HELEN K. & ARTHUR E. JOHNSON FOUNDATION
2021
IMPACT
REPORT
Thank You At the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center (JDC), we believe in a future where individuals who experience mental illness have ready access to safe, compassionate and effective treatment. We aspire to alleviate the devastation that mood disorders can cause individuals and their families as well as our communities. Because of you, we are addressing the challenges of stigma and barriers to access. Together, we are changing the landscape of mental healthcare particularly as it relates to mood disorders and their treatment. The JDC is a beacon of hope for many, and our work is more important now than ever. While the pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of individuals of all ages, our programs and community services are being leveraged like never before. On the following pages, you will see how we have risen to meet this critical need over the past year. Your vision and generosity have a direct impact on countless lives. Because of you, more people feel comfortable contacting us for our services, whether it is individual psychotherapy or medication management, or the provision of one of our many community training programs. If people with mental illness do not seek help in a timely manner, we know that their illness will most likely worsen and it may be more difficult for them to recover when they do seek treatment. The community programs that have been supported by you over the years have helped many to realize that there is no shame in having a “brain” disorder no more than there is shame in having pneumonia, heart disease or diabetes. These programs save lives and empower individuals to return to their most productive and content selves. I am forever grateful that you have made this a reality for so many.
With immense gratitude,
C. Neill Epperson, MD Robert Freedman Endowed Professor and Chairperson Executive Director | Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center Department of Psychiatry | University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
Expanding Our Reach with the Department of Psychiatry In January 2021, the JDC formally joined the CU Department of Psychiatry. The two entities will be located in the new Anschutz Health Sciences Building, bringing our strongest assets in mental healthcare and research together in one physical space. This alignment bolsters our shared hope to break down silos and foster collaboration, allowing researchers and clinicians to partner to redefine excellence in mental health. These investments will allow us to identify where our programs have the greatest impact on the mental health landscape of Colorado and to optimize the impact of all of our programming.
$500K
raised at the annual luncheon
$8.1M
in endowment gifts
Endowment total exceeding
$27M
Building Community Partnerships Our community needs us, and we have a responsibility to rise to the occasion. We saw significant increases in usage of our community programs last year, and our goal for this year is to continue to expand these offerings. Our focus will be on infrastructure to ensure sustainability of these important programs as we grow new ones. To achieve this goal, we must invest in top talent. Our first step is build a team to collaborate on our vision for growth and support these needs. This year, we will build a website, establish a financial system for billing, create processes for tracking attendance, develop marketing materials and more. We are already hiring individuals to work with current staff to assess our programming and priorities for expansion.
14% increase in patients served from 2019-2020 (July 1 – June 30) 22% increase in patients served from 2020-2021 (July 1 – June 30)
Dr. Scott Cypers Douglas County trainings for schools and their mental health advisors This past year has been hard for many people, but public school educators have had an unusually challenging time. With remote learning, mask mandates, quarantines, and other learning disruptions, classroom teachers have had to constantly adapt to try to keep children safe and educated simultaneously. To address this issue, faculty from the JDC partnered with the START clinic (Stress, Trauma, Adversity, Research and Treatment) to develop a program to support Colorado’s educators. The Educator Support Program is funded through several state agencies and offers free services for any educator across the state of Colorado. Some of the services include: • 3 3 • • 3
A seven-day a week call line – A place for immediate support for stress, problem solving, or accessing mental health resources. Individual support services – educators can talk 1:1 with a counselor about how the pandemic has impacted their mental health and ability to be present in the classroom. Group support services/educational workshops – A place to learn about mental health topics, such as burnout or anxiety, and talk with other educators, receiving necessary peer support.
3
• An online self-paced program – Recognizing that educators are very busy, the online program allows them to watch videos, complete worksheets, and learn more about a variety of mental health topics that may be impacting both them and their students in their own time.
3
• An ask-a-therapist line – A connection for educators to talk with a child therapist about behaviors observed in their classroom and gain strategies for managing mental health issues in the school setting.
Since the start of the 21/22 academic year, over 350 educators
from over 52 different school districts have accessed these services.
Dr. Amy Lopez Social work Social workers are a key part of the mental health system. Not only do social workers help support system change and advocate within their communities, but they are also one of the primary providers of therapy services. Recognizing the role that social work plays in mental health and psychiatric care, Dr. Epperson introduced the Social Work Fellowship and Training program. The first goal of this program is to develop and train competent and experienced social workers who can use their skills in a variety of mental health settings across the state. This program gives the social workers an opportunity to train, learn and build their skills while also working on achieving their clinical license. The program supports social workers throughout the spectrum of their education and career. Social work students who are working on their BSW or MSW can intern with the JDC to learn a variety of skills ranging from research to community advocacy and direct client contact. Once they have graduated, they can be hired into a Social Work Fellowship. The Social Work Fellowship is a two-year program that supports clinical licensure as well as providing weekly therapy supervision, weekly didactics/seminars, and the opportunity to work within different clinics throughout the Department of Psychiatry. This year, the JDC is hosting both a social work intern and a social work fellow. The intern, Eleanor Todd, is working primarily with adults with depression, with a focus on treating women. She hopes to continue to work as an individual therapist, hopefully in an integrated health setting. The Fellow, Cary Pew, is working with both adolescents and adults with depression and anxiety, focusing on those who also have substance use related issues. Once licensed, he would like to focus on family work and dual diagnosis treatment for adolescents. In addition to training skilled social workers, this program also allows the JDC to offer a low-cost counseling program. For people in the community who have no insurance or high-deductible plans, the social work interns and fellows can see them for a significantly reduced rate. Because low-cost therapy services are challenging to find, this provides a necessary service to the community while also supporting the overall mission of the JDC.
Diving Into Depression: 2021 Luncheon This year we hosted the 11th annual luncheon virtually, pivoting from plans to be in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We raised over $500K, and more than 300 people attended. Missy Franklin’s powerful story and The Working Minds training were the two focus areas of this year’s luncheon.
Missy Franklin, a five-time Olympic gold medalist who grew up in Colorado, shared her own mental health struggles. After being diagnosed with depression, insomnia, anxiety and an eating disorder shortly before the 2016 Olympics, Missy stressed the importance of being vulnerable and sharing your struggles in order to get well. The heart of her message spoke to the root of our mission: eradicating stigma around mental illness so that individuals actively seek and advocate for the care they need.
Reaching individuals, and ensuring they get help, starts with us knowing where we need to go. That is the mission of Working Minds, a program to proactively address the early warning signs of suicide in the workplace. This year alone, 16 deaths just at RK were prevented, signifying a much larger impact wherever the program has been implemented. The program trains organizations on early identification and intervention of at-risk individuals, producing yet another safety net for mental illness to be addressed.
A Message From The Chair I continue to be overwhelmed with gratitude for what the Helen K. & Arthur E. Johnson Foundation makes possible every day. The JDC’s value continues to grow, as more individuals and families seek care and treatment for mental health concerns. So many would still be adrift without your vision and generosity. As you know, COVID-19 loomed over 2021, much like the previous year. While many of us began to feel more hopeful, the effects of the trauma of a pandemic are only now starting to emerge. Additionally, individuals with existing mental health concerns felt their conditions exacerbated by so many circumstances outside of their control. We know we have to meet people where they are, and this year we continued to lean in with telehealth and programming that was able to reach thousands. Our board continues to be ambitious in our goals and relentless in our pursuit. We remain committed to fulfilling our shared mission to improve the lives of people with depression and mood disorders through clinical excellence, innovative research, community programs and education. We could not do it without you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the hope and healing you make possible.
Sincerely,
Courtney Hughes Chair, CU Johnson Depression Center Board of Directors
Philanthropy Leading the Way Your philanthropic leadership has not only secured the JDC as a leader in mental health but has inspired others to give alongside you. We continue to propel forward in our services and reach across Colorado, due in large part to the influence you have had through your generosity. Because of you, we have nearly reached our endowment goal. This helps us to be competitive in recruiting and retaining the mental health leaders of the future. Our luncheon and annual giving allow us to be nimble so we can respond to needs as they arise. As we look to the future, we continue to aim high. We know that with your partnership we will transform even more lives. This year, JDC, Executive Director Neill Epperson, MD, was elected to the Executive Board of the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC). At a national level, the NNDC seeks to change what it means to struggle with mental illness. The JDC is proud to be one of the founding members of the NNDC. It is because of you that the narrative around mental health evolves away from stigma and toward support. Our focus will always remain the same, and we are grateful that we can dream of doing more. This year we will lean in with new diagnostic tools, new online resources for patients, and a new goal to become a national resource for better diagnostic processes, as well as better treatment and education around bipolar disorders.
“ We are just getting started, and we can’t wait to celebrate all that your support has allowed us to accomplish.” -C. Neill Epperson, MD