The Upstate Foundation has created the Community Partner fund for Elmcrest Children’s Center with $250,000 it raised as part of its Campaign for Child & Adolescent Mental Health.

To meet the surging need for mental health services in Central New York, Elmcrest Children’s Center is in the process of opening a 28-bedroom respite program to serve children who need clinical care, but not in a hospital or outpatient setting.

The respite program is intended to help increase the number of beds at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital available for sick and injured children; currently, many beds at the hospital are occupied by children with mental health issues who do not require tertiary care.

Caption: From left, Julie Galler Simms, Upstate Foundation campaign manager; Joe Geglia, executive director of Elmcrest Children’s Center; and Eileen Pezzi, vice president for development at Upstate.