To provide comprehensive mental health services and rehabilitation support for children and adolescents in the Kowloon East region, as well as encourage medical-social collaboration through community engagement, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has funded the establishment of the Jockey Club Adolescent Mental Health Centre in United Christian Hospital. The Centre was officially opened today (19 May) by Club Steward Silas S S Yang, Hospital Authority Chairman Professor John Leong and Chief Executive Dr Leung Pak-yin.

“People in Hong Kong lead a fast pace of life and quite often psychological and psychiatric issues are simply ignored,” said Mr Yang at the opening ceremony. “The Club believes that the crux of improving people’s mental and psychological health effectively is to synergise different parties, taking the approach of medical-social collaboration. Having put strong emphasis on health and medical development in Hong Kong over the years, the Club will continue to support and launch timely and diversified projects, encouraging organisations to adopt creative thinking and technologies with a view to promoting long-term social development.”

Built with a Trust donation of over HK$23 million, the Jockey Club Adolescent Mental Health Centre is equipped with a sky garden, relaxation treatment room and multi-media activity room. Its services have commenced in phases since January 2016, and it has already handled more than 2,500 attendees as of April this year. It provides comprehensive professional mental health care services including psychiatric assessment, clinical services, occupational and speech therapy, nursing and chaplaincy involvement to children and adolescents in Kowloon East. In addition, the Centre offers workshops for parents and the public to build social capital, so that they can make good use of opportunities to instil positive mental health messages into young people.

The Club has become increasingly concerned in recent years about the need for strengthening Hong Kong’s mental health services. Earlier this week, it initiated the Jockey Club Embrace Life Series, bringing together Caritas – Hong Kong, Suicide Prevention Services and The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong to identify students who are emotionally distressed and provide support to such students and their families.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to community betterment. Through its integrated business model of world-class racing, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charity and community contribution, the Club generates substantial economic and social value and assists the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2015/16 the Club donated a record HK$3.9 billion to charity and paid a record HK$20.9 billion in tax. It is Hong Kong’s largest single tax payer and one of the world’s largest charity donors. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.