MaineHealth gets $1.6M challenge gift from David Shaw to address youth mental health crisis

File photo / Tim Greenway David Shaw, pictured in 2015 file photo, is the CEO of Black Point Group and was the founder of IDEXX Laboratories and co-founder of Covetrus.

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By Alexis Wells

MaineHealth's Center for Health Improvement announced on Wednesday that it earned a $1.6 million donation from Maine entrepreneur and impact activist David Evans Shaw.

Shaw is the CEO of Black Point Group and founder of IDEXX Laboratories, as well as the founding CEO of Ikaria Pharmaceuticals and co-founder of Covetrus.

The donation will fund the launch of the Shaw Challenge, a four-year initiative designed to transform how Maine communities address the youth mental health crisis in schools and communities.

Across the nation — and here in Maine — youth mental health has reached crisis levels. One in three Maine youth reports feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness and one in five has seriously considered suicide, according to the release.

Launching in January, the initiative will pursue five goals across seven participating school districts, including Lincoln, Waldo, Cumberland, Oxford, Franklin and York counties.

The goals include implementing a school cellphone policy, developing curricula to enhance wellbeing skills, providing training in mental health first aid and suicide prevention.

“The Shaw Challenge represents a turning point in how we respond to this crisis,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, chief health improvement officer at MaineHealth. “We're taking a public health approach — not just reacting to crises, but proactively building resilience and skills, strengthening connections and improving mental wellbeing for all young people.”

Additional funding

As part of a broader commitment to supporting youth mental health, Shaw provided additional funding to the Hearts of Pine Foundation to expand after-school wellness programming. He also provided support to the University of New England for its Shaw Innovation Fellows Program, which will create new pathways for student innovators to contribute solutions to the youth mental health crisis.

“Maine's children are our most precious resource, and they're facing a mental health crisis that requires immediate, coordinated action,” said Shaw.

“By investing in evidence-based programs through MaineHealth, grassroots community work through Hearts of Pine and empowering the next generation of innovators through the Shaw Innovation Fellows Program, we're building a comprehensive approach that strengthens mental health awareness, resilience and wellbeing for every young person in our schools."