Philanthropist Oelschlagers donate $2.1 million to Summa Health

Akron philanthropists Jim and Vanita Oelschlager are donating $2.1 million to Summa Health to further support their commitment to mental wellness.

The donation will further support the Jim and Vanita Oelschlager Endowed Chair in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, established in 2007,and help advance programmatic initiatives. The Oelschlagers' total philanthropic support now exceeds more than $7 million over three decades, the Akron-based health system said.

"The Oelschlagers' support is of paramount importance, helping Summa Health fulfill its commitment to the physical and mental health of each patient," said Dr. Joseph D. Varley, chair of the department of psychiatry and holder of the Jim and Vanita Oelschlager Endowed Chair in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.

The Oelschlagers' recent gift will provide broad programmatic support, including the following

initiatives:

• Recruiting psychiatrists and other mental health professionals and supporting training in

psychiatry and psychology.

• Expanding medically assisted treatment in the Akron City Hospital Emergency Department for

patients with opiate addiction.

• Expanding the integration of Behavioral Health providers into primary care practices throughout

the health system and New Health Collaborative.

• Developing resources to provide mental health services for physicians in the Akron community

with diminished barriers to treatment.

Support will continue for the Jim and Vanita Oelschlager Chair in Traumatic Stress, established by the Oelschlagers in 2017 and held by Patrick Palmieri, director of the Traumatic Stress Center.

The Oelschlagers said they were inspired to make this important investment when learning of Summa's plans for construction of a 60-bed inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facility on the Summa Akron City campus. The new building represents an investment of approximately $60 million and will create an integrated, state-of-the-art space that allows for a partial hospitalization program and enhanced integration with intensive outpatient services, including psychiatry, addiction medicine and traumatic stress.

As part of that move, Summa will be vacating its St. Thomas Hospital facility by 2022.

In addition to providing an integrated space for both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health

services, the new facility will enable Summa to move the detox program to an acute medical setting, while also preserving and honoring the heritage of both Ignatia Hall and Alcoholics Anonymous, hospital officials have said.

Groundbreaking on the new building is expected to take place in summer 2020, with completion

scheduled for 2022.

"We share Summa Health's commitment to behavioral health and want to support its investment," the Oelschlagers said in a joint statement. "The decline in healthcare options for those facing mental health challenges is an extremely important societal issue, and we are proud to partner with Summa to make strong options available to the Akron region."

Dr. Cliff Deveny, Summa president and CEO, said "the Oelschlagers' gift will speed our efforts to include behavioral health providers in primary care offices across our entire network, where patients first seek help."

Jim Oelschlager is founder and co-chief investment officer of Oak Associates, a U.S. investment

management firm. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at 31, he founded the not-for-profit Oak

Clinic, a facility where MS patients can get help for all aspects of the disease regardless of their ability to pay. Vanita Oelschlager, who assisted Jim in these endeavors, is an author and poet, current caregiver, and former teacher.

The Oelschlagers have a long history of philanthropic support of Summa Health. Jim is an Emeritus

Member of the Summa Foundation Board of Directors and both are members of the Thomas W. Cornell Philanthropic Leadership Society, which recognizes donors with lifetime giving of $1 million or more to Summa Health.

Beacon Journal consumer columnist and medical reporter Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or [email protected]. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.beaconjournal.com/topics/linfisher

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