Barancik and Gulf Coast Community Foundations Spearhead Initiative

USF study unveiled to guests at the Academy

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation combined their efforts to commission a yearlong mental health study by the University of South Florida. The Mental Health Environmental Scan was designed to identify both strengths and gaps in the system of care for children and youth.

The USF study was unveiled at the Academy on March 26, to approximately 100 guests at an invitation-only event that included community leaders, law enforcement, local officials and philanthropists. It revealed that the economic cost of untreated mental illness for children and young adults in Sarasota exceeds $82 million/year.

Teri Hansen, CEO of the Barancik Foundation, stated, “This study we are going to act on, we are going to be tireless and fearless in making sure we create that system of care for these kids.”