NC Children's receives $25 million gift to advance mental health care

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina Children's, the state's first health system exclusively for children, has received a $25 million gift from Coca-Cola Consolidated to advance mental health care for children and families.

The donation will support a family-centered facility and programs addressing medical, emotional, and social well-being, according to a news release.

This is the first major gift toward a $1 billion goal for NC Children's new campus in Apex, featuring a 570-bed hospital and over 100 behavioral health beds.

"We are deeply grateful to the entire Coca-Cola Consolidated family for this wonderful gift," said Dr. Wesley Burks, Chair of the NC Children's Board of Directors. "Their partnership will change children's lives by allowing NC Children's to build and expand behavioral health programs across the full continuum of care - from prevention and outpatient services to intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and inpatient treatment - establishing a world-class model for children's and adolescents' behavioral health."

NC Children's was launched in 2025 as a partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health to create the state's first comprehensive freestanding children's hospital.

Coca-Cola Consolidated, headquartered in Charlotte, employs over 4,000 North Carolinians and is committed to serving communities.