{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://dexter.house.gov/media/press-releases/physician-lawmaker-maxine-dexter-celebrates-125-million-investment-university", "Physician-Lawmaker Maxine Dexter Celebrates $125 Million Investment in University of Oregon to Expand Children\u2019s Mental Health Workforce", "2026-08-18", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Maxine Dexter", "D000635", "dexter.house.gov", "dexter", "https://dexter.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "PORTLAND, OR. \u2013 Today, U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), celebrated a $125 million private investment to expand the University of Oregon\u2019s Ballmer Institute for Children\u2019s Behavioral Health, the nation\u2019s first undergraduate program focused on child behavioral health. After graduating its first cohort of 17 students in June 2026, the institute will use the gift to expand its innovative program to three additional universities and train more behavioral health professionals to serve young people nationwide.\n\nThe $125 million grant from Ballmer Group, a private philanthropic organization co-founded by Connie and Steve Ballmer, will build on the Ballmer Institute\u2019s work in Oregon\u2019s 3rd Congressional District. The initiative aims to launch 18 programs nationwide over the next 10 years, training the next generation of behavioral health professionals and expanding access to early, evidence-based mental health support for children.\n\n\u201cToo many children are facing mental health challenges without the support they need, and as a mother, I understand how deeply that impacts families,\u201d Rep. Dexter said. \u201cI was proud to support the University of Oregon\u2019s mission when I served in the state legislature, and now I\u2019m proud to continue that support in Congress as they work to bolster our behavioral health workforce and expand critical support for children across the country.\u201d\n\nThe institute\u2019s model is designed to create a new pipeline of behavioral health professionals trained in prevention and early intervention, while connecting more children with support before they reach a crisis point.\n\n\u201cThe University of Oregon is leading an innovative approach to growing the youth behavioral health workforce through the nation\u2019s first undergraduate program in child behavioral health. The launch of the Catalyst Center will support expansion of that model to other states, accelerating the growth of a workforce to ensure that all children have access to the support they need to thrive,\u201d said Katie McLaughlin, executive director of the Ballmer Institute for Children\u2019s Behavioral Health and the Catalyst Center. \u201cWe are grateful to Ballmer Group for this investment and to Congresswoman Dexter and Oregon\u2019s congressional delegation for their leadership and support of the Ballmer Institute\u2019s work in Congress.\u201d\n\nThe Ballmer Institute for Children\u2019s Behavioral Health is based at the University of Oregon\u2019s Portland campus and is developing a national model for expanding the youth behavioral health workforce.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-19T05:29:02Z", "2026-08-19T05:30:24Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://dexter.house.gov/media/press-releases/physician-lawmaker-maxine-dexter-celebrates-125-million-investment-university"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7879068143665791, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}