Community Bank gift boosts CAY’s ASD program
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
A $1 million gift to the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Center for Advancement of Youth from Community Bank and Senior Chairman of the Board Thomas W. Colbert Sr. and his wife, Ann, will advance care for Mississippi children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder.
“Ann and I have been so greatly blessed throughout our lives, it is our privilege to give back to the underserved children of Mississippi,” Colbert said. “The Center for Advancement of Youth will not only identify the great need we have for behavioral services throughout the state, but provide these services through their exceptionally designed program.”
Community Bank and the Colberts each donated $500,000 through the University of Mississippi Foundation to support CAY, which offers comprehensive, coordinated care across disciplines for children with behavioral or developmental issues from across the state. The center is located in the Highland Bluff building on Old Canton Road in Northeast Jackson.
Celebrating the $1 million gift from Community Bank and Thomas W. Colbert Sr., senior chairman of the board, and his wife, Ann, to the Center for Advancement of Youth are, from left, Dr. Scott Rodgers, chair of psychiatry and human behavior; Dr. David Elkin, CAY executive director; Chuck Nicholson, Community Bank president and CEO; Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs; Thomas Colbert, Dr. Barbara Saunders, associate professor of child development; Veronnica McDuffey-Taylor, CAY director of operations; Karen Dowling, chief ambulatory/network operations officer; and Guy Giesecke, Children's of Mississippi CEO.
“Community Bank is honored to stand beside the personal contribution of our Senior Chairman, Thomas Colbert and his wife, Ann, to partner with The Center for Advancement of Youth,” said Community Bank President and CEO Chuck Nicholson. “There is a great need for behavioral services in the lives of many Mississippi children. Our hope through this contribution is that CAY will be better equipped to identify and treat the developmental and behavioral disorders throughout our state.”
Dr. David Elkin, CAY executive director and professor of psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, thanked Community Bank for the gift and the difference it will make in the lives of children, including those residing in areas without behavioral health care providers.
Mississippi has the third lowest ratio of behavioral health professionals to primary care providers. Of Mississippi’s 82 counties, 45 do not have a single practicing psychiatrist or psychologist.
“This very generous gift will broaden the care available to underserved and underprivileged children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Elkin said. “This donation will prime the pump, allowing CAY the seed money to build up our ASD treatment program.”
ASD is a complex neurobiological disorder that usually appears in early childhood. Children with ASD can struggle with focus, social skills, organization, speech and language skills, emotional control and frustration. About one in every 54 American children are diagnosed with ASD, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Community Bank’s gift will spark the start of an Applied Behavior Analysis program at CAY. A therapy based on the science of learning and behavior, ABA therapists work to increase helpful behaviors with positive reinforcement and decrease behaviors that are harmful or affect learning. ABA is considered an evidence-based best practice treatment for ASD by the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association.
The gift will also help CAY to broaden its telehealth outreach to school districts in the state, as well as reach underserved populations. CAY, through UMMC’s Center for Telehealth, offers behavioral health care programs through schools to reach students while reducing the need for travel.