The Duke Endowment Invests $1.57 Million to Bring Pediatric and Behavioral Health Services Closer to Home

The Duke Endowment Invests $1.57 Million to Bring Pediatric and Behavioral Health Services Closer to Home

Atrium Health will expand innovative care models for children and college students across North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 1, 2026 - More children, families and college students across North Carolina will gain access to hospital-level pediatric care and behavioral health services thanks to more than $1.57 million in new funding from The Duke Endowment. The funding will strengthen Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital at Home by extending acute-level pediatric care into patients' homes and broadening school-based telehealth behavioral health services to students in rural and high-need communities.

"The Duke Endowment continues to be an invaluable partner to Atrium Health, helping us ensure people have access to quality care, regardless of where they live," said Mark Griffith, president of Atrium Health Foundation and Advocate Health's vice president of philanthropy for North Carolina and Georgia. "Through investments like these, we are addressing critical community needs and improving health outcomes for children, students and families across our region."

Enhancing Hospital-Level Pediatric Care at Home

The largest grant, a $950,000 award, will strengthen Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital at Home over two years. Researchers will study how best to educate and support families of medically fragile infants so they can safely participate in their child's care at home, with family education becoming a central part of the pediatric hospital-at-home model. The program is expected to support approximately 160 babies and their families, bringing hospital-level care into the home for more neonates and medically complex infants.

Launched in 2025, Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital at Home positioned Advocate Health as the only health system in the nation providing home-based, hospital-level care to both pediatric and adult patients. Led by pediatric hospitalists, neonatology specialists, informatics experts and home health partners, the program has the potential to become a national model for transforming pediatric inpatient care.

"With support from The Duke Endowment, we will scale and deepen our existing hospital-at-home care model, focusing on expanding support for neonates and medically complex infants, improving program efficiency and equity and ensuring the family voice is incorporated into program development," said Dr. Tonya Obita, pediatrician at Atrium Health and principal investigator on the grant-funded project.

Expanding Behavioral Health Access for Young Adults and College Students

Young adults in rural communities often face long wait times, transportation challenges and shortages of behavioral health providers, creating significant barriers to mental health care.

A $625,000 grant will close gaps in behavioral health services for young adults and college students in rural and high-need communities served by Atrium Health. The funding will expand Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte's School-Based Virtual Therapy model from Sandhills Community College to four additional colleges: South Piedmont Community College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Montgomery Community College and Stanly Community College.

Over the three-year initiative, students will receive virtual therapy and psychiatry services through campus-provided and personal devices. The model will be embedded within participating colleges and supported by therapists, psychiatric providers, licensed support staff and community health workers who can connect students with resources for housing, food insecurity and financial assistance. The program is expected to generate more than 300 mental health referrals and serve approximately 200 students.

"Thanks to support from The Duke Endowment, we are able to address a critical gap in care for students who live, learn and work in rural communities where behavioral health resources can be difficult to access," said Donnie Mitchem, director of Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte. "By investing in these students, we are investing in the future health, stability and economic strength of rural communities across our region."

"Our founder, James B. Duke, believed deeply in removing barriers to healthcare, and that commitment continues to guide our work today," said Lin Hollowell, director of the healthcare program area at The Duke Endowment. "Through these grants, we are proud to help Atrium Health expand innovative care models that bring critical services closer to where people live and learn."

For more than three decades, The Duke Endowment has supported healthcare initiatives at Atrium Health, providing more than $54 million in grants to the Atrium Health Foundation.