Former IU president Michael McRobbie and IU adjunct faculty member and philanthropist Laurie Burns McRobbie donated $500,000 to IU Health to improve behavioral health resources at the Regional Academic Health Center in Bloomington. The donation was matched by IU health and new services will be available starting on July 1.
The money will expand resources for patients aged between 18 to 34 years old, targeting undergraduate and graduate students. According to an IU Health press release, 30% of the 10,000 patients seen at the RAHC in 2022 were aged 18 to 34.
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According to IU Health, the behavioral health facilities at RAHC will be named The Michael A. and Laurie Burns McRobbie Behavioral Health Center.
Michael served as IU’s 18th president from 2007 to 2021. He was appointed university chancellor in 2021 and is a university professor at IU.
The donation will go toward part-time peer counselor positions and other mental health services, according to IU Health.
Peer counseling provides patients with a counselor who has experienced similar issues. A preference for peer counselors will go towards behavioral health patients who are also IU students or training to be behavioral health professionals.
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The McRobbie's said they hope this work could become part of the course requirements at IU and possibly increase the number of behavioral health professionals.
