MONTREAL – Bell has donated $1 million to the Montreal mental health care institution Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital as part of its national mental health initiative.
The donation was matched by Québec entrepreneur and business leader Serge Godin and his Fondation Jeunesse-Vie, making it the largest ever gift received by the hospital.
“Bell is very pleased to partner with renowned business leader and philanthropist Serge Godin to support Louis-H. Lafontaine in accelerating research into the most pressing health concern of our time: mental illness," said Bell president and CEO, George Cope, in the announcement. "The leading-edge initiatives planned by Louis-H. Lafontaine will make a positive difference not only to those who suffer directly from mental illness but also to all of us – their friends, families, colleagues and fellow citizens."
Bell also donated $300,000 to Fondation les petits trésors at l’Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, a treatment facility that specializes in providing care to young children suffering from mental illness, plus $200,000 to Fondation des maladies mentales, which will support the foundation’s program focused on informing teens about mental illness and identifying critical support resources.
The $2 million grant to Louis-H. Lafontaine will support new research at the hospital’s proposed Signature Centre, which will be operated by the hospital’s Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin (CRFS). Plans include research into new biometric and social measures, such as a new mental health "biobank" and laboratory for DNA/biomarker analysis that will be shared with researchers worldwide, and the development of social networking tools to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, 24/7 video access to a crisis centre, and enhanced access to care through remote monitoring.
