VCU’s Virginia Treatment Center for Children benefits from United Healthcare Networks’ first national Community Services Day

By Sathya Achia Abraham

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Virginia Treatment Center for Children got a fresh coat of paint, two colorful murals and a new courtyard garden thanks to the helping hands of Richmond community volunteers.

The mid-Atlantic division of the United Healthcare Networks (UHN) chose the Virginia Treatment Center for Children as the beneficiary of its portion of the company’s national Community Services Day. 

The event took place Saturday, Sept. 17, and was attended by UHN employees, community volunteers, members from the New Hope Lutheran Church, and VTCC and VCU Medical Center staff.

“We are extremely grateful for all the time and work volunteers dedicated to this event,” said Brian Meyer, Ph.D., executive director of the VTCC. ”They have really brightened up the place.

“When it came time to head home, you could tell that many people felt as if they made a difference. And they did. We had a fun day and made a lot of progress,” he said. 

During the event, volunteers also collected donations of clothing and toiletry items for use by the children at the VTCC, who range in age from 3 to 17.

Part of the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, the Virginia Treatment Center for Children has been providing mental health services to the children, adolescents and families of Virginia for more than 40 years. VTCC offers a wide range of psychiatric services and works to improve the mental health of all Virginians through patient care, education and research.

For more information, call 828-1123, or visit http://www.vcuhealth.org/vtcc/index.html.