United Cleanup Oak Ridge Donates $645,000 to East Tennessee Children's Hospital to Expand Behavioral Health Program

Capping off May as National Mental Health Awareness Month, United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), cleanup contractor for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, and its business partners Strata-G, RSI, and Longenecker & Associates are making a combined $645,000 donation to be distributed over the next five years to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital to expand regional behavioral health outreach at Children’s Oak Ridge Pediatrics facility.

Oak Ridge Pediatrics will be the first primary care location in the Children’s Hospital network to offer behavioral health care. The donation will allow Children’s Hospital to hire two full-time behavioral care clinicians; purchase new technology; and offer mental health outreach education and first aid.

UCOR has been a long-standing supporter of Children’s Hospital and was involved in the emergency department expansion and hematology-oncology playroom. UCOR President and CEO, Ken Rueter, also sits on the hospital’s board.

"An 'all injuries are preventable' safety philosophy has always been at the core of UCOR’s high-hazard work, and we’ve expanded that emphasis to include a mental health component for our workforce with onsite staff and resources through our new 'Navigate' program," says Rueter. "UCOR and its business partners are now promoting regional health and wellness with a full-spectrum emphasis on behavioral and mental health for children and adults in our community."

"We are thrilled at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital to partner with UCOR to promote mental health services at our Oak Ridge Pediatric Primary Care site and in the Oak Ridge community," said Dr. Suzanne Rybczynski, Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital. "Working together, we will be better able to identify children and youth who need mental health services and get them the help they need. This will help grow and strengthen the community."

East Tennessee Children’s Hospital’s vision is Leading the Way to Healthy Children. Children’s Hospital is a free-standing, independent, not-for-profit pediatric health care system which serves the East Tennessee region. Children’s Hospital is certified by the state of Tennessee as a Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Center.

UCOR is the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup contractor. The company’s 2,400 workers and business teaming partners are dedicated to safely reducing environmental risk on the Oak Ridge Reservation while helping DOE’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration continue their important missions. Learn more about the company at UCOR.com.