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NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RBC InvestmentsÌ
$2 Million Gift to Support the Mental Health of CanadaÌs Children
"Providing mental health care to a child can often
prevent a lifetime of suffering"
(TORONTO,
Ontario Ò February 13, 2001) Ò RBC Investments, the
wealth management division of Royal Bank of Canada, has provided for a
$2 million gift to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation.
The donation will fund a new, uniquely focused research chair in childrenÌs
mental health, the first of its kind in Canada. The RBC Investments
Chair in ChildrenÌs Mental Health and Developmental Psychopathology,
jointly held with the University of Toronto, will advance the
treatment and understanding of the multiple causes of mental health problems
and aggression in children and youth across Canada and internationally.
"This
is a visionary investment in CanadaÌs children, and the ÎreturnsÌ
will be profound," said Dr. Joe Beitchman, Clinical Director of Child
Psychiatry at the Centre. "Most adult psychiatric disorders have
roots in childhood and adolescence. About one in five children between
the ages of 4 and 16 has a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. If untreated,
such conditions can have a lifelong course, with implications for future
psychiatric disorders, addictions, and quality of life issues such as
dropping out of school, or early parenthood. In other words, providing
needed mental health care to a child can often prevent a lifetime of suffering."
The Centre has made childrenÌs mental health a priority. Dr. Beitchman
is also Professor and Head, Division of Child Psychiatry, University of
Toronto and Psychiatrist in Chief at the Hospital for Sick Children.
The
donation, funded by RBC Investments through the Royal Bank Financial Group
Foundation, reflects the employeesÌ awareness of the importance
of childrenÌs mental health. "The future of Canadian children
is uppermost in our minds," said Reay Mackay, Vice Chairman, Royal
Bank of Canada and the head of RBC Investments. "Our employees across
Canada told our donations committee that they wanted the company's contributions
to be made to help children at risk, particularly in the field of mental
health. The creation of this chair is in the name of our employees coast
to coast."
It
is the largest single gift ever received by the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health Foundation, and the largest donation ever arranged
by RBC Investments. The gift also suggests a positive shift in
societal attitudes about mental illness. "To receive a gift of this
magnitude from a corporate donor is unprecedented for us," said Dr.
Paul Garfinkel, CEO of the Centre and Professor, Department of Psychiatry,
University of Toronto. "There is still work to do in breaking down
the stigma attached to mental illness and addictions, but we are making
progress. This would not have happened five years ago, and we applaud
the employees of RBC Investments for their generosity, courage and vision."
RBC
InvestmentsÌ generous gift will allow the Centre to address pressing
community, clinical, research, and training needs, and help to bridge
the gap between the need and availability of services for children. Historically,
mental health research and treatment has focused on adults.
Discoveries
and advances made by the RBC Investments Chair in ChildrenÌs
Mental Health will have impact far beyond the Centre. Partnerships
with national organizations such as the Canadian Institute of Health Research,
and the CentreÌs designation as an International Centre of Excellence
by the World Health Organization will assist the chair in bringing help
to children across Canada and internationally. The Centre is committed
to transforming its discoveries into action and resources as quickly as
possible.
The
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health was created in 1998 through the
successful merger of the Addiction Research Foundation, the Clarke Institute
of Psychiatry, the Queen Street Mental Health Centre and the Donwood Institute
and is a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
RBC
Investments is the global wealth management division of Royal Bank of
Canada. RBC Investments provides full-services brokerage, global private
banking services, self-directed investing, investment counseling, financial
planning, and global investment management for retail and institutional
clients. The parent company, Royal Bank (RY), is a diversified financial
services company. It provides personal and commercial banking, insurance,
corporate and investment banking, and transaction processing on a global
basis. The company employs more than 50,000 people who serve 10 million
personal, business and public sector customers in North America and in
some 30 countries around the world. For more information, please visit
www.royalbank.com.
Notes to Editors
- More teenagers and young adults die of suicide each year than from
cancer, heart disease, AIDS, pneumonia, influenza, birth defects and
stroke combined.
- Twenty percent of Canadian children require help for a mental health
problem. Eighty percent of those who need help receive no treatment
at all.
- Childhood aggression is the most common precursor to problems of substance
abuse and addiction. The rates of addiction, substance abuse and mental
disorder among 15-24 year olds are the highest of all age groups.
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