsin
Children’s Wisconsin is the region’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. The hospital, with locations in Milwaukee and Neenah, Wisconsin, is recognized as one of the leading pediatric health care centers in the United States. It is ranked in eight specialty areas in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Children’s Wisconsin provides primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. In 2021, Children’s Wisconsin invested more than $151 million in the community to improve the health status of children through medical care, advocacy, education and pediatric medical research. Children’s Wisconsin achieves its mission in part through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations and is proud to be a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
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