The WST Foundation is excited to be partnering with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory School of Medicine to support the work of the Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Program. Under the leadership of Dr. Brandon Kitay, IBH seeks to fulfill the growing mental health needs of Emory patients by implementing scalable, and evidence-based solutions where the majority of patients are seen: in Primary Care. Providing mental health treatment directly in the Primary Care setting affords earlier identification of mental health concerns, more timely initiation of coordinated treatment plans, and efficient escalation to higher levels of care when indicated. This provides the opportunity to address both mental and physical health outcomes that are dependent upon each other but often managed separately.

IBH is working to achieve these goals by formally creating collocated teams of primary care providers and mental health specialists within Primary Care clinics (e.g., “Collaborative Care”) as well as leveraging cutting edge information technology to engage patients in treatment beyond the boundaries of the traditional office visit.

The WST Foundation has recently contributed to Neuro Behavioral Hospitals (NBH) located in southern Florida. NBH serves to treat patients through a care model that utilizes an interdisciplinary team approach to provide the highest quality care through a comprehensive array of services. NBH strives to raise the standards of mental healthcare by breaking down barriers to increase accessibility of high-quality care, tailored to meet each patient wherever they are in their mental healthcare journey. The WST Foundation has partnered with NBH to provide patients the financial help to cover the cost of mental health treatment outside of what traditional health insurance coverage encompasses.

Dr. Dorian Lamis, a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, focuses on research in the realm of mental health issues in a variety of populations including adolescents, college students, and patients with serious mental illnesses.

Earlier this year, the WST Foundation partnered with Dr. Dorian Lamis to present on promoting positive mental health among young adults.

Please visit the Resources section of our website to view more information on Dr. Lamis’ research.

Hilinski’s Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization formed to promote awareness and education of mental health and wellness for student athletes. The foundation’s mission is to educate, advocate and eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness, while funding programs that provide student-athletes with the tools and resources that support this goal.

WST Foundation had the opportunity to partner with Hilinksi’s Hope and sponsor their visit to Mercer University. Kym and Mark Hilinski delivered their presentation to Mercer students, student-athletes, and coaches to bring awareness to ending the stigma of mental health and discussing mental health issues openly among students through their son’s story: The Tyler Talk.

WST has partnered with NYO through their annual Alumni Softball Tournament: The Jane Show. The Jane show serves as a community event held each summer to support both NYO and the WST Foundation. The Jane Show is broken down into three core components:

Christopher League takes place early in the morning where Jane Show participants, or “Buddies”, assist and support special needs kids in enjoying a game of baseball.

Home Run Derby follows with contestants competing to hit the most homeruns on the Wilkins field. The Home Run Derby allows individuals to donate as a Home Run Hero for every home run hit during the competition.

Softball Tournament takes place as the main event where teams composed of NYO alumni and community members compete on the field for the coveted championship trophy.