MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For Hennepin Healthcare, breaking ground on the Redleaf Center for Family Healing means healing and hope are just ahead for Twin Cities' moms, babies and families.
About 1 in 7 mothers experience depression and anxiety during and after pregnancy, according to Dr. Helen Kim, medical director for the Mother-Baby Program and co-founder of the Redleaf Center. Without treatment, the impact on a mother’s mental health can be devastating – and sometimes fatal. It can affect the entire family – including future generations.
The Redleaf Center will expand on the space and services of Hennepin Healthcare’s Mother-Baby Program. The program is Minnesota’s first intensive mental health program for pregnant and postpartum moms.
The Redleaf Center will support families through services that nurture the mind, body and spirit – from comprehensive mental health and relationship support to on-site childcare, integrative medicine, a teaching kitchen, gathering space and more.
“When a new mother is dealing with severe depression or anxiety – at this critical time in her baby’s physical, emotional and cognitive development – she may be unable to provide the care and attention her infant needs,” said Kim. “That’s why the Redleaf Center is so vital for children’s and families' well-being.”
Today’s groundbreaking ceremony drew leaders from health care, the community and local government, including Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene, District 3. Families who have benefited from the Mother-Baby Program also attended the ceremony.
The Center is a $30 million endeavor initiated by a $10 million donation from the Lynne & Andrew Redleaf Foundation. The ceremony took a moment to publicly announce a new gift of $2.25 million from the Pohlad family. Allie Pohlad, a member of the Pohlad family was in attendance.
“The Redleaf Center is at the heart of Hennepin Healthcare’s investment in the health of our community, and it is only possible because of our donors' transformational gifts,” said Theresa Pesch, president of Hennepin Healthcare Foundation.
“Their compassionate and visionary philanthropy means that more moms across the Twin Cities will get the support they need to raise strong families. And we all know that strong families are the bedrock of strong communities.”
The groundbreaking took place on Hennepin Healthcare’s Minneapolis campus, at the future site of the new 9,000-square-foot facility. It will be connected to Hennepin Healthcare’s HCMC Purple Building on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Sixth Street.
“We see all kinds of moms – from across the Twin Cities – struggling to cope,” added Kim. “Treatment and care make a dramatic difference in the way they are able to connect with and care for their infants and themselves. It is absolutely lifechanging,” said Kim. “And soon we will be able to help many more families grow stronger together with the service and treatments they need.”
Redleaf Center building construction is expected to be completed in November of 2020.
About Hennepin Healthcare Foundation
The Hennepin Healthcare Foundation guides those in the community who wish to support the mission of Hennepin Healthcare to provide outstanding care for everyone, while improving health and wellness through teaching, patient and community education, and research.
About Hennepin Healthcare
Hennepin Healthcare is an integrated system of care that includes HCMC, a nationally recognized Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and acute care hospital, as well as a clinic system with primary care clinics located in Minneapolis and across Hennepin County.
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