The Mother Bear CAN is a family outreach network and fund of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, the nation's first nonprofit community foundation established to promote better mental health care outcomes and the development of recovery-oriented programs that help people thrive.

The Foundation was established in 2011 in response to nationwide interest in Robert Whitaker's book, Anatomy of an Epidemic, and a growing body of research that demonstrates our 25-year long over-reliance on a purely medical model has not advanced mental health recovery.

The number of adults diagnosed with “chronic mental illness”, disabling enough to place them on the Social Security roles, has tripled since 1987. For children, the rise is even more concerning, with more than a thirty-five-fold increase.

FEMHC’s mission is to promote better mental health outcomes by identifying, developing, and sharing knowledge with the public about mental health care that best helps people recover and live well in society. The Foundation sponsors research and the development of programs designed to help people thrive—physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. 

The Foundation’s leadership includes scientists, psychiatrists, researchers, public policy analysts, users and providers of mental health services, philanthropists, and community members who are committed to building a paradigm of care in which recovery is expected and achieved.

For more information about the Foundation and its mental health reform initiatives, please visit www.MentalHealthExcellence.org.