MICHIGAN, USA — The first-of-its-kind center to help children with mental health issues in West Michigan is being built in Kent County. On Monday, the Pediatric Center at Pine Rest received an eight-million-dollar donation from the Van Andel family.
The Van Andel family said they wanted to give this gift to ensure children get the care they need.
"It's one of a few in the country that will give the kind of services to an age group that right now we feel is being underserved in the mental health care arena," said David Van Andel.
The David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation donated a total of 8 million dollars to the Pine Rest Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health. David Van Andel said the new facility will provide expert care to children with mental health issues.
"With kids nowadays, adolescents, especially, growing up with all sorts of different pressures from social media, COVID, everything, we're seeing a spike in the need for care, and a lot of families don't know where to turn," said David Van Andel.
The gift is the largest donation Pine Rest has received in its 114-year history.
Mark Eastburg is the president and CEO at Pine Rest. He said this gift will help fund the construction of the 136,000-square-foot, pediatric behavioral healthcare center.
"So there will be inpatient care, hospital care. There will be day hospitalization program or partial hospitalization. There will be outpatient specialty clinics like substance use disorder, anxiety, depression, autism, and most perhaps new to our community, a psychiatric urgent care center for kids," said Eastburg.
Construction for the project is also being funded by public and private sources. The two-story pediatric behavioral health center, already under construction, is expected to open in the Spring of 2026 at Pine Rest's main campus on 68th Street. Eastburg said he's excited to soon serve children in the community.
"This is a generational project, and we're motivated by the fact that we're going to be serving the people that we love and care for," said Eastburg.
Pine Rest also announced Monday that it will name the southern portion of the hospital's main campus in the family's honor.