United Health Foundation awards $3.2 million to improve youth mental health

The United Health Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of UnitedHealth Group, has announced a threeyear, $3.2 million grant partnership with ECU. The grant will expand the North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program in six community-based pediatric and primary care clinics in rural and underserved parts of the state to support the mental health and well-being of young people in North Carolina.

“Just like we take care of our physical health, it’s important that we take care of our mental health as well,” Gov. Roy Cooper said during the Feb. 14 announcement at the East Carolina Heart Institute. “This partnership will help reach even more young people in our rural and historically underserved communities.”

ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers said: “The investment will increase the university’s outreach to the region and provide mental health services to underserved populations in North Carolina. ECU students across multiple disciplines will engage with this project, leading to increased learning opportunities preparing them to address the critical shortage of mental health professionals.”

The America’s Health Rankings 2022 Health of Women and Children Report revealed anxiety among children and adolescents increased 23% and depression increased 27% between 2017-2018 and 2020-2021. In North Carolina, more than 70% of children with a mental health disorder do not receive treatment, and 92% of North Carolina counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas.

Over three years, project leaders aim to do the following:

• Embed behavioral health providers at six communitybased pediatric care clinics and connect them — as well as the primary care providers — to a psychiatrist for case consultation and care planning via telepsychiatry.

• Develop an artificial intelligence-driven portal to enhance collaboration between health care providers and encourage family members’ engagement in their child’s mental health care.

• Educate children and families about mental health and well-being through the development of a new virtual reality video game that provides anonymous peer-to-peer support.

• Offer training opportunities for ECU psychiatry residents, child psychiatry fellows, social work students, medical students and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners at the six community clinics.

• Hold an Interdisciplinary Telehealth Summit to share lessons learned from the project.

“By working together and creating an interconnected system of clinical and social services, we can continue to produce better health outcomes for North Carolinians,” said Anita Bachmann, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina, part of UnitedHealth Group.

– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

Book chronicles travels around country to watch Pirate football

Carl Davis’ seats in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium inspired the title of his first book, but it was the trips to away games that provided many of his stories.

Davis ’73 has followed football for 60 years. He published My View From 20 Rows Up: One Pirate Fan’s Story of ECU Football in December.

Davis and his wife, Martha, sat near the 50-yard line for more than 30 years as season ticket holders. Not wanting to miss a game, the Davises started traveling to away games in the mid-’90s, logging close to 200,000 miles.

“Back then, you had to get in a car and drive or fly. Those were your two choices. And I wanted to see the game,” he said. “There’s a huge, long list — hundreds of games. We made them mini-vacations.”

Davis’ first football road trip was from his hometown of Hickory to Greenville with his grandfather, a huge Lenoir-Rhyne University supporter. Clarence Stasavich coached there for 15 years before joining the Pirates in 1962.

Davis eventually became a student at ECU, where he majored in sociology and graduated in 1973. He spent his professional career in the radio and television industry, including 14 years as assistant general manager at UNC-TV. He is a member of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Davis started writing My View from 20 Rows Up about five years ago. Chapters are organized by opponents followed by superlatives — such as “best stadium” or “best logo” — to try and answer dozens of questions he’s received, followed by a list of Pirate leaders.

“These are people you don’t think of on a regular basis who have been important to the program. These are the unsung heroes,” he said.

The foreword was written by the late Jeff Charles, longtime play-by-play announcer of the Pirates. Stephanie Dicken ’99 designed the book, which is available on Amazon or at UBE and Stadium Sports in Greenville. All proceeds go to an ECU Access Scholarship that Davis and his wife set up in October.

– Crystal Baity

Continuing to Pursue Gold

ECU has raised more than $493 million toward a $500 million goal. Your support will help to surpass that goal and ensure ECU’s place as an innovative leader in higher education. Learn more at pursuegold.ecu.edu